what does pending assignment mean for rental assistance california

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A Guide to California’s Rental Assistance Program

On January 29, 2021, With the expiration of AB 3088 just days away, Governor Newsome signed into law SB 91 that extended AB 3088 and set the rules for use of the funds allocated for emergency rental assistance.

Under this new law, Landlords are required to send a notice to residents that have not paid rent no later than February 28, 2021. Failure to do so may affect the ability to evict a resident.

Emergency Rental Assistance

1.4 billion of federal COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Fund will be allocated to the State Rental Assistance Program. Local governments in California have received 1.2 billion in additional funds to administer in their own rental assistance programs.

The funds will be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

The big questions is, who is eligible for rental assistance?

To be eligible to receive rental assistance funds, the household must meet ALL of the following:

• Qualifies for unemployment benefits, or
• Experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19.
• Past due utility or rent notice or eviction notice;
• Unsafe or unhealthy living conditions, or
• Any other evidence of such risk as determined by the Department.
• Household income at or below 80 percent of the area median, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Just because a household is eligible does not guarantee that the household will be awarded rental assistance. Funds are prioritized first to eligible households with a household income less than 50% of the are median (Los Angeles County the median income is $77,300 and Orange County is $103,000 per the US Department of Housing and Urban Development), then to communities disproportionally impacted by COVID-19 (as determined by the Department), and finally to all other eligible households with a household income less than 80% of the area median income.

A landlord can apply for the rental assistance on behalf of the tenant. The residents will need to cooperate with the landlord.

Eligible households may receive up to 80% of their unpaid rental debt accumulated from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021.

By accepting rental assistance, a landlord is required to enter into an agreement with the Department to accept the payment in full of all outstanding rent and release of all claims against the resident for all other outstanding amounts for that debt for that period.

Eviction Protections SB 91 extends COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (CTRA) through June 30, 2021.

The tenant’s requirement to pay 25% of the rent due since September 1, 2020, is extended to June 30, 2021. Now, if tenants cannot pay the rent due to COVID 19 Hardship between September 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 they have to pay 25% of the rent accrued in that time period no later than June 30, 2021.

Landlords must give Informational Notice of COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act Extension and New Rental Assistance Program to anyone tenant that owes rent between March 1, 2020 and February 1, 2021 no later than February 28, 2021.

No New 15 Day notices can be served until the informational notice is sent. If tenants are not paying rent need to serve the 15-Day Notice to Pay or Quit with Hardship Declaration.

If the tenant does not return the Declaration, does not pay the rent or vacate the Landlord can file the unlawful detainer complaint for possession subject to local and federal eviction moratoriums.

If the tenant submits the declaration after the eviction is filed, the tenant has the burden of showing that the failure to return it within the 15 days was a result of mistake, inadvertence, surprise of excusable neglect.

New Requirements for Eviction Process Before a court can enter judgment the court must verify that:

• The landlord did not receive rental assistance or other financial compensation from any other source corresponding to the amount demanded in the complaint.
• The landlord has not received rental assistance or other financial compensation from any other source for rent accruing after the date of the notice in the complaint.
• The landlord does not have any pending application for rental assistance or other financial compensation from any other source corresponding to the amount demanded in the notice.
• The landlord does not have any pending application for rental assistance or other financial compensation from any other source for rent accruing after the date of the notice.

The amount of attorneys’ fees that can be awarded to a prevailing party in a case based on non-payment of COVID-19 rental debt (rent due between March 2020 and June 2021) may be limited to $500 in uncontested and $1000 in contested cases.

Terminating Tenancy Not Related to Non-Payment of Rent Evictions are prohibited unless the notice is based on and states one of the just causes specified in AB 1482 (including terminating at expiration of fixed lease term).

• Breach of material lease term
• Maintaining, committing, or permitting the maintenance or commission of nuisance or waste
• Written lease terminated on or after July 1, 2020 and after written request the renter refused to execute a written extension based on similar terms
• Criminal activity
• Assigning or subletting
• Refusing the owner access (Except in LA- See LA Moratorium)
• Using for unlawful purpose
• An employee failed to vacate after termination of employment
• Failure to deliver possession of the unit following written notice to the owner of the renter’s intent to terminate the lease
• Intent by the owner or owner-relative to occupy the unit
• Withdrawal of the rental property from the rental market
• Owner complying with a local ordinance, court order, or other government entity resulting on the need to vacate the property

Other Protections Cannot charge late fees from a tenant that has submitted a COVID-19 Declaration.

Cannot increase rent or charge new fees for tenants that have submitted a COVID-19 Declaration.

Cannot apply rent payments to any other month than the month it is submitted unless the tenant agrees in writing to have the rent applied to a different month.

Landlords, resident, screening company or other entity is prohibited from using an alleged COVID-19 Rental debt as a negative factor for the purposes of evaluating a prospective housing application or as the basis of refusing to rent to a tenant. This applies EVEN IF NOT due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Rental debt cannot be sold or assigned.

Cannot apply security deposit to COVID-19 rental debt.

There are a lot of changes regarding rental assistance, handling tenants, evictions and more! Please be sure that you contact a qualified attorney like Kendall Law to help you understand rights, obligations and the law as it applies to your particular situation.  Contact us at (310) 619-4941 so we can help you take the right steps and hopefully avoid costly litigation. Kendall Law is here to help. 

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Author: eileen kendall.

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Kendall Law, A Professional Law Corporation is a civil litigation firm, specializing in real estate litigation, landlord matters and evictions, contract and lease review and drafting, contractual disputes and business law. We help real estate professionals, property owners, landlords, property managers and business owners. We are a woman-owned business based in Torrance, serving clients throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, and Southern California as well as the South Bay,  including Torrance, Lomita, Carson, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo. Disclaimer: Information contained on this site is provided ONLY as a service. It must not be considered specific legal counsel or advice. Contacting our office does not automatically create an Attorney-Client relationship. A formal written agreement must be executed with Kendall Law, a Professional Law Corporation first.

California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Hits Major Milestone, with More Than $1 Billion in Rent and Utility Assistance Paid or Approved for Payment 

Published: Sep 13, 2021

More than 44,000 households have been assisted and more than $1 billion paid or approved for payment

More than 243,000 applications have been received with more than $2.2 billion in rent and utility assistance requested

SACRAMENTO – California’s COVID-19 Rent Relief Program is reaching a significant milestone today – by the end of the day, more than $1 billion in funding will be obligated – meaning the money has either been paid or approved for payment and awaiting disbursement – and will assist over 74,000 additional households. More than $526 million of the $1 billion in rental and utility assistance has already been distributed to 44,432 low-income California households who suffered financial hardship because of the pandemic.

The milestone represents a 638 percent increase since June 28 th , when Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 832, which increased the level of assistance to 100 percent for both back rent and prospective rent. More than 243,000 applications have been received, and more than $2.2 billion in rent and utility assistance is currently requested and is pending eligibility verification and fraud prevention screening.

“In just six months, we have provided essential assistance to more than 44,000 households to keep families safely housed,” said Governor Newsom. “Our program has been so successful that cities like Los Angeles decided to join efforts with the state to have an even greater impact.”

Bolstering tenant protections from eviction, beginning October 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022, tenants earning less than 80 percent of the area median income will be protected through a pre-eviction diversion process through the courts, so long as they have submitted a completed application for rental relief through either the state or a locally administered program.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought so much pain and economic disruption, particularly to low-wage workers and low-income renter households,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “Working with over 130 community-based partners, we are reaching families hardest hit – 85 percent being very low- or extremely low-income – and making landlords whole. Rent relief has been a game changer for Californians at greatest risk of displacement or becoming homeless.”

“We have been moving with a sense of urgency to ensure that renters and landlords who need assistance can get it as quickly as possible,” said Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Director Gustavo Velasquez. “Keeping families stably housed continues to be a critical public health measure, as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“California has made important improvements to its Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program and is now among the best statewide programs in the country by rate of spending and number of people assisted,” said President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition Diane Yentel. “While the program had early challenges, the state is to be commended for recognizing the need for improvements in program design and implementation, and building on lessons learned to course correct. Now, California has one of the country’s more successful ERA programs and serves as a model to other states and localities to adopt evidence-based best practices to expedite assistance to tenants and landlords.”

In addition to providing 100 percent of back rent and prospective rent, AB 832 also gave California the strongest eviction protections in the nation. The extension of state-level eviction protections, which were initially established over a year ago, have provided much needed housing stability for Californians throughout the pandemic. As we continue to recover following the end of the state’s existing protections, additional protections will be in place through the end of March 2022 for households that are at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income and complete an application for assistance through either the state or locally administered programs.

Additional information about today’s milestone numbers can be found on the California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program’s  interactive dashboard . The dashboard allows people to see the state’s overall rent relief numbers, drill down to see the numbers for individual jurisdictions participating in the state program, and the income, ethnicity, age, race and other demographic characteristics of tenants who have applied. It is updated weekly as new payments are made to assist households.

Statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

Hagale clic aquí para leer esta página web en español.

To learn more about the status of the Statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program please review Public Counsel FAQ in your preferred language https://publiccounsel.org/ca-rent-relief / 

Tenants Together partners including Public Counsel , SAJE , Policy Link , Western Center on Law & Poverty , ACCE , Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angles , and Covington & Burling LLP were successful cuing the CA Dept of Housing Community & Development  operation of the Housing Is Key COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program

What eviction protections still exist if I have rent debt due to COVID?

