ERAP UPDATE 06/09/22
The State has allocated money to ERAP in the new budget but that will run out quickly.
Also, there is no sense of urgency by the OTDA and no challenges in the Housing Court to the process that have been successful.
John has been asking his contacts at the various landlord organizations and clients with some political clout what they intend to do, but no one seems to be pushing the State to act more quickly and/or close the portal.
================================================
This is the most up to date post on the NYS OTDA – ERAP Portal: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/
The 2022-23 State budget includes additional funds to support the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Prior to the addition of these funds, OTDA anticipated funding applications submitted through October 7, 2021. As a result of the additional funding, OTDA is processing eligible ERAP applications submitted through March 31, 2022.
Currently, applications submitted through December 31, 2021, are under active review and processing, to be followed in the coming months by applications submitted from January 1 through March 31, 2022. (R&B: They have not even started to review and will get to in the coming months.)
This notification will be updated if additional funding is available to pay eligible applications submitted after March 31, 2022.
Specific Jurisdictions with Projected Available Funding:
Certain municipalities received ERAP funds directly from the federal government and some have not fully committed these funds. As a result, resources are likely available to fund applications received beyond March 31, 2022. Therefore, tenants in these areas are encouraged to apply.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applications from subsidized housing tenants whose rent is limited to a certain percentage of income (including public housing, section 8 and FHEPS) are not currently able to be paid. State law requires that these applications be paid after all other eligible applicants have been reviewed and paid. Therefore, at this time, none of the subsidized housing applications can be paid regardless of the date their application was submitted. Residents of public housing are urged to contact their public housing authority to determine if their rent can be adjusted retroactively based on a previous change in circumstances, including a reduction in income.
(R&B: Subsidized tenants are not a priority and will not likely ever get funds but they are not being denied.)
As always, should you have any questions or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to email John Bianco @ JBianco@rosenblumbianco.com or Josh Rosenblum @ Josh@rosenblumbianco.com
or call them @ 516-255-1800 (John Ext. 101 & Josh Ext. 116).
​
LRAP
Starting Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 9 a.m., applications will be accepted for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) which provides rental assistance for landlords whose tenants are unwilling to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), including where the tenant has left the rental property. Assistance may be provided for households with rent up to 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for the county where the property is located.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Landlords are encouraged to gather all the information needed before starting an application including proof of ownership and rental amounts, as documentation must be uploaded at the time of application in order to complete and submit the application.
APPLY FOR LRAP
The New York State Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) will provide economic relief to help landlords by providing rental arrears assistance for landlords whose tenants have left their rental property or who are unwilling to apply for ERAP.
Eligibility
Landlords who rent out unit(s) located in New York State are eligible for LRAP if they meet the following criteria:
The landlord has a tenant who has left an apartment in New York State with unpaid rental arrears or the landlord has a tenant with rental arrears who is residing in an apartment in New York State who refuses to apply for ERAP and the landlord has reached out to their tenant to encourage participation in ERAP at least 3 times, including 2 in writing.
Unit rental amount is at or below 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for their location. These limits are based on county and number of bedrooms of the rental unit. If the monthly rental amount exceeds 150 percent of the FMR, the landlord will be ineligible for assistance.
The landlord has documented rental arrears owed for the tenant at their residence for rent costs accrued on or after March 1, 2020.
There are no citizenship or immigration status requirements to qualify for the program.
All landlords can apply when the program opens. For the first 45 days of the program, priority is given to landlords who own a building with 20 or fewer units. After 45 days, applications for all eligible landlords will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available.
Consistent with the ERAP program, landlords/owners of units where the current or former tenant household’s rent is limited to a percentage of household income may apply for assistance, but the application will not be assessed for eligibility until all other applications have been considered and will receive assistance only to the extent funds remain available.
​
​
​
​
https://otda.ny.gov/programs/landlord-rental-assistance/
​
​
​