City of Los Angeles Emergency Renters Assistance Program

The request for rental assistance exceeded the City’s available funding. All City of LA residents can now apply to the State of California Housing is Key program beginning on September 1, 2021.

If you were notified to apply to the State’s program, you will need to submit a State application and provide documentation even if you have previously submitted information to the City. Please apply to the state’s program, if your status is - Referred to apply to HousingIsKey.com

Correct, we are finishing the review of your application for rental assistance. Once your application is approved, we will contact your landlord to complete the process to receive the rental assistance.

If you need additional financial assistance for months the City was unable to pay, you will be able to apply to the State of California Housing Is Key program beginning on September 1, 2021. You will not be able to apply to the State’s program to cover rent for the same period (days or months) for which you or your landlord are paid under the City program. Duplication of benefits is prohibited by the State and Federal Government and is fraud.

Before applying to the State, you should check the status of your City application here. If your status is “Referred to apply to HousingIsKey.com,” you should apply to the State program at Housing is Key.

In order to continue to be protected from eviction (AB 832) if you were unable to pay rent due to circumstances related to COVID-19, you will need to submit an application with the State’s program at Housing Is Key and be sure to follow the State law rules to obtain the maximum eviction protection. Most likely your application was under the status “Application Received,” because you did not meet the City’s priority eligibility requirements, such as your 2020 household income was more than 30% AMI, or you did not report unpaid rent at the time of application. You should reapply to the State program at Housing Is Key.

Yes, since you have already submitted a complete application that has already been approved, the City will continue to process your application to cover your unpaid rent from April 1, 2020. If your landlord has not responded to our requests or has opted out of the program, the City will pay the rental assistance directly to you.

Both the tenant and the landlord are emailed when payment is mailed. The email provides the months paid, the total amount of rent paid, the method of payment, etc. You can also use the Status LookUp to see if the status is Closed Tenant Paid or Closed Landlord Paid.

Beginning September 1, 2021, the City of Los Angeles is partnering with the State to assist all LA residents now and for future months’ rent. If you do not have an open application with the City, you can apply to the State program beginning on September 1, 2021.

Renter Protections. Please note in the City of Los Angeles, tenants cannot be evicted before the expiration of the City's Emergency Declaration. The City's Emergency Declaration is still in effect and will continue to be effective until further notice. The City of Los Angeles ordinance protects tenants that have unpaid rent due to COVID-19 the end of the local emergency period at which point tenants will have to pay the amount owed by May 1, 2023 or 12 months after the local emergency period ends, whichever date comes first. If you receive an eviction notice, please file a complaint by calling (866) 557-7368 or online or seek legal assistance at Stay Housed L.A. For more information regarding the COVID-19 renter protections, please click here.

The application period for the 2021 COVID-19 City of Los Angeles Emergency Renters Assistance Program has ended.

Unfortunately, due to the extensive economic impact of COVID-19, the demand for rental assistance has greatly exceeded the available funds. If you have any questions regarding the program, please visit the FAQs. Should additional funds become available, information will be publicized on this site.

Household income is total household income earned, so the household’s income must be at or below this amount before taxes, depending on the number of people in the household.

Yes, renters living in single-family rental properties may apply

Condominiums located in the City of Los Angeles are eligible for the program.

Applicants need to provide some documentation that they live in the rental unit and pay rent. It does not need to be the lease/rental agreement. It could be some other document that connects them to that address, such as a notice from the landlord or a utility bill.

No, a tenant does not need to be behind in rent, but the program priority is to pay an eligible tenant’s past-due rent accrued beginning on April 1, 2020. If funding permits, the program may pay prospective rent for three (3) months.

No, the program is open to all renters, regardless of immigration status.

A tenant will be required to provide:

• Proof that they are a resident in the City of Los Angeles, such as an identification card, etc.
• Proof of residential tenancy, such as a rental agreement/lease, or a notice issued by your current landlord, etc.
• Proof of current and past due rental amount, such as a rent receipt, or rental ledger, etc.
• Proof of household income, such as a tax return, 1099 or employer contact information, etc.
• Proof of unemployment and/or financial hardship due to COVID-19, such as unemployment benefits statement, letter from employer of layoff, furloughed, reduced hours, etc.

For a full list of other forms of documents that can be submitted, please click here for English or click here for Spanish.

If a tenant does not have tax returns or pay stubs, they can provide an Employer Statement with contact information such as name, address, phone, date of employment & income earned.

Your government-issued photo ID with a different address will still be used to confirm your identity. You may provide a different document to prove your tenancy, such as a recent notice addressed in your name from your current landlord, or a utility bill in your name with your rental unit address.

A subtenant is eligible to apply for the program. However, as for all applicants, the landlord who will receive the payment must be the person in charge of the property. Financial assistance cannot be payable to a master tenant.

Household income is based on the total income of all members (related & unrelated) living in the same rental unit, so the total household income of all the roommates must be at or below 50% of AMI.

Yes, we need the information for your landlord, the property owner, or the management company you pay your rent to. This way, if you are selected for the program, we know the person in charge to contact and pay the financial assistance on your behalf.

A tenant is not required to pay back the financial assistance, it is a grant. The financial assistance will be paid directly to the landlord on the tenant’s behalf.

If selected, the payment will be made to the landlord at the rental unit address listed in the application. The financial assistance cannot be transferred to a different rental unit address.

Effective June 28, 2021, if you no longer live in your rental unit and still owe your former landlord unpaid rent owed since April 1, 2020, you may still be eligible to receive financial assistance. If your application was closed for this reason, it will be reopened.

The financial assistance is paid directly to the landlord. The assistance will not be paid to the landlord unless the tenant has been qualified by providing documentation to prove their eligibility. If the landlord elects not to participate in the program, the financial assistance of 25% of the past due rent will be paid to the tenant.

In order for a landlord to receive the assistance, the landlord will be required to comply with federal, state, and local governing law and provide the following documents:

• Proof of Identification
• A completed W-9 form
• Proof of the tenant’s current monthly and past due rent
• A completed LA City ERAP Landlord Participation Agreement

No, there is no reimbursement or backpay. The financial assistance is intended for rent-burdened tenants who were unable to pay their full rent due to circumstances related to COVID-19 for the months April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021.

No. The last application you file will be kept and any earlier applications will be deleted.

No, City of Los Angeles residents will not be eligible to apply for the State program since the City of Los Angeles has created their own program in partnership with the state and federal government.

Yes, unemployment benefits are considered income and must be included in the calculation of your household income. However, one-time stimulus payments are not considered income.

The federal and state government allowed local jurisdictions to create a program to better target assistance for their city's residents. The City of Los Angeles has a very high proportion of residents who are low-income and have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of L.A. renters have incomes below 50% of AMI. Due to the City's high percentage of low income renters, the Los Angeles City Council elected to prioritize the funding available at this time, to those most in need and to further prioritize those households with the lowest incomes at 30% of AMI. Should additional funding be obtained, the eligible households may be expanded.

To upload documents on the application, the instructions indicate to select the check box of the type of document you will provide for that eligibility category. Once selected, the UPLOAD button will appear for you to upload that document.

When a tenant’s status is “Tenant Eligibility Under Review,” the tenant’s account is locked. If documents are missing, the tenant will be informed by email and/or phone of the missing documents and the applicant will be able to upload missing documents when notified. A tenant can only access their account when the status is "Tenant Pending Initial Submission of Documents" or "Tenant Pending Final Submission of Documents."

Unfortunately, a landlord and a tenant cannot live in the same home regardless if they live in a separate bedroom.