• The statewide eviction protections for COVID rent payment ended September 30, 2021 (see visual below).
• Tenants who were actively applying to ERAP during October 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022, and received a 3 day “pay or quit” notice from their landlord must have responded within 15 days of receiving the eviction notice with proof of their ERAP application and case number.
• California normal rules about the eviction process applied. This means that a renter who received a 3-day eviction notice to “pay or quit” for rent due is in this period must respond to invalidate the notice OR pay rent owed within 3 days.
• There are very few local jurisdictions that have remaining COVID eviction moratorium. Please review LegalFAQ.org to see if you are eligible for local COVID eviction protections.

How will I be informed about the status of my ERAP application?

• Email address 
• Mailing address 
• Any 3rd party or other person the tenant listed in their application who helped them apply
• Housing Is Key Call Center: 833-430-2122
• Local Partner Network: 833-687-0967

Which tenants are covered by this ERAP settlment?

• Any tenant who applied to ERAP on or before March 31, 2022 AND still has a pending application or was denied on or after June 7, 2022 .
• Only for statewide ERAP – does not apply to local rental assistance programs run by a city or county
• Does NOT re-open the ERAP program to new applications 

How do I appeal denied or partial approval status on my ERAP application that I received since June 7, 2022?     

• Appeals process is now EXTENDED! Tenants have 30 days to appeal, or if not the denial notice will be considered final
• Portal will automatically open an appeals process on ERAP applications that retroactively received a partial denial, who were denied for “partial approval notice”
• Email:  [email protected]
• Phone: 833-430-2122
• Directly through the portal  

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How long does it take for Californians to receive rental assistance?

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by CalMatters, CalMatters Network March 3, 2022

A new study says California has been able to send rent relief to only 16% of applicants, who have been waiting for months. The state questions the analysis, but according to its figures, only 41% of applicants have been granted financial relief.

According to a new analysis released today , only 16% of nearly half a million renters who applied for rent relief from the state of California have received their payment. And the clock is ticking: Under state law, landlords will be able to evict tenants who haven’t paid rent by April 1.

Of more than 488,000 households that have applied for assistance since the program launched in March 2021, about 180,000 have been approved. Four percent were denied and more than half of applicants are still waiting for a response, according to the study , compiled by National Equity Atlas, Housing Now, and the Western Center on Law & Poverty using state data.

But even most tenants whose applications were approved are still waiting for a check, according to the analysis. Of the 180,000 households whose applications were approved, only more than 75,000 households were paid. And they still need more help: 90% of those households have reapplied for more money.

The number of people paid, according to the study, is significantly lower than what is shown on the state’s public dashboard : 191,000 households “served” and $2.2 billion paid.

Monica Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Housing and Community Development, disputed the report’s findings, saying the state dashboard has “the most up-to-date and accurate numbers.”

Of 467,000 completed applications to date, 191,000 payments, or 41%, have been made, he said, with more than $80 million being sent each week to more than 8,000 households.

The study authors said they stand by their analysis, which shows that $900 million has been paid (“application complete, paid” in state data), while another $1.15 billion has only been approved (“application complete, paid pending”).

“It doesn’t matter if you have a piece of paper saying it’s approved, you need the money,” said Madeline Howard, a senior attorney with the Western Center and a co-author of the report. “It does not reflect the experience of tenants who live this day to day.”

The study also found that applicants waited an average of more than three months to get an approval and another month to get paid — 135 days in total. However, waiting times have shortened: households that applied for help last March waited around six months to receive the payment, while those that applied in October faced a waiting time of just under four months.

In his emailed response, Hernandez said the wait time measure “does not take into account different rules that were enforced on different apps at different times” or “for incomplete, duplicate, or potentially fraudulent apps that we are now removing from the data”.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a piece of paper that says it’s approved, what they need is the money.” Madeline Howard, Senior Attorney at the Western Center on Law and Poverty

California received about $5.2 billion from the federal government to help renters stay in their homes and pay landlords. The state is in charge of managing about half of that, while 25 cities and counties manage the rest. The new study focuses on the state program, which covers nearly two-thirds of Californians.

In January, the state received $62 million in additional federal aid, or just 3% of the nearly $2 billion it requested in November. Still, California received a third of the funds reallocated by the US Treasury, which Hernandez said speaks to “federal officials’ confidence in our ability to distribute funds to households in need in a timely manner.” .

According to Hernandez, a budget bill passed by the Legislature in February that allocates money from the General Fund to state and local rent relief programs “means that all eligible applicants seeking assistance for costs filed and incurred on March 31 of 2022 or before, they will receive assistance.”

The new study is the most comprehensive look yet at how rent relief is faring in California.

The full data set was not released to the Western Center through the state’s Public Records Act until the center announced its intention to sue the Department of Housing and Community Development, which runs the program with the help of a private contractor . Repeated Public Records Act requests for the full data set had previously been denied. These groups have been tracking California’s rental and eviction relief efforts since the beginning.

CalMatters has requested similar data from the state through various Public Records Act requests and has been told repeatedly that the data does not exist.

“We don’t track data and create a report on the dates people applied and then received a response. What we do is we can look at the age of applications within the system and make sure that all applications are allocated by a certain date,” said Geoffrey Ross, deputy director of the housing department’s Federal Financial Assistance Division. CalMatters on October 11.

Hernandez said that statement was accurate at the time.

A state ban on evictions for nonpayment of rent went into effect at the start of the pandemic and has been extended multiple times. That protection ended last October, with one condition. Until March 31, landlords would not be able to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent until September 30, 2021, if they had applied for a rent exemption from the state. That extra layer of protection goes away on April 1.

“I’m really confused as to why we haven’t heard anything about extending eviction protections,” Howard said. “People are waiting. They don’t have the promised money.”

The state’s rent relief program continues to face other challenges that have persisted since its inception, according to another recent survey of 58 tenant organizations statewide by Tenants Together, an advocacy group. Ninety percent of respondents reported difficulty accessing the app, and 82% reported difficulty getting information about their apps.

The survey found that California’s most vulnerable renters, including non-English speakers , seniors and those on informal leases, continue to face the greatest obstacles to obtaining rent relief.

“I think there is a lack of understanding in the Legislature that people become homeless after being evicted from their homes,” said Shanti Singh, legislative and communications director for the group that conducted the survey.

This article was originally published by CalMatters

Join the Conversation

35 Comments

Do any state officials ever read these sites ?!! I mean come on!!! It’s no wonder they got sued, although from the looks of it, it hasn’t done much good… Who are the people in charge of this program and what right do they have to play God and decide who and when get what?! The money has been placed to help California’s renters in a crisis, three years later no one’s beens helped! Wow! Just freaking wow!

Do any state officials ever read these sites ?!! I mean come on!!! It’s no wonder they got sued, although from the looks of it, it hasn’t done much good… Who are the people in charge of this program and what right do they have to play God and decide who and when get what?! The money has been placed to help California’s renters in a crisis, three years later no one’s beens helped! Wow! Just fucking wow!

Approved pending payment since 8.9.23 No award letter no check.. Same run around as everyone else. When I call its ” be patient I can’t provide you with any information besides check your email and portal for updates ” Yea… Some “relief’ I’m very upset and don’t understand why these folks can’t be transparent. What a flippen joke! Shame on them!!

Next month, it will be a year since I applied. My application was under review for 10 months, and then 4 weeks ago the status finally changed to “Approved -pending assignment”. What does that mean, and how much longer am I going to have to wait? My landlord has been patient, but it’s wearing thin and this is causing lots of tension. I am so uncomfortable, and I feel like he thinks I’m lying about being approved. It has become a hostile environment and I am so worried that my son and I are not going to have any where to go pretty soon. I keep calling but they just tell me that they can’t give me a time frame for when the funds will be disbursed and to wait for the email. This is so frustrating. Is there any one I can call to expedite this?!

My name is Eliza Douglas I am a renter I filled out my application over a year ago I finally got approved 11 days ago is it going to take another year for my landlord to receive the check how long does it take!

I applied last December 2022 I still have not got one phone call or email. Their website says I’m still under review. But won’t tell me what is holding up my application from being accepted. I call every week get the same answer just wait just wait have to be patient absolutely frustrating and ridiculous. This is the worst program I’ve ever had to deal with

My tenant and I applied in Jan.and I have still not received any money. It has been 9 months now. Now my tenant still owes me another 26,000 on top of the 32,000 the state is paying. With no moratorium ending in sight she just keeps living rent free

He should work four them all he do not need a job on more from Christine I’m i’m you tried frying scared of him d He do not need to work at the the crown hotel 528 Valencia st

I have been approved since Feb 5 2022 and I still have not received my money . I call once a week and I’m told different things each time . 20% they tell me that there submitting my case for resolution and someone has to call me in 72hrs and I receive no call . My landlord has no more patience. This is so ridiculous, what can I do to relieve the payment that has been approved for 5months

I myself have applied for renters assistance on Nov 09, 2021. I was denied for no particular reason I appealed over two months ago and no response. I have sent all documents ask for and still no real response.

