‘Fixes’ to evictions expungement bill bring Indiana housing advocates back on board
After making new tweaks, a House committee pushed along a bill that aims to make it easier for renters to get certain evictions sealed from their record.
evictions
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‘Greatly underestimated’: In 2024, agencies continue looking for data, solutions for eviction issues
With eviction filings showing no signs of slowing down with the start of a new year, Indiana Legal Services has continued to help Hoosier tenants with their efforts to seal prior evictions that could prevent them from finding new housing.
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New tool shines light on Indiana evictions: Advocates hope data can be used to address housing crisis
SAVI, a program of The Polis Center, a research unit in the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indianapolis, hopes a new dashboard it’s developed will give people a look at comprehensive statewide eviction data.
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At the touch of a finger: Indiana Bar Foundation deploying 120 kiosks to provide civil legal help
As part of an initiative spearheaded by the Indiana Bar Foundation, 120 Indiana Legal Help kiosks are being placed in public locations like courthouses and libraries in all 92 Indiana counties.
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Housing court seeks to find alternatives to eviction
Every Wednesday and Thursday, the docket is filled with landlord-tenant cases. But since October 2021, the Lawrence Township Small Claims Court has been implementing a housing court model that provides additional services to try to prevent or lessen the impact of the loss of a place to live.
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Articles
New limits proposed on eviction records
Two years after enactment of a law that shields certain eviction records, the Justice Project and students at the University of Notre Dame Law School are looking at how the statute can be improved, both to protect tenants’ right to privacy and maintain transparency with the public.
Landlords cry foul as more states seal eviction records
When pandemic-era tenant protections expired, rents immediately soared, and eviction filings surged last year more than 50% over pre-pandemic levels in some U.S. cities.
Sugar Factory faces eviction at Circle Centre after allegedly failing to pay $300,000-plus in rent
The landlord for Circle Centre Mall has filed a lawsuit to evict Sugar Factory, alleging that the restaurant has defaulted on its rent.
COA reverses, finding tenant denied due process in eviction proceeding
A small claims court violated a tenant’s due process rights when it did not give her adequate notice of a hearing on a nonemergency eviction claim and did not allow her to prepare and present her defenses, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled.
Evicted renter has no legal right to challenge quiet title complaint filed by new property owner, COA affirms
A longtime tenant at an Indianapolis rental property had no right to take action against a new property owner’s quiet title default judgment, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled Thursday in affirming a trial court’s decision.
Hoosiers gave ‘Zoom court’ high marks
For thousands of Hoosiers undergoing civil proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote hearings or “Zoom court” allowed them to attend safely and conveniently.
Eviction filings 50% higher than pre-pandemic in some cities as rents rise
After a lull during the pandemic, eviction filings by landlords have come roaring back, driven by rising rents and a long-running shortage of affordable housing.
State settlement programs sparsely used as eviction alternative
Indiana’s landlord and tenant settlement program is voluntary, with both sides needing to agree to participate in a conference. That’s resulted in a lot of conference requests, but only a small amount of actually mediated resolutions.
Trial court erred in awarding damages to landlord, COA finds
A landlord was not entitled to damages and was ordered to return a security deposit after the Court of Appeals of Indiana found error at the trial court.
Evicted tenant wins reversal for due process violation
A Housing Authority of South Bend tenant was deprived of her right to due process when she was not allowed to present her pro se defense during her eviction hearing, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Legal help kiosks being deployed across state to aid households facing eviction, foreclosure
At the Lawrence Township trustee’s office Tuesday afternoon, court officials and community leaders unveiled the first of 120 civil legal help kiosks that will be deployed to individuals trying to navigate the legal system themselves.
Supreme Court order: Indiana courts must use Odyssey tool in eviction proceedings
The Indiana Supreme Court has amended its requirements on state courts handling eviction proceedings to reflect changes in the court process and resources available to tenants and property owners.
2 Indiana courts receive funding to tackle eviction problem
Indiana is among eight states receiving grants in connection with the launch of the National Center for State Courts’ Eviction Diversion Initiative, which is focused on strengthening efforts to prevent evictions and improve housing stability.
Ripple effect of evictions impacts more than tenants
As bad as the stigma may be, the ripple effect created by an eviction petition is much worse. The loss of a home can throw a displaced family into a downward spiral that leads to health problems, loss of employment and poor performance in school. All of this, in turn, harms the larger community.
Indiana task force releases final eviction report, makes 2 recommendations
Underscoring that money is the root cause of the state’s eviction problem, the Indiana Eviction Task Force has focused its final report on the federal rental assistance funding that is still available and has made recommendations for ways to educate and encourage tenants and landlords to access the financial help.
New law gives Hoosier tenants some relief from eviction stigma
With the signing of House Enrolled Act 1214 into law, Hoosiers who have been evicted then struggled to overcome the stigma now have a way to scrub the “Scarlet E” from their records.
City, partners push forward with renter support despite setbacks
Indianapolis has long struggled to rein in dilapidated housing complexes owned by absentee, typically out-of-state, landlords. It’s slogging through lengthy lawsuits with the owners of multiple troubled properties, and officials say there’s another filing ready to go unless a new owner takes over an infamously rundown complex. A pair of state-level moves in landlord-friendly Indiana also are hampering attempts to protect renters, city officials say.
Legislative fatigue reflects weariness with housing crisis
By the time the “residential eviction actions” bill was called, the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee hearing had stretched well beyond two hours and, after hearing testimony, the session was adjourned with no vote taken on the measure. The fatigue felt by legislators and those constituents who were still in attendance on Feb. 9 is much like the tiredness gripping many Hoosiers and community agencies that have been bracing for and facing an eviction crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Tenants go to Statehouse to share stories, advocate for fairer treatment
Several Indiana renters took turns stepping up to the microphone in the Statehouse’s north atrium and sharing their stories during the Tenants Day of Action.