Just like world is hapless to evict uninvited guest "SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19", you will have to wait until Coronavirus or your tenant takes pity on us and you respectively.

Agree with Dr. Yousuf

This is one of the very problematic issues resulting from coronavirus and more especially from the management by governments of the pandemic. They decided to confine people, thus to stop most of the economic activity without anticipating nor solving this kind of very predictable consequences! The most vulnerable are the poorest who had no stable situation before the crisis, either no regular salary, relying on informal activity or an unskilled employment. In both cases, they were left with nothing overnight. Some of the landlords have to be counted among these vulnerable people and having no rent paid by the tenants also plunges them into misery. I think there is no solution apart from a massive help from states. Otherwise, there will be a lot of people in the streets, not making landlords much happier.

The worst is that this is only the beginning. The end of confinement does not mean an immediate resumption of economic activity. The crisis will take time to be resolved.

Since a rental agreement is a type of contract the 'doctrine of frustration' may apply which essentially ends obligations for both parties when something completely unforeseen happens which makes performance of the agreement impossible. This however will not provide a tenant with a new home, just end their obligations at the old one. I would say the best solution is negotiation of a lower rental price which will allow both parties to receive some benefit.

Also, since the government has created the conditions of the crisis by enforcing a lock-down which prevents people from working they could also legislate to intervene residential tenancies to reduce rental obligations for a set period of time.

All of this could have been avoided by mandating mask wearing at the beginning of the crisis and allowing people to continue working. Some people would have died but people already die in quite large numbers from various causes including alcohol use, possessing firearms, and and operating motor vehicles. These other activities continue despite the loss of life which accompanies them.

I agree with Dr. Yousuf and Lahmandi-Ayed and to add on I believe that its is important that in such cases government should put measures in place to protect tenants. Unfortunately everyone is impacted by this pandemic economically and mentally, and should a landlord be allowed to evict a person during this time it would be very immoral however it is not like every landlord have some sort of morality standard in place hence why I suggest that government put in place such protective measures in order to tackle the legal side of this question I know in certain countries government have already made it illegal to evict the person. Sadly should there be no intervention vulnerable people are the ones who are most likely to be negatively impacted.

I came across some interesting questions on this and other related housing affordability versus contractual obligation issues in an article available online entitled Housing Policy During Covid 19 Crisis - Challenges and Solutions, for those who might be interested.

Short of amendments to contract and landlord and tenant law, it will be difficult to disregard existing contracts/agreements.

Here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, evictions have been put on hold by the NM Supreme Court, as well as the US Federal Government to some extent because of the COVID crisis. We have initiated a mediation program between willing landlords and tenants to attempt to negotiate settlements that can provide some amount of security for the tenants, while allowing them to catch up on their rent. The US Government has prohibited evictions of persons receiving federally subsidized housing, and much of that involves large commercial landlords. Since some landlords with government-issued mortgages are entitled to forbearance on their mortgage payments, tenants receive commensurate relief.

I struggle to understand your question as you state that landlords are illegally evicting tenants and they ask about the legality of evicting tenants along with the Covid19 issues.

Are you asking about all evictions, legal evictions, legal protections, illegal evictions or the moral argument on eviction?

According to the legal rules: rent, the lessor's ownership of the lessee is an intended benefit from the leased thing for a certain period in return for a known fee.

Each of the contractors shall be obligated to implement what is included in the contract in a manner that achieves the legitimate purpose thereof, and the tenant may annul the contract if its implementation necessitates harm between the soul or the money or whoever follows it in the use of the leased thing.

One of the tenants may have an emergency excuse related to it (such as the inability to pay for any reason) to request the termination of the lease contract, while ensuring that the damage resulting from this termination results to the other contractor within the limits specified by the custom

@Kennedy, in South Africa we have rental housings tribunals that mediate disputes between landlords and tenants. Anecdotal evidence suggests increasing reluctance by private landlords to enter any mediated negotiations where rentals are owed for months at this point, and in some instances coupled with loss of employment, where payment in the future is also uncertain. While inability to pay rental by tenants is clearly understood, is enough attention being paid to the toll non- payment of rental is taking on landlords, particularly small ones, renting the odd room/space for income to survive on themselves? How about where the landlord relies on the rent to meet the mortgage payments on the rental property? These are the complexities.

unfortunately, its not only the tenants who are suffering, but the landlords as well. many landlords are small business people who rely on the rental income. As an attorney, I have landlord and tenant clients. Best to cooperate with each other but if a tenant refuses to pay and there is no moratorium on evictions, its best to evict.

Have been doing a little landlord/tenant mediation, will be doing some more, and will keep my comments updated. We currently have a moratorium in New Mexico that is independent of the Federal (US) moratorium that just expired. But it does not negate the debt, and I think most small landlords are wondering about cutting their losses while trying to get anything going before pulling the plug. No experience yet with large ones.

evictions are on freeze status in California. as far as payments go, that's an obligation of the government for forcing a mandate upon society without their consent. If you are a tenant this can be good for the tenant, not so good for the owner, although mandates require governments to pay the difference, to reduce losses

@Mmakgabo raises an important issue that of course, it is not always just rentals that are unpaid. In some instances, non-paying tenants are continuing to consume electricity and water. In Ethekwini municipality in South Africa, such accounts can only be registered in the property owner's name, so such consumption also becomes for the landlord's account. S/he has to keep these paid for, effectively paying to keep the tenant's water and electricity flowing. Landlord tenant law in South Africa prohibits disconnection of water and electricity for non-paying tenants. So, does consumption of these continue at the landlord's expense, in addition to rental arrears? We are seeing increasing illegal disconnection of water or electricity in KwaZulu Natal Province, I feel sure elsewhere as well, or refusal to sell electricity coupons to tenants who owe on rental. What is happening elsewhere in respect of water and electricity? It would be interesting to compare notes.

I guess it comes down to moral vs commerce (god vs. False god) ...if an individual's life is destroyed or made homeless and possibly losing his/her life over the COVID emergency, in order for the investor-owner to have his profits, is that a compassionate act towards humanity and to God's plan is the real question. If profits is the only thing that the owner is interested in you have your answer. Todays business structures, does not seem to care for morals only profits

I share the thought of Mona Tourky and the views previously expressed because there is a principle that states pacta sunt servanda. But in such a situation of covid-19 perhaps, the issue may turn into the category of force majeure.

Government intervention is necessary to ensure that families have minimum conditions of well-being, without that, any measure will be coercive