I rent a room from a patient 84 year old man. He only charges me 400.00 a month. I have promised him his back rent. I think he is starting not to believe me and I am afraid to lose my spot.

I know of a girl that made over 20 thousand dollars by submitting applications for people and splitting the money. My claim is 100% legit and I applied in September seems to be froze

In final review since beginning of January. “We have everything we need sir.We can’t give you any idea of how long it will take. Don’t call us we’ll email YOU. Laugh, Laugh, Chuckle chuckle (baby screaming in the background)” WTF?

I have been waiting now for over 8 months and ive been in qc review for 2 months and each time i call they give me the same dam answer with no time frame or any new information.Is this a dam scam or is the state stealing the funds that where ment for the people in need.I cant believe how state officials are treating us and most likely they are redirecting the funds to line there own dam pockets.No wonder crime is up and its getting worst too.So more banks will be robbed more homes will be robbed more smash and grabs will happen and you can blame our government for all that.Look at how many home invasions happened in the past 2 weeks trust me when i say its going to get worst.Great job housing is key your flooding our jails with your lack of help that the federal government promised us but your the ones who should be locked up for stealing our money.

The program is Tenant Based meaning if tenant doesn’t comply with necessary paperwork and the landlord complied with all documentation Housing is key will deny paying the landlord and all you get for your time and months and months of waiting is a big 0 in payments. BEWARE.

I have been waiting since November 6 months ago, first it said under review, then final review then conditionally approved then back to under review. For the last 2 months that I’ve been calling I am told it is in payment processing / pending payment, but the site says under review. A one cent deposit verified bank account by SoCal on April 6th a month ago and bill.com on the 13th all documents have been completed and approved for months now.

I applied in November 2021 and saw the process go from application accepted to document review in early April, then to Q & A approval, in late April. Finally, on May 1, I was APPROVED! I am now pending disbursement. I hope to get paid soon, but after reading some reviews, it kind of burst my bubble! Hope to be paid soon, because I need HELP NOW!

I applied in Aug 2021 (8 months) . Still in Pending Review. I’ve called every other week begging for them to tell me what I need to do to get it processed. They tell me they have everything. And it’ in Final Review. What does that mean? HELP!!!!!

I know of 1 person out of about 30 who have applied and actually received. I personally have been approved and still waiting for almost a year now. Who is in charge of releasing these funds and where are all the funds actually going? It doesnt seem like they are being distributed to those of us that are in need, applied and have approved and where do we go for answers? If its for US then it should be paid to US and immediately after approval. Yes, my landlord has been extremely patient and has agreed to become part of the process but promises, promises. WHERE oh WHERE has “our” money gone?

The crazy thing is the people that need it most and are being honest about their financial stress lose I know of so many people that lied and have received $33 racks $28 racks the list goes on They are buying cars living it up while single mothers are stressed waiting for the exact amount needed for rent and bills Us honest people will be the ones out on the street homeless due to greedy abuse the system liars.

Yea I’ve been waiting over a year now and I just found out that they not only denied me but they didn’t tell me until it was too late to do another app. Nothing but B.S. MANN!?!!

7 months I’ve been waiting….I also call often but they can never tell me anything either at housing is key.

ive been waiting 10 mo i call every day all they say is i cant give you a date or a time when we will pay out also talking to diffrent people is crazy they all say the same thing makes you wonder if this shit is a scam or they keeping the money for there self because its taking so long how long does a person reallly have to wait to get help that they offerd to help people and if they dont have the money to help they should let people no no just keep them waiting

I won’t be evicted but my landlord is making life hell. I am trying to get a high interest personal loan ( 35.99 percent interest) so I can give my landlord a good faith payment ( $2000) until my application is paid and processed. I called the information number given on HOUSING IS KEY and they have no information whatsoever, so don’t bother…. the current polical administration hasn’t helped only hindered AMERICAN’S more…. and I empathize with the people in Ukraine who we sent milliions in aide to HOWEVER, when will we help hard working AMERICAN’S FIRST?

I’m grateful my land lord and I are on ok terms considering how much back rent I owe him . It’s frustrating aying the waiting game ! Especially since I cannot get a hold of anyone and I don’t even know if my application has been approved! I would jus like some kind of communication to help my stress and worries . Every month is adding up more debt for me and all who are in the same situation, are anyone of those who are working the program in the same situation? I understand that they are swamped, they must be ! I understand that there’s a prossess for each application and I appreciate thier time. I would like to know if anyone of the many who work there try to look at our situation from where we stand ? It’s a hard thing to do but I hope someone can/ will . This has been deeply depressing I find it difficult to be social. My pride, Integrity, and independents has been very much affected like so many others . The application was difficult to find! Once I found the program application and began to fill it out half way through the application went blank and It took me back to sign in . I’m not sure what happend but I finished it and submitted it. Now when I check the status it said” not submitted ” its so frustrating! I uploaded all my documents and signed! Unable to reach anyone and no way of knowing if I’m waiting time, what do we do ? Please help.

I don’t know where you’ve been calling but they answer everytime I call and they reply to every email I send and even though I haven’t been paid yet they have been keeping me updated . My latest reply from them states the check should arrive in about four weeks . They will reply the same day and if not the very next day . You’re probably calling the wrong numbers .

Hello, What is the email address you are contacting because I need to contact these people asap

Please , please advise what # you are calling or atleast a responding email address because my story is same as 90%, get same generic answer everything, I call. I too know people frauding the system , have been paid & blew the $$. I’m honest & still in the cold. Please help me by providing contact #s & email addresses. Thank you so much. Email me at [email protected] Thanks again so much

If you are signing up using your phone I would try using a computer to sign up. My phone had issues with the application website so I used a laptop and it went smoothly . I submitted my application 2 days before they shutdown the application process. Status: application submitted and received for review.

8months 8 months 8months 8 months 8months 8 months 8months 8 months That’s how long I’ve been waiting for HELP!!! and no one knows why????

Sham program! Shame on them! We need this $$ to pay our bills! Waiting 5 months plus is not acceptable! Nobody at HOUSING IS KEY gives no answer to when applicant will get funded…People are loosing their homes because of this! Not fair!

The study behind the story on rent relief has a major flaw. The study is treating all applications as though they were submitted by the tenant when in reality these include both tenant and landlord applications. And I know for a fact that if a tenant does not submit an application after a landlord has submitted one, it is marked with the status of Application Waiting Review which constitutes over 25% of the total number of applications (including reapplications for additional funds). The program rules stipulate that if a tenant does not respond to the invitation to submit an application, which is sent automatically upon the landlord application, no further action is possible other than for the landlord to sue the tenant in court (good luck recovering any awarded judgement).

This program and it’s case workers are also not being transparent about their no reimbursement policy. Many of us have been exhausting life savings and credit cards to cover rent while waiting to be approved, acting in good faith. This program does not take that into account, does not reimburse renters and does not communicate that when applying. It only qualifies if you stop paying your rent while under the assurance that you have eviction protection. Which is now ending even though applicants are still waiting for approval. The process bankrupts applicants and has waited out many desperate renters until the program ends in March. All while asking for personal documentation such as rent ledgers, lease agreements and revealing to your landlord that you are applying and asking them to apply to help you save your home. Many landlords wish to evict so they can re-rent the unit at market value. Rent controlled units are valuable and it motivates them to decline the program.

This. Exactly this! Ive been waiting fir my additional fundings request to be approved since nov. 2021. As protections ended in California I , a single mother of 3 have been completely and I stress COMPLETELY broke trying to maintain rent while waiting fir approval. I rent from a slum lord. She recieved the tasks to verify over 2 weeks ago. When i asked her to complete them she brought up I pay bmr and that she could be charging way more to someone else. Im constantly stressed.

YES! My landlord wants me out its his only income and he is being understanding because I gave him the letter stating I applied for rent relief. He thinks I will eventually pay him my back rent. He also feels I may not and so June 31 IF IM NOT PAID BY THEN IM OUT. Even though I may have a job by then, I’m out. I was sent an email from my case worker stating I have 2 days to complete the updated task and mark the application complete. I DID SO… SO, how long now? I’m in California will I get paid before June 31? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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Rent Relief in California: How to Apply, and What You Could Get

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Updated June 28, 4 p.m.

Skip straight to:

• Do I qualify for California rent relief?
• Are undocumented tenants eligible?
• How do I apply for rent relief?
• Are landlords required to apply for rent relief?
• How much money could I potentially get?

The pandemic has been crushing for low-income tenants in California — and has caused financial strain on property owners who haven’t been able to collect rent and have their own bills to pay. Local and state eviction protections have helped many people stay housed but, eventually, the rent will be due.

California's rent relief program, called Housing Is Key , was established by state lawmakers in January when they passed Senate Bill 91, which also extended the statewide eviction moratorium through June 30. As of June 28, 2021 Gov. Newsom and state legislative leaders have agreed upon a deal shielding tenants from evictions through Sept 30 .

Both tenants and landlords with low-income tenants who have fallen behind on rent because of the pandemic can apply for relief. The new bill, AB 832, allows tenants and landlords to receive 100% of the back rent. That’s an increase from the previous program, where landlords could only receive 80% of what they were owed, and had to agree to forgive the remaining 20%. Landlords or tenants who have already applied or received funding, will automatically have their payments go up to 100%.

