The pandemic-era eviction protections are over, leaving tenants to fend for themselves.

Following multiple deadline extensions and years of assistance amid the spread of the coronavirus, July 1 marked the end of pandemic-era eviction protections for tenants across California. The change opened those who had been impacted by the pandemic and could not pay their rent, or those have not yet received financial assistance, to the likelihood of getting booted from their unit.

The final extension targeted tenants impacted by the pandemic who applied for financial assistance by March 31, and protected them while their applications were processed or up until June 30. Now, the county returns to evictions as usual.

Eviction filings this year have already jumped considerably, according to data from the Monterey County Superior Court. Between January and July 27 in 2021, the court received 53 total residential eviction filings. During the same time in 2022, that number has jumped to 356.

Yet, local organizations that help tenants say while there has been an uptick in eviction-related service requests, the increase has not been the dramatic eviction tsunami many predicted – at least not yet.

Deputy Jesse Grant from the civil division of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of serving tenants with eviction lawsuits initiated by landlords, posting notices to vacate and carrying out the physical evictions. Grant says there were evictions going on throughout the pandemic, but the immediate aftermath of the protection expiration on July 1 has brought a “slight” increase in his work. However, Grant says he is expecting a “pretty busy fall.” He says several property owners he’s encountered have relayed that they are preparing multiple evictions.

Kelly deWolfe, impact manager for affordable housing with United Way Monterey County, says the uptick has so far been drawn out but is picking up. Last fall, with eviction protections in place for those impacted by the pandemic, United Way Monterey County, which offers legal referrals to those who have applied for rental assistance, was only helping a couple people per month navigate an eviction notice. Since May, deWolfe says that number has jumped to 40 or more.

“The March 31 deadline was a huge factor because people who owed rent for any time after March 31 were suddenly vulnerable to an eviction,” deWolfe says.

Kelly Morgantini, an attorney with Legal Services for Seniors, an organization that partners with the Salinas-based Alliance on Aging, urges tenants of all ages to become familiar with the California Tenant Protection Act, a law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, just before the pandemic.

Along with a new rent stabilization clause, the law included a new “just cause” rule that requires landlords to provide a justified reason for the eviction – and tenants can challenge the reason in court. For example, if a landlord claims it’s because of a significant renovation, or they are having a family member move into the unit, they need to be ready to prove it to a judge.