Groups challenging the criminal consequences for failing to pay rent in Arkansas say they ll take another run at it, perhaps as a class-action lawsuit, after their initial case was dismissed. Arkansas is the only state that treats nonpayment of rent as a criminal offense instead of a civil debt, and a nonprofit that provides free legal services contends that is unconstitutional. Phil Telfeyan, who heads the group Equal Justice Under Law, said the goal of the suit was to end the law - and now, more work must be done. .
The average cost of keeping a roof over your head in Utah s metro areas is a lot more than it used to be - if you re renting. A recent University of Utah study found that rental prices in the state s major cities increased faster in the past two years than they did over the entire prior decade. Dejan Eskic - a senior research fellow at the University of Utah s Kem C. .
Evictions are on the rise in Virginia after numerous protections provided by federal and state rental assistance programs ended. According to the Richmond Eviction Lab, the number of renters in Virginia fearing eviction during the first quarter of 2022 was 58%, almost double from the fourth quarter of 2021. Christie Marra, director of housing advocacy at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said a "perfect storm of evictions" has been brewing for some time now. .