Tenants can now also apply directly for relief if their landlord does not respond or chooses not to participate, if they swear under penalty of perjury that the money will go toward paying off rent debt. Before if a landlord refused to participate, tenants could only get 25% of their debt forgiven.

The program to distribute $5.2 billion in federal funds opened for applications on March 15 – but that money has gone out extremely slowly. While billions have been available since January, the state has distributed only $61.6 million in relief to a little more than 5,000 households so far. That’s just about 10% of the total aid that people have applied for.

The delays in payment are due to problems with the Department of Housing and Community Development's anti-fraud system and to ensure there were no duplicate payments, said Jessica Hayes, a program specialist with HCD. She said they first prioritized sending assistance to people with the lowest incomes, but have started expanding the program to more people.

“We've been able to increase the number of households that we're processing through the application each week,” she said, “and we expect that to continue to ramp up.”

Applicants have also complained of a clunky and cumbersome system and the lack of translation for non-English speakers as factors inhibiting people from applying. In response, HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez said the state has now streamlined the application, making it more user friendly, and has added more languages, including simplified Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog.

Here’s what you need to know about applying for rent relief in California, with answers to these frequently asked questions:

'Do I qualify for rent relief?'

The program is targeted at low-income renters and their landlords.

To be eligible for the aid, tenants must make less than 80% of the local median income. Median income varies widely from county to county, and also depends on how many people live in your household. Don’t know what your local area median income (or AMI) is? Here’s a handy cheat sheet from the state .

The tenants must also have at least one person in the household who has lost a job or income during the pandemic and can show they are at risk of homelessness. A past-due rent or utility bill can be used to show a risk of homelessness.

The state wants to get relief as quickly as it can to the most vulnerable renters first, and is sending the first round of checks to households that are making 50% or below the area’s median income, or someone who has been unemployed for 90 days or more. People in higher-income tiers, but no more than 80% AMI, will receive aid next.

Some cities like Oakland, who opted to run their own programs, are going even further and prioritizing households making less — 30 % AMI or below.

'Are undocumented tenants eligible?'

Yes. The federal government never made citizenship status a requirement to access rent relief.

That means that the assistance is available to all renters who meet the eligible income levels, regardless of whether they are a legal resident or not.

'How do I apply?'

Most landlords and tenants who qualify can apply through the state’s website, Housing Is Key .

Tenants still have to submit a declaration saying they are unable to make full rent, and pay at least 25% of their monthly rent between Sept. 1, 2020 and June 2021, or in bulk, by Sept. 30, to avoid eviction.

Tenants and landlords each have a role to play. There are parts of the application to be filled out by both parties. If both a landlord and a tenant applied for funds, the money will go directly to the landlord. It will only go to the tenant if the landlord declines to participate in the program. The bill expands eligibility to tenants who may have moved out of their home during the pandemic, who were not covered previously. They can now apply for back rent owed to a previous landlord.

If a tenant applies first, the landlord will be notified and invited to participate. If a landlord applies first, the state will get in touch with the tenant to gather additional information, like their income.

The California Apartment Association is urging property owners to get in touch with eligible tenants early to let them know you plan on applying for aid.

“You and the tenant need to work together,” said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of state government affairs and compliance with the California Apartment Association, the state’s largest landlord group.

San Francisco renter Jonas Di Gregorio says the rent relief can't come soon enough. He lost his job as a restaurant server at the beginning of the pandemic and owes more than $10,000 to his landlord in back rent. He's been able to continue paying 25% of his monthly rent on his studio to avoid eviction.

"I think this rental assistance is very important," Di Gregorio said in March. "I hope my landlord will apply."

You can also find answers on eligibility or get help applying through the state’s new hotline, (833) 430-2122.

If you need direct one-on-one assistance to fill out the application, the state can arrange an in-person appointment with an outreach worker. The list of local groups who will be providing assistance will be available through the hotline or the state's website .

'Is the process the same for everyone in California?'

Not exactly. Like so many things that have to do with addressing the pandemic, it depends on where you live.

Some larger local governments got a slice of the federal stimulus money directly and are creating their own programs, and if you live in those places, your process may be a little different.

Some of the Bay Area’s largest cities and counties are among those with their own programs, including San Jose , San Francisco and Oakland .

Landlords and tenants in jurisdictions with a pending local program can start their application through the state portal.

For more information on local rent assistance programs, check out this nifty map from the National Low Income Housing Coalition .

'What documents or information will I need?'

Landlords will need some documentation proving they are the property owner. That could include a deed, a mortgage note, property tax statements or a current lease agreement. If it is an informal living situation and there is no signed lease, bank statements that show rent is being collected are also accepted. Property managers can also apply on behalf of a landlord.

Eligible tenants have to have some financial impact from COVID-19. There is an opportunity to provide documentation , like a recent pay stub or a termination letter, but it is not required — and a written attestation that they have been impacted is sufficient.

Renters must also demonstrate housing instability or risk of homelessness. This could be owed back rent or an overdue utility bill.

'If I am a landlord, am I required to apply for rent relief?'

No, but if landlords want to start eviction proceedings after September 30, due to unpaid rent, they will need to show that they or their tenants have attempted to apply for rent relief. If they don’t receive word on their application from either the state or their tenant, or if their tenant doesn’t qualify or meet the income requirements, the landlord can proceed with the eviction.

'What if my landlord doesn’t want to participate?'

With SB 91, some nonprofits that advocate for low-income tenants voiced concerns that landlords may pick and choose which of their tenants get to receive relief, since the program depended heavily on the willingness of landlords to voluntarily opt-in.

Now, with AB 832, tenants will be able to apply on their own for 100% of back rent and up to three months of forward rent . Previously, without landlord approval, a tenant was eligible for only 25% of missed rental payments.

'How much money could I get?'

There isn’t any cap on how much rent aid an individual can qualify for under the state’s program. And the state says it will keep accepting applications and sending out checks until the pool of money runs out.

Rules vary for programs run by local jurisdictions, including the city of Oakland which has a cap of $15,000 of assistance per tenant.

In some cases, like if a landlord refuses to accept the funds, the tenant could use the money to cover future rent payments, but only after past due rent has been paid.

This story includes reporting from KQED's Erin Baldassari and CalMatters’ Manuela Tobias.

A version of this story was first published on March 15.

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California rent relief settlement

Tenants’ rights advocates reach landmark settlement on behalf of californians struggling with pandemic rent debt.

The agreement requires the California Department of Housing & Community Development to give pending and denied applicants a fair chance to receive Covid-19 rental assistance

June 5, 2023 – A landmark settlement has been reached in a case brought by tenants’ rights advocates alleging that the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) unconstitutionally operated the state’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP or Housing is Key), which has led to qualified applicants missing out on the assistance they were promised after the pandemic destroyed many Californians’ livelihoods. More than 100,000 households are still waiting for a decision on their applications—and many of them are being served with eviction notices and being harassed by their landlords for rent they still owe. The settlement agreement will offer a renewed chance for applicants who remain in limbo to receive Covid-19 rental assistance, which remains essential to supporting and stabilizing families as the housing and homelessness crisis worsens in California.

California’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program was created to provide direct assistance to low-income families struggling to pay rent during the pandemic. The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE Action), Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), and PolicyLink—represented by Western Center on Law & Poverty, Public Counsel, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Covington & Burling LLP—sued HCD in June 2022 for several systemic failures in the program, including a confusing application process that led eligible tenants to be wrongfully denied assistance.

As part of the settlement, HCD has agreed to take several steps to improve its process for the remaining ERAP applications, including:

• Providing tenants who are going to be denied all or part of the assistance they requested with a detailed explanation of the reason for denial, so they can address issues with the application and have a fair opportunity to appeal;
• Ensuring that tenants subject to “recapture” of rental assistance funds have a fair opportunity to challenge the state’s decision;
• Providing better access to the appeal process; 
• Expanding funding to the Local Partner Network, which will assist tenants with navigating their pending applications and appeals;
• Conducting an audit of prior denials to correct wrongful denials of assistance; and
• Providing greater transparency about who is receiving rental assistance and who is not, with data about the race, ethnicity, and zip code of people denied assistance.

Tenants who have been waiting for a decision on their applications will receive an update in the coming months and should regularly check their email, application portal, and postal mail for notifications. Tenants who have been evicted or moved since they applied for rental assistance should contact the Housing is Key program to update their contact information and ensure they receive any important notices. Those who receive a denial will have 30 days to file an appeal.

California identified more than $6 billion in rental assistance from the state and federal government for the Housing is Key program, which came at a critical time and should have made a profound difference for the hundreds of thousands of families impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic. More than half a million households applied to the program. Thus far, HCD has denied nearly 30 percent of applicants , according to an analysis of program data conducted by the National Equity Atlas (a research partnership between PolicyLink and the USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute). The vast majority of those denied (93 percent) have incomes below 80 percent of the area median income—the income threshold to be eligible for the program. Tenants did not receive any meaningful explanation of why they were being denied the help they needed to avoid eviction, and many had difficulty accessing the appeal process.

➡ Click here to view the signed settlement.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

On May 30, 2023, tenant advocates settled a major lawsuit against the State of California over due process issues in the administration of the State’s COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, also known as the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) or Housing Is Key, which resulted in eligible tenants being denied assistance. As a result, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has agreed to several important reforms to the procedures around denials and appeals in the program. 

