New Orleans Rep. Mandi Landry (L) and Ben Toups (R) appear before House Civil Law and Procedure March 29, 2022.
After Hurricane Ida, many tenants were evicted in a matter of days and given few options to remove possessions after they evacuated. New Orleans Representative Mandie Landry’s bill will give lessees at least a month, after a Federally declared disaster, before property owners can file legal proceedings. Ben Toups said he was sent a barrage of emails telling him to leave his Houma apartment.
“There was no place to go, we had no water damage, we had no window damage, no anything, and the constant, constant emails and be raiding of just to leave your space,” said Toups.
Toups said he was given just seven days to leave the apartment, and his options were limited due to widespread damages and the limited supply of rentals was out of his price range. He said it was one of the worst experiences of his life and he held back tears.
“We are very prepared people, but I never expected to get an email that says to get out. I have no rights, options, or say so in the matter and then learning that’s there are no consequences,” said Toups.
Houma Representative Tanner Magee said some landlords sent eviction notices to tenants before their property was even inspected making the housing situation even worse. Toups said he was one of those residents who was involuntarily displaced that shouldn’t have been.
“I didn’t understand at the time that we had the right to stay, and the properties managers were just trying to avoid following the law,” said Toups.
The bill received full passage in House Civil Law and Procedure and is headed to the House.
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