A Look into the Eviction Crisis in New Mexico
What is an eviction?
An eviction is a legal process in which a landlord forcibly removes a tenant from a rental property for failing to pay rent or violating the lease agreement. The eviction process varies depending on the country, state, or local jurisdiction.
Why is this an issue?
America is currently grappling with an eviction crisis, fueled by staggering rent increases and a significant number of renters allocating the majority of their income to housing. As a result, eviction filings have surged by over 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels. The lack of affordable housing lies at the core of this issue and other social problems including homelessness, educational inequalities and barriers to healthcare. Effectively intervening in the cycle of poverty and addressing racial and social disparities requires critical attention to the eviction crisis.
How do evictions impact New Mexico?
National data shows that low-income women of color, domestic violence victims and families with children have the highest risk of eviction. Unfortunately, New Mexico’s notably short eviction timeline exacerbates the problem, disproportionately exposing many New Mexican families to the looming threat of eviction. The detrimental impact of evictions and unstable housing are especially traumatizing for children, significantly increasing the likelihood of mental and physical health problems, along with poor school performance. Moreover, a legal eviction hinders families from securing decent housing as many landlords conduct screenings for past eviction records, perpetuating long-term displacement.
Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexico grappled with a housing crisis. With roughly 254,000 renter households, an average of 17,000 evictions were filled annually in the two years leading up to the pandemic. Approximately 1 out of every 20 renter households received an eviction filling in the years preceding the pandemic.
What did the eviction moratorium change?
After the implementation of the eviction moratorium in March 2020, evictions experienced a sharp decline and the New Mexico courts handled only about 25% of the cases seen in previous years. While landlords retained the ability to file for evictions, eviction judgements were temporarily halted through a New Mexico Supreme Court order.
With the court order expiring in early 2022, the number of evictions remained lower than the two-year average before the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t until March 2023, a year after the eviction moratorium was implemented that the first month was recorded with eviction filings exceeding the pre-pandemic average.
Eviction Lab at Princeton University
Until the Eviction Lab at Princeton University published the first national dataset on evictions in 2018, publicly available data on evictions was virtually nonexistent. This groundbreaking initiative gathered formal eviction records from all 50 states, including New Mexico, resulting in the most extensive compilation of U.S. court records related to evictions to date. Discover more comprehensive eviction data and trends specific to New Mexico at this resource.
Jacqueline Miramontes Espinoza