This FAQ provides an overview of the lawsuit settlement and what it means for tenants. For more information about the lawsuit and a complete copy of the settlement, use the tabs on this web page to access more information. To spread the word about this settlement, share this web address: CARentRelief.org

For questions on the status of an application, tenants should contact the State’s Housing Is Key call center at (833) 430-2122 . To check the status of their application in the Housing Is Key application portal, tenants can visit: https://hornellp-ca.neighborlysoftware.com/CaliforniaCovid19RentRelief/Participant .  To connect with a community organization that can provide application assistance, tenants should call the Local Partner Network at (833) 687-0967 .

FAQ translations

• Spanish: Haga clic aquí para leer esto en español.
• Chinese (simplified):   点击这里阅读中文简体版本。
• Chinese (traditional) :  點擊這裏閱讀中文繁體版本。
• Korean:  한국어로 읽으시려면 여기를 클릭하세요 .
• Japanese :  日本語で読むにはここをクリックをして下さい。
• Tagalog : Mag-click dito para basahin ito sa Tagalog/Filipino.
• Vietnamese : Bấm vào đây để đọc bằng tiếng Việt.

1. Who does this settlement impact?

This settlement impacts tenants who applied to Housing Is Key on or before March 31, 2022, and who still have pending applications or were denied on or after June 7, 2022. The settlement may also help some tenants who were denied prior to June 7, 2022 or have other application statuses as detailed in this FAQ. 

This settlement only applies to the State of California’s Housing Is Key program. It does not apply to any local rental assistance programs run by a city or county. The settlement also does not reopen the Housing Is Key program to new applications. Tenants can check their status in the Housing Is Key application portal here: https://hornellp-ca.neighborlysoftware.com/CaliforniaCovid19RentRelief/Participant .

2. What will happen next for tenants who have been waiting for decisions on their rent relief applications? 

HCD will resume processing outstanding applications and appeals. Tenants should expect to receive new communications from the State soon, whether it is an approval or denial.

Under the settlement, the State has revised the denial notice so it provides more specific information to tenants on the exact reason for the denial. The tenants that will receive new denial notices are: 

• Tenants who received a denial notice on or after June 7, 2022;
• Tenants who never received a denial notice;
• Tenants who submitted an appeal but have not received a decision on their appeal as of May 30, 2023.

The new denial notices will restart a new 30-day period to submit an appeal. The new denial notices will also include information about how to contact an organization who can help tenants with the appeal. 

Tenants who are not sure of the date of their denial can call the Housing Is Key call center at (833) 430-2122 to ask for their date of denial.

3. What will new denial notices look like?

All new denial notices will now have more information about the specific reason for the denial so that tenants can address any identified issues and prepare a useful appeal to challenge the decision. Notices will be in English and in any other language the tenant requests. Under the settlement, the State must upload all denial notices to a tenant’s Housing Is Key application portal so it is readily accessible.

If the denial was based on something submitted by the tenant’s landlord, the tenant will have the right to request the document or information provided by the landlord. The tenant will then have 30 additional days to submit their appeal. If HCD does not get permission to provide the document to the tenant, the document will be disregarded during the tenant’s appeal.

4. How will the new denial notices be sent to tenants?

Under the settlement, HCD can no longer send denial notices only by email. Any new denial notices will be uploaded to the Housing is Key application portal, emailed to the tenant and any third-party advocates listed in their application, and mailed to the tenant’s address listed on the application.

We expect new denial notices to be sent on a rolling basis over the next few months.

5. Does this settlement make any changes to the appeal process?

The settlement expands access to the appeal process. Tenants will now be able to appeal by calling the Housing Is Key call center at (833) 430-2122 , emailing Appeal@ca-rentrelief.com , or contacting their case manager directly. HCD will also put a link to the appeals portal in the application portal. HCD will also work to find an alternative way for tenants to access the appeals portal if they no longer have access to the email address they originally used for their application.

With an improved denial notice that states the specific reason for a denial, tenants will be able to address the exact issue in an appeal. As was the case before, tenants have 30 days after receiving a denial notice to submit an appeal or the denial will be considered final.

6. What if a tenant was only approved for part of the assistance they applied for?

During the lawsuit, we learned that it was common for HCD to only approve tenants for part of the assistance they applied for without providing an explanation to the tenant (aka “partial payments”). The settlement now requires HCD to send out these partial payments to approved applicants within 30 days of May 30, 2023. 

Going forward, if a tenant is awarded only a portion of the rental assistance they applied for, HCD will send them a notice explaining why they were denied the full amount. Additionally, HCD will automatically open an appeal on the tenant’s behalf. Tenants will be able to request additional information and documents that HCD used to make the decision, and to submit new evidence to support the appeal. Tenants should keep an eye out for these “partial payment” notifications and respond promptly if they want to challenge the decision.

7. How does this settlement impact tenants who previously received “recapture” notices?

Some tenants who received rental assistance were later sent  “recapture” notices saying that they must return some or all of the money they received. Under the settlement, HCD must provide these tenants a new notice explaining the reason HCD wants them to return the money and give the tenant the right to appeal. After receiving the new notice, the tenant will have 30 days to appeal the recapture. If the appeal is approved, HCD will cancel the recapture notice and the tenant will be able to keep the funds.

If HCD finds during the appeal process that the recapture notice was incorrect but there is still a problem with the application, HCD will notify the tenant of the specific problem and give them 45 days to update their application.

If the appeal is denied, HCD will send another notice providing options to repay the funds, such as through a payment plan. HCD agrees that they will not sell this debt to debt collectors and will allow low-income tenants at least 3 years to repay the debt. 

8. What happens if a tenant submitted multiple applications and one of them has been marked a “duplicate”?

If a tenant submitted multiple applications, HCD may have marked one of them as a “duplicate” in the application portal with no notice to the tenant. The settlement now requires additional notice to be provided for applications considered duplicates. 

For any tenants who are denied, the denial notice will include a section identifying whether there are any applications that were not processed because they are considered duplicates. HCD must also send a notification by email and by posting in the application portal that an application has been marked as a duplicate. These notices will inform tenants to take action if they believe an application has been marked as a duplicate in error. HCD will allow tenants with duplicate applications to call the Housing Is Key call center at(833) 430-2122 and speak to trained staff to help make sure their duplicate applications are combined into one.

9. Will this settlement help a tenant who was previously denied rental assistance?

Except as detailed in this FAQ, the settlement does not reopen denial decisions for most tenants who were denied rental assistance before June 7, 2022. 

However, under the settlement, the State has agreed to review applications that were denied between March 1, 2022 and May 31, 2022 for being “non-responsive.”

Tenants who were denied between March 1, 2022 and May 31, 2022 for being “non-responsive” can connect with a community organization in the Local Partner Network at (833) 687-0967 . Under the settlement, these organizations are able to request that HCD reopen the cases of these tenants, request more information about the denial, and work with the program to add new evidence to try to get the tenant approved.

HCD will automatically review these applications to determine whether any were denied wrongfully. If they find that an application was denied incorrectly, and the applicant is eligible for rental assistance, HCD will issue a payment. If HCD cannot determine whether the application should have been denied or approved, they must automatically open an appeal. They will also send a notice that clearly explains that an appeal has been opened, that the applicant can provide more information and/or documents to support the appeal, and they may call the Housing Is Key call center at (833) 430-2122 to receive more information about the application. A case manager must contact the applicant directly to request additional information.

10. Does this settlement provide any additional assistance for tenants who do not use English as their primary language?

The settlement requires that the application and appeals portal is translated and that there are staff at the Housing Is Key call center who speak the six most common languages spoken in California. HCD must notify applicants that language services are available in all languages. All letters HCD sends must include a notice informing tenants that language services are available in multiple languages. Denial notices will be provided in English and in the language the tenant requested as their primary language.

11. Where can a tenant go for more information if they’re unsure about the status of their application?

Tenants can call the Housing Is Key call center at (833) 430-2122 . As part of the settlement, wait times for the call center must not be significantly longer for tenants than they are for landlords. Applicants are now allowed to add and change contact information over the phone, including to add new third-party representatives. A tenant can also call to find out the date their original denial notice was issued.

12. Where can tenants go to get assistance with their application?

The Local Partner Network is a network of community organizations who can help fix issues with applications and appeals. As part of the settlement, HCD will fully fund this program so that applicants who are denied rental assistance will have access to outside help completing their appeals and navigating the online system. If you need help with your application or need help challenging a denial, you should call the Local Partner Network at (833) 687-0967 to be connected to a community organization, tenant group, or legal service provider who can help.

13. Where can a tenant go for help if they are still waiting for a decision on their application, but are now facing eviction?

If a tenant has received a notice of nonpayment for rental debt and/or been served with an eviction (unlawful detainer), they can find information for legal services in their area at https://www.lawhelpca.org/issues/housing .

14. How will the settlement be enforced?

The attorneys that filed this case will be checking in on HCD to make sure the settlement terms are being carried out correctly. If HCD doesn’t comply with the settlement, the attorneys will try to work with HCD to find a resolution for any issues that come up. If that doesn’t work, the attorneys can ask the Court to order HCD to comply.

