Good Morning!
As a landlord and a realtor in both NY & PA, I am trying to stay on top of all of the COVID related government packages, subsidies and programs so that we (aka myself, my business partners & our tenants) can all seek any assistance we may need during these crazy times. Most recently, rent relief programs came out in both NY & PA that can help renters with any financial struggles they may face during this Pandemic.
I did some due diligence on both programs and sent out the below information to all of our tenants in the event they may be eligible for either program.
So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk PANDEMIC RENT RELIEF PROGRAMS – NY & PA…
Let’s start with New York…
The COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a grant for up to 4 months of rent. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance.
Eligible households must meet the following criteria:
- Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, household income must have been below 80% of the area median income, adjusted for household size. You can find your county’s area median income, based on your household size: www.hcr.ny.gov/eligible-income-limits-80-ami-county
- Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, the household must have been paying more than 30% of gross monthly income towards rent. Gross income includes wages as well as any cash grants, child support, social security, unemployment benefits, etc.)
- Applicants have less monthly income in any month between April 2020 and July 2020 than they did prior to March 1, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
HCR has created a dedicated call center to provide residents with help Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Call the COVID Rent Relief Program Call Center at 1-833-499-0318 or email at covidrentrelief@hcr.ny.gov
Applications can be done online HERE or printed and mailed in to COVID Rent Relief Program, 500 Bi-County Blvd., Suite #300 Farmingdale, NY 11735.
All applications are due by July 30, 2020.
Now, for PA the Rent Relief Program looks a bit different…
“The Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in March, provided $3.9 billion for Pennsylvania and is intended to help people hurt economically during the pandemic. In late May, the General Assembly directed $175 million of these CARES dollars to PHFA to provide assistance for struggling renters and homeowners. The portion for rent assistance is at least $150 million.
WHO CAN APPLY?
- Renters who have experienced job loss or a reduction in annual income due to the Coronavirus pandemic; and
- Landlords that have lost rental income because a renter has experienced job loss or a reduction in income as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
TO QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM
- Renter must document at least a 30% reduction in income since March 1, 2020, related to COVID-19; or
- Renter must have become unemployed after March 1, 2020 as a result of COVID-19; and
- Renter’s income may not exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence (and adjusted for the number people in your household).
- To find the Area Median Income by county, click HERE
- Select “CARES RRP County Income Limits”
- Select 2020 as the year
- Choose the “Click Here for FY 20 IL Documentation” button to view the income limit per household size.
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED ON YOUR BEHALF
- Up to $750/month per lessee household (or up to 100% of monthly rent);
- For a maximum of six months of assistance between March 1 and December 30, 2020.
- Payments will be made to the landlord on behalf of the renter.
- Landlords may apply on behalf of the renter, but landlord and renter must both submit documents in order to submit a complete CARES RRP application.
- Applications will be accepted beginning July 6, 2020.
- The deadline to submit applications is September 30, 2020.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO APPLY
- If you think you are eligible for this rent relief program, please contact your local county agency.
- A link to the participating agency in each county is available at https://phfa.org/pacares/.
- Applications can be downloaded at this website or at your county agency website.
- Applications can be downloaded, completed (with required documents) and may be submitted either electronically or by mail.
A complete CARES RRP application consists of the following documents:
- Landlord Application
- Landlord Property Certification
- Lessee Household Certification/Renter Application
- The mailing address for each county is available at https://phfa.org/pacares/.
- Applicants that do not possess or are not eligible for a social security number may apply for benefits through submission of a valid Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) in lieu of a Social Security Number. Submitting an ITIN is not acceptable for unemployment verification purposes. Lessees that cannot be verified by the Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Unemployment Compensation may still be eligible for receive CARES RRP assistance if the lessee qualifies based on loss of income.
The CARES funding for renters must be completely distributed by November 30, 2020.”
Applications can be submitted online HERE if you live in Philadelphia or Allegheny County.
If you live in any other PA county, you must mail in your completed application and supplemental documents. A list of the application processing centers by county can be found HERE.