How to Apply for Rent Relief

We hope that this finds you well.

In anticipation of  the opening of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) (https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/#overview) for Tenants and Owners to submit applications for relief from unpaid rent, the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has made a number of educational resources available to the public.

The resources include training videos covering: 

Overview of The Emergency Rental Assistance Program Webinar and Presentation
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDF3B50SNhw); 

Navigating the Emergency Rental Assistance Home Page;
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPb5WiZb9ys) 

Understanding the Landlord Portal for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OimlNtndyqU);

Using the Tenant Application and Uploading Documents for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxkH-JC58J8) 

Additional information and resources on the topic, including outreach flyers, can be found on the OTDA Information for Providers Page
(https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/provider-information.asp) 

As before, we do encourage you to keep your eye on the website for more information and details. We would also recommend that you post information in your buildings, send out a mailer to your Tenants and include it in the next rent bill information to make sure they are aware of the process and how to access the portal.

Please don’t forget that acceptance of rent arrears through this Program can carry certain consequences such as:

•             Arrears covered by payment are satisfied in full and cannot be sought in a non-payment proceeding.
•             Late fees must be waived for those arrears paid pursuant to the program.
•             Tenant's monthly rent cannot be increased if the increase would be greater than the amount that was due at the time of application to the program for any and all months for which rental assistance is received.
•             Landlord cannot increase rent for one year after the first rental assistance payment is received.
•             Landlord cannot evict for an expired lease or hold over tenancy for 12 months after receipt of first rental assistance payment. Exception: in a building which contains no more than 4 units where a landlord seeks to take occupancy of an apartment for personal use or use by an immediate family member as their primary residence.
•             Landlord must advise the tenant of the foregoing.

We strongly advise consulting with an attorney before participating in the program so that you can fully understand the potential impact acceptance of subsidy payment may have.

Wishing you are safe and healthy
Steven, Jamie & Eric