HCD will provide new monthly information about the program publicly on its website, including: 

• The number of undecided applications, and their status;
• The number of denials, broken down by zip code, race, and ethnicity;
• The number of appeals still pending;
• The number of appeals denied or approved.

15. Where can I find legal documents and more information about this lawsuit, ACCE v. HCD?

• To view the signed settlement, click here.
• For an overview of case developments and key legal documents, click here .

LOS ANGELES – June 5, 2023 – A landmark settlement has been reached in a case brought by tenants’ rights advocates alleging that the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) unconstitutionally operated the state’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP or Housing is Key), which has led to qualified applicants missing out on the assistance they were promised after the pandemic destroyed many Californians’ livelihoods. More than 100,000 households are still waiting for a decision on their applications—and many of them are being served with eviction notices and being harassed by their landlords for rent they still owe. The settlement agreement will offer a renewed chance for applicants who remain in limbo to receive Covid-19 rental assistance, which remains essential to supporting and stabilizing families as the housing and homelessness crisis worsens in California.

“The rental assistance program was intended to provide housing stability for low-income tenant families who were impacted by Covid-19, but delays and dysfunction left far too many eligible families facing eviction because they could not access this critical assistance,” said Madeline Howard, Senior Attorney at Western Center on Law & Poverty . “We are hopeful that this settlement will create an opportunity for these tenants to finally receive the help they need.”

“This settlement will mitigate some of the worst long-tail impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on our local communities, and Covington is very proud to partner with our co-counsel and clients in this important work,” said Neema Sahni, Partner at Covington & Burling LLP .

“We filed this case because we started to see a sharp rise in denials for tenants we knew were eligible, including clients of legal aid organizations across the state, who were relying on rental assistance to stay housed and off the streets,” said Faizah Malik, Senior Supervising Attorney at Public Counsel . “With the settlement of the case, many thousands of families will have another chance to receive the aid that they were promised.”

“SAJE has assisted hundreds of tenants on their rent relief applications, and many of the most vulnerable tenants are still in the waiting pool, confused and scared,” said Cynthia Strathmann, Executive Director of SAJE. “We hope that tenants now will finally get the information they need to get their applications approved so they can pay off their pandemic rent debt, a major source of continued stress and harassment.”

“This case brought us in contact with so many families who were evicted or facing eviction because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Jonathan Jager, LAFLA attorney . “We encourage any renters who are still waiting for an ERAP decision to not give up hope. Keep your contact information up to date with Housing is Key and reach out to the Local Partner Network if you have questions about any communications you receive from the program.”

Rent debt across California remains at crisis levels: an estimated 688,000 households across the state remain behind on rent , according to the National Equity Atlas. Altogether, they owe nearly $2.6 billion in total rent debt, with the average rent debt per household hovering around $3,700. The vast majority of these renters are low-income people of color who have suffered job and income losses due to the pandemic. This persistent and mounting debt further illustrates the importance of this settlement to keeping families in their homes and curbing the surge of evictions that have followed the end of pandemic eviction moratoriums.

“I lost everything I had because of issues with the rent relief program. Right before the pandemic, I put my life’s savings into opening a restaurant. I was then forced to close down, and as a result lost my income, my business, and my entire savings trying to hold on to what I had. I applied for rent relief and at first was denied without explanation. Then I appealed, got approved, but have now been waiting for nearly 2 years for the money to come through. I tried calling the program for help dozens of times but got no help. A year into waiting for the funding, my landlord pressured me to move out, and I became homeless. Thousands of lives have been destroyed because of the failure to get the money out to families that they are due. I am hopeful that this settlement will finally bring us closer to some relief,” said Blake Phillips, former resident of Los Angeles .

“In creating the Covid-19 rent relief program, the state promised to cover 100 percent of pandemic rent debt for tenants in California. We brought this case to ensure that the state lived up to that promise so hundreds of thousands of Californians could survive the pandemic,” said Jefferson McGee, State Board Chair of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). “Housing is health and housing is a human right and we will keep fighting to make that a reality for our members.” 

More information on the details of the settlement can be found at: http://CARentRelief.org

For media inquiries, email Alex Comisar here .

About the Groups Who Brought this Lawsuit

The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE Action), Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), and PolicyLink—represented by Western Center on Law & Poverty, Public Counsel, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Covington & Burling LLP—sued HCD in June 2022 for several systemic failures in the program, including a confusing application process that led eligible tenants to be wrongfully denied assistance.

Petitioners

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action (ACCE Action)

• The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action is a grassroots, member-led, statewide community organization working with more than 16,000 members across California. ACCE is dedicated to raising the voices of everyday Californians, neighborhood by neighborhood, to fight for the policies and programs we need to improve our communities and create a brighter future.

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)

• SAJE is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in South Los Angeles that builds community power and leadership for economic justice. Founded in 1996, SAJE focuses on tenant rights, healthy housing, and equitable development. SAJE runs a regular tenant clinic, helps connect local residents to jobs, organizes for tenant rights, and fights for community benefits from future development through private agreements and public policies. We believe that everyone, regardless of income or connections, should have a voice in creating the policies that shape our city, and that the fate of city neighborhoods should be decided by those who live there in a manner that is fair, replicable, and sustainable. 
• PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works®. With local and national partners, PolicyLink works to ensure all people in America — particularly those who face the burdens of structural racism — can participate in a just society, live in a healthy community of opportunity, and prosper in an equitable economy. PolicyLink is guided by the belief that the solutions to the nation’s challenges lie with those closest to these challenges.

Western Center on Law & Poverty

• Western Center on Law & Poverty fights in courts, cities, counties, and in the Capitol to secure housing, health care, and a strong safety net for Californians with low incomes, through the lens of economic and racial justice.

Public Counsel

• Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) is a nonprofit law firm that seeks to achieve equal justice for people living in poverty across Greater Los Angeles. LAFLA changes lives through direct representation, systems change, and community empowerment. It has five offices in Los Angeles County, along with four Self-Help Legal Access Centers at area courthouses, and three domestic violence clinics to aid survivors.

Covington & Burling LLP

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LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2023 — A landmark settlement has been reached in a case brought by tenants’ rights advocates alleging that the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) unconstitutionally operated the state’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP or Housing is Key), which has led to qualified applicants missing out on the assistance they were promised after the pandemic destroyed many Californians’ livelihoods. More than 100,000 households are still waiting for a decision on their applications—and many of them are being served with eviction notices and being harassed by their landlords for rent they still owe. The settlement agreement will offer a renewed chance for applicants who remain in limbo to receive Covid-19 rental assistance, which remains essential to supporting and stabilizing families as the housing and homelessness crisis worsens in California.

• Conducting an audit of prior denials to correct wrongful denials of assistance;
• Improving language access and reasonable accommodation procedures; and

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• March 3, 2022: State of Waiting: California’s Rental Assistance Program One Month Before Expiration

State of Waiting: California’s Rental Assistance Program One Month Before Expiration

March 3, 2022 [updated march 7, 2022], our analysis of program data reveals that fewer than one in six applicants have received assistance thus far, while hundreds of thousands are still waiting, signaling the urgent need for policy fixes to deliver on the program’s promise and keep renters in their homes..

By Sarah Treuhaft, Alex Ramiller, Selena Tan, and Madeline Howard *

Already shouldering some of the worst housing affordability challenges in the nation, California’s low-income renters, predominantly people of color facing the additional burdens of systemic racism, were pummeled by the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. They disproportionately fell ill and lost family members to the disease, and many lost their jobs or suffered financially from reduced hours and incomes. School closures and a childcare shortage forced many working parents, especially women, to stay home and forego wages. And while California’s renters made tremendous sacrifices to keep current on rent — often incurring large debts to friends, family, and predatory lenders — many ended up falling behind. At the beginning of January 2022, 721,000 renter households in California owed their landlords an estimated $3.3 billion in back rent.

California’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) offers a pathway to clear rent debt that has accrued for low-income tenants impacted by the pandemic. After tremendous advocacy, Congress established a rental assistance program in December of 2020 — nine months into the pandemic — which has provided the state of California with $5.2 billion to operate emergency rental assistance programs. These resources are crucial to prevent evictions, displacement, and homelessness, and to ensure that smaller landlords can make their mortgage payments and stay in business. 

These programs have been a lifeline for struggling renters who are able to access them, but they have been riddled with challenges . Many renters vulnerable to eviction have struggled to complete complex applications . Those who do make it through the application process may wait months for their application to be reviewed. And those whose applications are approved face another lag time before they are actually paid. At every stage of the process, the very people and families the program intends to serve and protect are living with the stress of potential eviction, enduring landlord harassment, and losing their homes.

While most of California’s eviction protections expired in October 2021, limited protections remain for eligible renters who apply for rental assistance. However, these protections are expiring on March 31. This means that the hundreds of thousands of families still waiting for assistance will be at imminent risk of eviction unless California policymakers extend these protections. At the same time, the California Department of Housing and Community Development just announced that the program is scheduled to close on March 31 , so renters who are eligible for relief but have not yet been able to apply to the program will have no option to do so.

