LIBERTY – Landlords whose tenants are unwilling to apply for the State’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or where the tenant has left the rental property, are now eligible for the State’s new Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP).
Announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on October 7, the program is designed to relieve landlords of the burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Landlords approved for LRAP may receive up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 1, 2020. (Note that LRAP will not pay for future rental assistance or utility arrears.) Priority is currently being given to those landlords owning small-to-medium-sized properties.
Landlords who rent out unit(s) located in New York State are eligible for LRAP if they have a tenant who has left an apartment in New York State with unpaid rental arrears or have 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 must be at or below 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for their location. These limits are based on county of location 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 must have 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 at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/landlord-rental-assistance, which also lists the various documents required. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available.