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Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP)
Overview
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.
Ready to Apply?
Apply for the LRAP online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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.
Click here to 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.
Benefits
Landlords approved for LRAP may receive:
Up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 1, 2020.
Of note, LRAP will not pay for future rental assistance or utility arrears.
Apply
Landlord Applicants
Landlords and property owners will need to provide the following when applying for LRAP:
-W-9 tax form, which must be entered by typing this information in the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
-Proof of Ownership by uploading this information into the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
-Executed lease with tenant, or if there is no written lease, a cancelled check, evidence of funds transfer or other documentation of the last full monthly rent payment. Upload pages of lease to at least include unit address, tenants on lease, monthly rental obligation, and signature page.
-Documentation of unpaid rent due from tenant by uploading a monthly rent confirmation form or ledger identifying the rental amount due by month. Do not include non-rent payments such as late fees or parking fees.
-Banking information by typing in direct deposit information in the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
-If applicable, an owner affidavit or signed agreement designating the property management company/agent as authorized recipient of LRAP funds.
-The property owner or an authorized property management company will be required to sign the application form and associated certifications agreeing that the information provided, including the amount of rental arrears owed, is accurate and does not duplicate a payment received from another program. Dates on which the landlord contacted the tenant to seek participation in ERAP must also be provided, if the application is for a tenant that still resides in the unit.
-The property owner or authorized property management company must also agree to the following terms as a condition of accepting rental arrears payments:
1. The LRAP payment satisfies the tenant’s full rental obligations for the time period covered by the payment.
2. Waive any late fees due on any rental arrears covered by the LRAP payment.
3. If the household is currently residing in the unit, not increase the monthly rental amount above the monthly amount due at the time of application for LRAP assistance for months for which rental assistance is received and for one year from receipt of the LRAP payment.
4. That they have contacted a current tenant household at least three times, two in writing, to encourage participating in ERAP.
5. If the household is currently residing in the unit, not evict the household on behalf of whom the LRAP payment is made for reason of expired lease or holdover tenancy for one year from the receipt of the LRAP payment. An exception to this requirement shall be made if the dwelling unit contains four or fewer units and the property owner or owner’s immediate family members intend to immediately occupy the unit for use as a primary residence.
Get Help Applying for LRAP
Apply for the LRAP online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Landlords are encouraged to gather all the information needed before starting an application including proof of ownership and rental amounts.
Contact Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Contact us by phone: 844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368)
For the hearing impaired, TTY phone number: 1-833-843-8829.
Contact us by Webchat
Report Landlord Rental Assistance Program Fraud
To report Landlord Emergency Rental Assistance Program fraud in New York State complete and submit the Landlord Rental Assistance Program Fraud Reporting Form.
Reasonable Accommodations
Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for LRAP. Examples of available reasonable accommodations include assistance applying for LRAP, providing documents in an alternative format including braille, audio file (CD), data format (screen-reader accessible file on CD) and large print (18 point font) as requested, or TTY relay communications.
To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the call center at 1-844-NY1-RENT (1-844-691-7368). If you are hearing impaired, a TTY phone number is available by calling 1-833-843-8829.
You may also request an accommodation by emailing accessibility@otda.ny.gov
Landlord/Tenants Rights Virtual Forum held on Thursday, October 14
To view forum via YouTube click here
This year’s “Landlord/Tenants Rights Forum” sponsored by the Columbia County Fair Housing Advisory Board (HAB) took place on Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 6 pm via Google Meet. The forum focused on resources both landlords and tenants can use to deal with handling mortgage and rental issues exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The panel of invited speakers from Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY; Community Action of Greene County; Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8); Hudson City Courts; and St. Catherine’s Center for Children. Columbia County Fair Housing Officer William Fisher and HAB Chair Theresa Mayhew facilitated the evening’s program.
The Columbia County HAB consists of volunteers from local government and the county's religious, business, financial, and housing communities. It assists the Fair Housing Officer in assuring that no member of the community is discriminated against in either the rental or purchase of housing based on race, religion (creed), national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, military status, family status, sexual orientation or gender identity as guaranteed under the Federal Fair Housing Act and the New York State Division of Human Rights. For more information on fair housing, contact wms123123@live.com or by calling 518-828-0342.
Attention Tenants AND Landlords:
The moratorium on evictions in New York State has been extended until January 15, 2022. Tenants seeking protection from eviction must submit a Hardship Declaration form, indicating that they experienced a financial hardship during COVID-19 (from March 7, 2020 to January 15, 2022). Landlords are required to serve a copy of the Hardship Declaration on the tenant in the tenant’s primary language along with any other type of notice required by lease, agreement, or law, prior to initiating an eviction proceeding. Landlords can evict tenants who do not submit a hardship declaration, as well as tenants that are proven to have caused significant damage to the property or have been persistently and unreasonably engaging in behavior that substantially infringes on the use and enjoyment of other tenants or causes a substantial safety hazard to other tenants. Tenants are also protected from eviction if they have an application pending for rental assistance under the ERAP program, as eviction cases must be paused when a rental assistance application is pending, until there is a final determination made on the rental assistance application.
There is also a moratorium on residential foreclosure proceedings and tax lien sales until January 15, 2022. Homeowners and small landlords who own 10 or fewer residential dwellings can file Hardship Declarations with their mortgage lender, other foreclosing party, or a court that would prevent a foreclosure.
Tenants seeking to use the eviction moratorium must submit a hardship declaration and/or submit a rental assistance application under the ERAP Program. The hardship declaration is a document explaining the source of the hardship. Hardship Declarations in both eviction and foreclosure matters are available in English and Spanish via the NYS Unified Court System.
William Fisher, Columbia County
Fair Housing Officer
518-828-0342
Fair Housing Officer
518-828-0342