What you need to know if facing eviction amid health crisis

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — For weeks now, millions of Americans have been told that they should stay at home. The problem with that is many who lost jobs are left wondering if they can even afford the place they call home.

Unlike many other states and cities, Oklahoma still hasn’t passed any new policies officially banning evictions from being filed. However, even if your landlord does file for an eviction, that doesn’t mean you’ll be kicked out of your home right away.

As long as the courts remain closed due to COVID-19, no evictions can go through the system.

On top of that, the Oklahoma County sheriff’s office has already announced they will not be enforcing evictions at this time.

This means if you get an eviction notice, don't move out until you are told to do so by a court or law enforcement official.

“The process still has to be the process. The landlord cannot just kick someone out. They have to go through the judicial process and get an order,” says Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer, Mark Myers.

Since Oklahoma’s emergency declaration on March 15th, a backlog of more than 1,200 evictions have been filed. These could be seen in court as early as April 15th, when courts are expected to reopen.

And while that date might sound like it’s right around the corner, law enforcement won’t have to start knocking on doors right away.

“So once the evictions process starts up again, there will at least be a 60-day cushion there that will give folks time to find jobs and other housing whether that’s with relatives or friends. Really we’re just in unprecedented times and the safety of the public is our priority,” says Myers.

The sheriff's office says they can’t give an exact date when evictions could start back up again.

If you have questions or need legal assistance, Oklahoma still has its helpline up and running. The helpline can be reached by dialing 211.