This brief, produced by the National Equity Atlas in partnership with Housing NOW! and Western Center on Law & Poverty, examines the performance of California’s statewide rental assistance program since its launch. The state program covers about 63 percent of the state’s population; the other 37 percent of California residents live in the  25 cities and counties that opted to administer their own programs. Our analysis is based on a dataset tracking all rental assistance applications submitted by renters to the program through February 23, 2022, which we obtained through a Public Records Act request. It includes anonymized individual case data with applicant demographics (race/ethnicity, income, and language of application), zip code, amount of rent and utilities requested and paid, and landlord participation in the application. It also includes detailed case status categories including “Application Complete: Pending Payment,” which is assigned to households that have been approved for payment but have not actually received funds and are still waiting for assistance. [1]  We used the 2015–2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample to summarize rent burden, racial/ethnic demographics, and primary language, and Census Household Pulse Survey Data on rent debt to compare program applicants and beneficiaries to the likely population of renters in need of assistance.

Our key findings include the following:

• Only 16 percent of renters who have applied to the program have received assistance, either directly or through a payment to their landlord. Nearly half a million renters have submitted rental assistance requests but just 75,773 households have received their payments. 
• The majority of applicants are still waiting for their applications to be reviewed. Fifty-nine percent of applicants (289,020 households) are still awaiting a decision on their applications. Among those whose applications have been initially approved, the typical wait time for a response was three months (a median of 104 days). 
• Most renters whose applications have been approved are still waiting to be paid. As of February 23, 2022, 180,280 renter households have had their applications approved, but 104,507 of them (58 percent) have not yet received assistance. The median wait time between submitting an application and receiving payment is 135 days, indicating that it takes about a month for applicants to be paid even after approval. 
• The speed with which rental assistance is being distributed is improving over time but remains painfully slow. Households that applied for aid in March 2021 typically waited 181 days to receive aid payments, and households that applied in October 2021 typically waited 119 days.
• Most renters who received assistance have requested additional support. Among renter households who have received rental assistance, 90 percent of them (69,336 households) have reapplied to the program for additional support.
• Renters whose primary language is not English appear to be underrepresented in the program. About half (51 percent) of California’s severely cost-burdened renter households speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of rental assistance applicants indicated that their primary language was English.
• Long-term policy solutions, funding, and infrastructure are needed to support California's economically vulnerable renters.  With 8,200 new applications submitted every week and 90 percent of rental assistance recipients requesting additional support, tenants’ ongoing need for financial relief due to pandemic-related economic hardship, and the number of indebted renters not yet reached by the program, the need for rental assistance will continue beyond March 31, 2022 (when the program is set to expire).

Our review of the program data reveals the need for urgent policy solutions to fulfill the promise of the state’s rental assistance program, eliminating pandemic-related rent debt for all low-income renters and ensuring that they can stay in their homes. For an equitable recovery, California policymakers need to extend statewide eviction protections without preempting local ones, streamline the application and approval processes and increase equitable access to relief funds, and institute a permanent program to support economically struggling renter households.   

Nearly half a million renter households have submitted applications for rental assistance

Since March 15, 2021, when the state began accepting rental assistance applications, nearly half a million renter households (488,094) have applied for relief through the program. Applications peaked in September 2021 just before California’s eviction moratorium ended, with 115,000 renters submitting applications that month. Since January, about 8,200 new renters have submitted applications every week.

Most renters who have applied for assistance are still awaiting a response

Among the half million program applications, the majority — 59 percent, representing 289,020 renter households — are still under review. Four percent (18,794 households) have been explicitly denied assistance, while the remaining 36 percent (180,280 households) have been approved. But just 16 percent of applicants (75,773 households) have actually received assistance.

On average, program applicants wait an average of three months (a median of 104 days) after submitting their applications to receive initial approval. Many renters wait longer: nearly 20 percent of applicants waited more than 150 days to receive initial approval, and 4 percent of applicants waited more than 210 days. [2]

Among renters whose applications have been approved, the majority are waiting to be paid 

While 36 percent of program applicants have been approved for relief, less than half of them have received any payment. This means that despite formal approval, 104,507 households are still awaiting assistance.

This reality of long delays in relief delivery to renters whose applications have been approved contrasts with the snapshot of program performance provided on the public Housing Is Key data dashboard, which stated that 183,856 households have been “served” as of February 23, 2022 . [3]

Source: California Covid-19 Rent Relief Program dashboard, February 23, 2022 Although we currently do not have data on the number of days between application approval and receipt of payment, we can examine the number of days between application submission and payment. For renters who have received assistance and have not requested additional support, the median time between submission and payment is 135 days. About 39 percent of recipients have waited more than 150 days to get paid. This implies that the typical renter waits three months just to receive an initial decision on their application, and then another month or more to actually receive aid.

The pace of delivering rental assistance has improved marginally over time. Whereas households that applied for aid in March 2021 waited an average of 181 days to receive aid payments, that figure declined to 119 days by October 2021. The program was delivering assistance most quickly in June and July, before the surge in applications in the fall.

The vast majority of tenants who received rental assistance have requested additional support

About 90 percent of renter households who have actually received funds from the state program (69,336 households) have reapplied to the program for additional funds. Given that applicants who are awaiting review or payment  have similar income levels as those who’ve received payment, and most of them are extremely low income, we would expect that these applicants will also require additional assistance after their initial payment.

Renters whose primary language is not English appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool

Since the launch of California’s rental assistance program, low-income renters who’ve suffered job and income losses due to the pandemic have faced numerous challenges accessing relief. These include technological and language barriers, lack of access for tenants with disabilities, difficulty supplying the necessary documentation of income losses, difficulty communicating with landlords or obtaining documentation from them, and fear of landlord harassment/retaliation and deportation or other immigration-related consequences. 

To assess whether California’s rental assistance program is reaching renters with the greatest needs, we compared the racial/ethnic composition of applicants with that of severely cost-burdened renters (those who pay more than 50 percent of their household income for rent and utilities), a population that represents renters at risk of having pandemic-related rent debt. To approximate the statewide program's service area, we excluded from the severely rent-burdened reference group 11 counties and five additional cities that are within areas operating local rental assistance programs. (We also exclude the city of Signal Hill, because it is entirely contained within the Long Beach census geography.)

This analysis reveals that the demographics are similar across both groups, indicating that the statewide program appears to be representative of the renters hardest-hit by the pandemic rent debt crisis. One exception could be Asian and Pacific Islander renters, who might be underrepresented in the applicant pool.

Renters whose primary language is not English, particularly Spanish-speaking renters and Chinese-speaking renters, also appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool. Among California renters who are extremely cost-burdened, 51 percent speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of program applicants indicated that their primary language is English on the application form. A significant share of the state’s severely cost-burdened renters speak Spanish at home (32 percent), yet only 10 percent of applications were submitted by people who indicated that Spanish is their primary language.

Renters whose primary language is not English, particularly Spanish-speaking renters and Chinese-speaking renters, appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool. Among California renters who are extremely cost-burdened, 51 percent speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of program applicants indicated that their primary language is English on the application form. A significant share of the state’s extremely cost-burdened renters speak Spanish at home (32 percent), yet only 10 percent of applications were submitted by people who indicated that Spanish is their primary language.

The demographics of program recipients reflect the demographics of the applicant pool

The federal emergency rental assistance program is targeted to low-income renters experiencing negative financial impacts due to the pandemic, and thus is means-tested: applicants need to have incomes below 80 percent of the area median income in order to qualify for assistance. In addition, the state program has prioritized serving tenants who indicate that they are imminently facing eviction, either on their application or via email correspondence. [4]   Our analysis shows that the incomes of program applicants and recipients reflect the program’s targeting: well more than half of renters who apply to and are served by the program are extremely low income.

Examining the racial/ethnic composition of applicants compared with those who are approved for and receive payment, we see that the demographics are similar and the program itself appears to be serving applicants equitably by race/ethnicity.

California needs permanent policy solutions, funding, and infrastructure to support economically vulnerable renters

California’s statewide rental assistance program was initially allocated $3.07 billion by the federal government and received an additional $62 million in January when the Treasury began reallocating funds. Approximately $900 million in aid has been delivered to struggling renters and landlords, and another $1.15 billion is in the process of being delivered to applicants whose payments are pending. An additional $4.97 billion has been requested by households with applications still under initial review. That adds up to just over $7 billion in total requests to date, with 8,200 new requests coming in every week and 90 percent of aid recipients requesting additional support. The need continues to grow as we approach the end of the program on March 31. 

Recognizing the critical demand for additional funding to ensure all eligible renters who apply in time can receive assistance, California’s legislature passed a bill this month that allocates General Fund resources to state and local rental assistance programs.

This budget allocation fills an urgent need, especially given that many locally administered programs have already exhausted their funds. But it will not be sufficient to protect and stabilize all vulnerable households still reeling from the economic impacts of the pandemic. The program’s expiration date of March 31, 2022 is an artificial and arbitrary endpoint, as the need for rent relief is ongoing and still extensive, and many eligible renters have not yet applied. Despite the desire to return to normal, many renters continue to face Covid-related economic hardships. Recognizing the pandemic is not over, the state of New York and Los Angeles County have extended eviction protections through the end of 2022, and California should follow suit.

