Angelenos who owe back rent have until Monday to apply for the city’s emergency rental assistance program, which can refund up to six months of unpaid rent to eligible tenants.

The Emergency Renters Assistance Program is one of several tenant protection initiatives funded by Measure ULA. The so-called townhouse tax, which was approved by voters in November and went into effect in April, imposes a surcharge on sales of residential and commercial real estate in the city above $5 million.

We need to do more to keep people housed, and I want to ensure that eligible Angelenos start applying today for rent relief for any back rent owed during the COVID-19 pandemic or if you are currently experiencing short-term hardship, Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement last week. We must continue to do everything we can to prevent Angelenos from becoming homeless and ensure small landlords also have access to resources.”

The program has been approved by the City Council and will be administered by the city’s Housing Department.

How does the program work?

For select tenants, the program will provide up to six months of unpaid rent directly to their landlords on their behalf. The program is currently only open to renters, but small landlords will also be able to apply for short-term assistance starting in October, according to the mayor’s office. 23. The fund has a total amount of $18.4 million.

Who is eligible?

The program is only open to Angelenos who qualify as low-income. Low income is defined as household income at or below 80% of the area median income. A one-person household would need to have a pre-tax income of $70,650 or less to qualify, while the threshold would be $80,750 for a household of two or $100,900 for a household of four (the full chart can be found here). [pls delete the parenthetical for print]

One or more household members must also have experienced a loss of employment, a reduction in household income or significant expenses or other financial hardship between March 2020 and now. Eligible residents must also have a rental debt to their landlord from some time between April 2020 and the present.

The program is open to residents of the City of Los Angeles (check your address here), [pls delete the parenthetical for print] regardless of their immigration status.

Angelenos who qualify as extremely low income and owe rent between April 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021 will be given priority. Other applicants may be processed later, according to the Housing Department website.

A single-person household with a pre-tax income of $26,500 or less qualifies as extremely low income. The figure would be $30,300 for a two-person household, $34,100 for a three-person household and $37,850 for a four-person household.

After this initial priority group, households with minor children, seniors or disabled people will be considered, among others, as well as households that have extremely high rental costs or are at high risk of becoming homeless.

How do I register?

Angelenos can apply for the program online through the Housing Department website.

They can also apply by phone by calling the Housing Department hotline at (888) 379-3150 (open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or the We Are LA hotline at (213) 584-1808 ( open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm). to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or in person at a FamilySource center.

The application portal opened last week and will remain open until Monday at 6 p.m

The Housing Department recommends “that tenants communicate with their landlord and provide accurate contact information for their landlord to avoid problems or delays in financing applications.”

How do I know if my application will go through?

If an applicant is not eligible to apply because he or she does not meet the screening criteria, he/she will be notified immediately.

If they do meet the initial criteria, they will receive emails at each stage and sometimes several times [be] asked to provide missing information” during a weeks-long process, according to Housing Department spokesperson Sharon Sandow.

Can I be evicted for overdue rent?

Yes, but with some caveats.

Under the city’s new tenant protection law, a tenant must owe at least one month of fair market rent before he or she can be evicted for nonpayment. (Fair market rent is a fixed amount that is determined every year for the region and that also depends on how

a lot of

bedrooms are located in your apartment.)

Under those same new rules, tenants had until August 1 to repay rent accrued between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, meaning eviction proceedings can now be filed for rent owed from that period.

However, tenants have until February 1, 2024 to repay the rent accrued between October. January 1, 2021 and January 31, 2023.

What else should I know?

A Q&A about the Mayor’s Office’s emergency rental assistance program can be found here. [pls delete this sentence for print.]

If you receive a deportation order, you have rights and resources are available. Stay Housed LA, a partnership between the city, county, local community and legal service providers, is a great starting point for learning your rights and finding other resources. You can also contact the We Are LA hotline at (213) 584-1808 or the Los Angeles Housing Department hotline at (866) 557-7368.

If you live in a rent-stabilized unit, annual rent increases are prohibited until January 31st. (To find out if your unit is covered by the rent stabilization ordinance, enter your address on this site and then look under the “housing” tab at the bottom left.) [delete parenthetical for print. thx]