Nearly 9,400 Renters Were Evicted in the Past Week Alone

That's a devastating statistic.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, evictions came to a halt as lawmakers instituted a ban on them to prevent a mass homelessness crisis. But those protections are long gone. And as a result, a growing number of renters have come face to face with eviction in recent weeks.

The Eviction Lab at Princeton University reports that there were nearly 9,400 evictions in the past week alone. And in New York City, where there's a notably large concentration of renters, there have been over 186,000 eviction filings since March of 2020.

Of course, it's easy to see why so many tenants are at risk of eviction. For one thing, rental prices have soared the last few years, putting many tenants in the position of having to spend an uncomfortably large percentage of their income on housing payments.

The tight real estate market has only helped drive rent prices upward. Elevated home prices and mortgage rates have pushed many would-be buyers out of the market, thereby increasing the demand for rentals.

Plus, living costs have been up as a whole due to inflation. So between that and higher rent prices, it's easy to see why so many tenants have been falling behind.

Now, if you don't pay your rent when you're supposed to, your landlord does technically have the right to move forward with an eviction. And that could mean not only losing your home, but also sustaining credit score damage. But that doesn't mean you can't take these steps to protect yourself.

1. Know your rights

Your landlord can't slap you with an eviction notice the minute you don't pay your rent. Read up on tenant rights, and talk to a lawyer if you feel yours are being violated. Lawhelp.org could give you access to an attorney at little to no cost.

2. Talk to your landlord about a payment plan

Maybe money has gotten so tight that you can no longer afford your $1,200 monthly rent payment. If so, don't just not pay. Instead, talk to your landlord. Loop them in and ask to negotiate a payment plan -- perhaps one that has you paying $200 a week for the foreseeable future until your financial circumstances improve.

The eviction process is clearly tough on tenants. But it's not a picnic for landlords, either, and it can be costly for them, too. Landlords will often agree to negotiate if it means collecting some money while avoiding the whole legal process.

3. Try bartering for reduced rent

Maybe your rent has become unaffordable and you don't see yourself being able to pay in full for quite some time. In this case, once again, talking to your landlord could go a long way. You may be able to barter for certain services -- for example, you perform light maintenance tasks in exchange for a rent reduction that allows you to keep up with your payments.

It's truly terrible to see such a notable uptick in evictions. If you're worried that you're at risk of being kicked out of your home, don't just resign yourself to that fate. Instead, read up on your rights and do your best to talk things through with your landlord. You never know when they might be sympathetic to your plight.