Last Updated on February 1, 2024 by Lori Pace
Landlords need help with tenants at higher risk of becoming homeless. Small landlords might be able to reduce the COVID-19 crisis’s impact. Because they are more susceptible to the economic consequences of COVID, Urban’s analysis shows that black landlords are less likely to handle the loss of rental income due to their lower incomes, and they have fewer properties to rent. They are also more likely to get a mortgage than to purchase the property. To support the landlord who has to go through these hardships, the government provides grants for those in need.
The latest funding for rental assistance is $46.55 billion. This allows states and localities to be given a chance to receive rent relief funds. The landlords – with fewer resources – who are most financially affected by the non-payment of their renters are given priority.
Programs In Landlord Grants
Housing Stabilization Grant – Washington DC
Washington, DC launched the $10 million Housing Stabilization Grant program. It was designed to help small and affordable landlords with CARES Act funds. Two tranches were created to distribute the funds: the first $1 million went to DC owners with 20 or fewer units, while the rest was allocated to affordable housing providers eligible for funding through the Housing Production Trust Fund, LIHTC, or other local/federal affordable housing funds. The funding tranches were also administered separately by DC’s Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Housing and Community Development, respectively.
Program funding was increased to $2 million to help 220 landlords with 310 units. This was due to the high demand. 75% of property owners who applied for assistance only needed help with one tenant.
Program Outreach
The program outreach was limited. There was strong interest and word-of-mouth information sharing. A small landlord association in DC hosted a webinar to share information and reached out to other associations to spread the word.
Arrears And Concessions
Rent arrears from April 1 to November 30, 2020, are covered by the grants. The District pays 80% of the rent (up to $2,000/unit/month). The awardees waived the 20% remaining. The program administrator said that five landlords refused to accept the 80/20 requirement. This is a smaller number than other programs have seen. All arrears including penalties and interest accrued between April 1 and November 30, 2020, were to be forgiven by awardees as a condition for assistance.
Eligibility And Documentation Requirements
The requirements included the applicant’s declaration that there are no outstanding payments to DC’s Office of Taxation and Revenue. This is known as a “Clean Hands” certification. The program administrator pointed out that landlords were unfamiliar with tax regulations and standard landlord documentation.
To be eligible for assistance, about 1/3 of applicants had to comply. This included handling outstanding OTR payments/tax obligations, getting a license for business, and so on. DC, unlike other programs for small landlords, did not require that applicants be DC residents. However, a program administrator pointed out that many applicants lived in greater DC.
Emergency Rental Arrears Program – Missouri
Missouri’s Emergency Rental Arrears Program allocated 15% of its $15 Million ESG-CV funds to assist landlords with 10 or fewer units. Administrators of the program report that approximately 40% of assistance was granted to small landlords as of March 31, far exceeding its initial goal.
Program Outreach
Missouri’s state-wide program was designed to reach rural areas because large urban areas are eligible for direct CARES Act funding allocations. Radio ads were placed in non-urban areas by the state, and outreach was done to inform local nonprofits about the program. They discovered that the program was being promoted by real estate agents, property managers, and associations of realtors.
Arrears And Concessions
Landlords were eligible for a one-time refund of up to $6 months of rental arrears (maximum $9,390 per unit). Participants’ landlords had to waive any outstanding rent, late fees, or penalties incurred by the tenant due to non-payment of rent or late rent payments before the application submission deadline. The landlord was also required to sign a guarantee that they would not evict the tenant for 120 days after that date.
Eligibility and Documentation Requirements
In collaboration with the tenant, landlords were required to complete and submit applications. Tenants had to earn at least 50% of their AMI, provide notices of past due rent or eviction (required to receive ESG-CV funds), and prove residency and COVID hardship.
Landlords must sign a guarantee that the tenant will not be evicted from their property for 120 days after the date of submission of the application for rental arrears. Landlords who accepted rental assistance were required to waive any outstanding rent or late fees incurred by the tenant prior to the submission of the application.
Small Residential Property – San Mateo County, CA
San Mateo County established a $2 million grant program called the Small Property Owner Assistance Program. It was funded with CARES Act funds. The program initially offered assistance for San Mateo residents with 10 or fewer units. The program was later modified to allow landlords to receive assistance up to 10 units, even if they owned more.
The Community Fund of San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, and the California Apartment Association administered grants. The Community Fund was a key partner for the program’s success. They have the experience to create ownership documents and conduct real-time analysis which allows it to be tailored to its needs mid-stream.
Program Outreach
The County conducted program outreach in English, Chinese, and Spanish. The communications were distributed by the County’s Office of Community Affairs, which also included social media posts. The county municipalities also mentioned the program in their communications. Although the program application was available in English, Spanish, and Chinese, some questions/responses were required to be answered in English.
Arrears and Concessions
Program offered coverage for 80% of the rent losses between April 1 and August 31, 2020 up to a maximum of $6,000 per unit. Grantees had to “discharge back rent owed equal to the rental losses between April 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020, up to a maximum forgiveness amount of $7,500 per qualifying units.” In total, 39 landlords received $225,000 in assistance for 53 rental properties.
Eligibility and Documentation Requirements
Initial eligibility was limited to landlords earning 50% of their rental income from properties. They had to earn less than $400,000 annually in gross rental income in 2018, 2019, and 2018. The properties had to be rented at least HUD 2020 Fair Market Rent. Although San Mateo initially had a very short application process, the application rates dropped a few weeks later. The county extended the application period and removed income and revenue limitations to increase the uptake.
Small Landlord Emergency Grants Program – New Orleans, LA
New Orleans provided $1.5 million of mortgage assistance to landlords with eight or fewer rental units. Additionally, it is for those whose rental income was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the Small Landlord Emergency Grants Program. According to the City, the fund would help at least 100 landlords and stabilize housing for 500-700 households.
Program Outreach
Landlords interested in applying for the program were advised to call the Mayor’s Office of Community Development at the number provided. It did not appear that there was an online application or another way to apply.
Eligibility And Documentation Requirements
The landlord applying for mortgage grants is required to show documentation of their hardship and inability to pay the mortgage.
Awards And Concessions
Total assistance of up to $15,000 could be awarded to awardees. SLEG assistance recipients must consider their current rent. Awardees cannot request a repayment of rent during the period that the program provided mortgage assistance. The program launched on October 8, 2020, and awardees were required to not evict tenants until Jan 31, 2021. The awardee must also rent the unit within 30 days of becoming vacant by Jan 31, 2020 to an AMI household of 80% or less.
