A large group representing Utah landlords said it doesn’t expect evictions to rise in the state for the foreseeable future. The Utah Apartment Association credits the state’s rental assistance program with helping renters stay up to date on payments. Utah recently received $215 million for rental assistance from federal COVID-19 relief funds. At last check, about a quarter of that money had been distributed.
Utah Apartment Association executive director Paul Smith says there is an average of 350 evictions per month during the pandemic and most of them are people who are ghosting their landlords, not people applying for rental assistance.
Smith says, because of the rising house prices, he expects rents to rise over the next year. He says officials “have to remain vigilant” so evictions don’t rise.