Urgent policy fixes are needed to realize the promise of California’s rental assistance program

When California’s eviction protections expire on March 31, 2022, tenants eligible for assistance who are still waiting to receive payment can face eviction in court — and many will. With application processing times lasting four months and beyond, tens of thousands of tenants are likely to still be waiting when these protections expire. If the legislature does not extend eviction protections, many Covid-impacted renters may lose their homes because of the application backlog, exposing families and communities to the cascading harms of housing precarity and homelessness. Even with temporary protections in place, every day of delay leaves families more vulnerable to eviction and unable to make financial plans. 

Some local governments, including Alameda County, Los Angeles County, Fresno, San Francisco, and Stockton have passed their own eviction protections for tenants who could not pay rent because of the economic impacts of Covid-19. Extending statewide eviction protections while allowing local governments the flexibility to meet the needs of their communities is the most effective way to stabilize vulnerable renters and keep them in their homes while assistance is distributed.  

The pandemic has deepened the harms of structural racism on communities of color , who have suffered disproportionate deaths, job losses, and housing instability. Continuing to conduct outreach to underrepresented communities of color is imperative to ensure that rental assistance dollars do not further exacerbate the racialized harms of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For California’s rental assistance program to be effective, California’s policymakers need to:   

Protect people from eviction by extending the state’s current eviction protections; 

Ensure local jurisdictions can enact and strengthen eviction protections;

Streamline the screening and payment process for rental assistance; 

Promote equity by increasing outreach to underrepresented renters; and

Fund the rental assistance program to ensure low-income tenants receive ongoing support.

* Madeline Howard is is a senior attorney at Western Center on Law & Poverty.  

Correction (March 7, 2022): The March 3, 2022 version of this report included a data error relating to the racial/ethnic composition of severely rent-burdened households in California due to incorrect weighting of the sample data. This incorrect data suggested that Latinx households were underrepresented in the statewide rental assistance program. We have corrected the data and we no longer find any underrepresentation of Latinx households, so we have updated the analysis of the data to reflect this (positive) new finding.

[1] The table below, provided directly from the Department of Housing and Community Development in response to a Public Records Act request, shows the number of cases across the 16 case status categories provided in the dataset. “Approved” applications in this analysis include all applications in the categories "Application Complete: Paid," “Application Complete: Pending Payment," and all Recertification categories. “Application Complete: Pending Payment” means the application is approved for payment and a request for payment has been made, but the applicant has not actually received funds. “Recertification” means that applicants have received payment and have requested additional assistance. Applications that are categorized as “Application Complete: Paid” and those that fall under any of the recertification categories represent tenants that have actually received assistance.

Detailed case categories

[2] This median wait time is for renters who have received initial approval but have not yet been paid.

[3] The slight discrepancy of the number served on the public dashboard and the total paid renter households reported here is due to the timing of the database pull and continual program activity.

[4] This is based on two sources of information: 1) a positive response to the question, “Has your landlord issued a Notice to Pay, an Eviction Notice, filed an Unlawful Detainer against you due to unpaid rent, or indicated they will be seeking to evict you?” on the rental assistance application; and 2) applicants who send information about a pending eviction to the [email protected] email box including documentation from the landlord or legal documents related to an unlawful detainer (the final stage of the eviction process).

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In accordance with Senate Bill 115, applications are no longer open for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program. AB 2179  extends statewide eviction protections until June 30, 2022 if you submitted a complete application prior to March 31, 2022, and are pending a final decision from the program.

The program dashboard below gives a snapshot view of the program’s progress to date.

Click on the ↗ to expand the view.

Already Applied?

Check the status of your submitted application, please click here .

Questions? 

To request additional support with your application, call the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Call Center at 833-430-2122. If you need assistance in another language, call 833-687-0967.

Free or low-cost legal aid may be available to support tenants navigating available eviction protection, for more information please visit  www.lawhelpca.org . 

California ERAP Community Partners

In establishing a Local Partner Network, the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program has been able to reach many of California's most vulnerable populations. LISC leads a Local Partner Network of 100+ nonprofit and community based organizations throughout California to provide local, on-the-ground and in-language support to help clients who applied to the program.

Whether it's helping non-English speakers, those without access to the internet, or other challenges that an applicant might face, the combined knowledge and experience of the Local Partner Network continues to provide one-on-one support to qualified applicants as they move through the program.

In turn, the partners have been able to provide real-time feedback to the State to help ensure the program has been effective in reaching the people who need it the most.

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Sign up below to receive email alerts and updates on the California Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). You can also use the form to submit a question for our FAQ.

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The new Individual Assistance updates only apply to disasters declared on or after March 22, 2024. Read about the updates.

Rental Assistance and Continued Rental Assistance FAQ

FEMA Rental Assistance is available for eligible San Diego County renters and homeowners who cannot live in their homes because of damage due to the Jan. 21-23, 2024, severe storm and flooding disaster. In addition, they may also be eligible for continued Rental Assistance.

What Is Rental Assistance?

FEMA rental assistance is a temporary grant for survivors to pay for somewhere to live while they repair or rebuild their home. For renters, it may provide a solution while their home is under repair or while they look for a new place to rent.

What does Rental Assistance cover?

• Rental Assistance covers temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home.
• Rental Assistance funds are for security deposits, rent and the cost of essential utilities such as electricity, gas and water.
• Rental Assistance can be used for short-term hotel stays while you look for a place to rent.
• Rental Assistance may not be used to pay for cable or Internet.

How long does rental assistance support me?

• The initial grant is for one to two months on a case-by-case basis.
• You can then request a three-month extension for up to 18 months total by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.

What do I do if my home is not safe, sanitary and livable and I need a place to stay?

• Your Flood, Homeowners or Renters’ Insurance company will give you a settlement document that you will need to provide to FEMA.
• It may take time to get this document, so file your insurance claim as soon as possible.
• Check with your insurance agent to see if your policy covers Additional Living Expenses which may pay for relocating to a temporary residence.
• You can apply online at  DisasterAssistance.gov , use the  FEMA mobile app  or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 . Multilingual operators are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT daily. 
• Submit your insurance settlement documents to FEMA for review as soon as you receive them. 
• If your policy does not include additional living expenses, or if you use up this coverage and you still cannot live in your home, you may be eligible for FEMA Rental Assistance. 
• Keep all of your receipts for three years to show how you spent your FEMA grants.
• If grant money is not used as outlined in your FEMA eligibility letter, you may have to repay your grants and you could lose your eligibility for further federal assistance.
• FEMA is prohibited from duplicating benefits provided by other sources for the same loss.

What is Continued Rental Assistance?

Rental Assistance is the initial temporary 1-2-month grant for homeowners and renters to pay for somewhere to live while they repair or rebuild their home. After the first 1-2 months, survivors can apply for continued Rental Assistance which provides three-month Rental Assistance extensions for up to 18 months total.

Am I eligible for continued Rental Assistance?

To be eligible to apply for continued Rental Assistance, you must meet the following conditions: 

• Were awarded initial Rental Assistance and used it help you pay rent and essential utility costs.
• Are unable to return to your pre-disaster residence because it is uninhabitable, inaccessible, or not available due to the disaster.
• Demonstrate a disaster-caused financial need.
• Show you are developing a longer-term or permanent housing plan or demonstrate progress toward one. For example, a contractor’s estimate of repairs can point to progress.

How do I apply for continued Rental Assistance?

• Fill out an application.
• If you are a homeowner and your losses are equal to or greater than the amount of the initial Rental Assistance award, the application for continued Rental Assistance will be sent to you automatically, approximately two weeks after the initial Rental Assistance award was approved.
• If you are a renter, you must contact FEMA and ask for an application for continued Rental Assistance by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362  7 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT daily.
• Turn in your application to FEMA.
• Complete the application including the required documentation. (See the FAQ below outlining the required documentation.)
• Upload them to your disaster account at DisasterAssistance.gov .
• Mail them to FEMA, PO Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
• Fax to FEMA at 1-800-827-8112

What documents do I need to turn in with my continued Rental Assistance application?

You should submit the following documents with your application: 

• Pre- and post-disaster income for household members 18 and older.
• Proof of pre-disaster housing costs. For example, proof can be copies of lease and utility bills, renter’s insurance, mortgage statements, real estate taxes, home insurance, etc.
• Proof of post-disaster housing costs such as a copy of current lease or rental agreement signed by the applicant and the landlord.
• Copies of all receipts for expenses related to housing.

Where do I submit my application?

Your application form and supporting documents should be returned to FEMA in one of the following ways: 

What would disqualify me for continued Rental Assistance?

• You must request continued Rental Assistance within 18 months the from date of declaration.
• If you do not submit documentation that demonstrates you have used your entire Rental Assistance award, your first continued Rental Assistance award will be reduced by what remains of the initial Rental Assistance.
• Applicants residing in non-traditional housing are not eligible for continued Rental Assistance.

Is continued Rental Assistance based on my income?

• Continued Rental Assistance is based on a disaster-related unmet need. Income and the price of rent are both used to determine eligibility.

Is continued Rental Assistance based on what I paid for rent pre-disaster? 

• FEMA continued Rental Assistance covers full rent (that is based on Fair Market Rate) plus a utility allowance.

For the latest FEMA information on the Jan. 21-23, 2024 San Diego County severe storms and flooding, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4758 .

FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, or economic status. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, you can call the Civil Rights Resource line at 833-285-7448 (TTY 800-462-7585). Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).