Emergency Rental Assistance Program
TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR EXISTING APPLICATION, CLICK HERE
FOR QUESTIONS CALL: ERAP HOTLINE NUMBER: (301) 883-6504 and Press 9
THE APPLICATION PORTAL IS NOW CLOSED
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR NEW APPLICATIONS WAS DECEMBER 15, 2021, AT 3:00 PM
ERAP STATS
FUNDS DISTRIBUTED AS OF NOVEMBER 17, 2023: $109.9 Million
HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED AS OF NOVEMBER 17, 2023: 11,016
FACING EVICTION?
If you are facing eviction due to delinquent rent and you have a court summons, court judgement, Warrant of Restitution, or Warrant for Possession, you may be eligible for the Prince George’s County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
For assistance, call the ERAP HOTLINE at (301) 883-6504, then press 9 and a customer service representative will help you with obtaining an application, or e-mail your contact information and one of the documents listed above to: ERAP@co.pg.md.us (Include the eviction date in the Subject Line if an eviction is scheduled.)
Please attend all court hearings in Landlord-Tenant Court. Submitting an application or court document to ERAP does not excuse you from attending your court hearing.
If you’re eligible for assistance, ERAP can pay up to 18 months of late rent or provide funding to help you relocate to a new home.
NOTE: THE EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HAS NOT RE-OPENED. FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR ELIGIBLE RENTERS WITH A PENDING EVICTION.
Requirements to be eligible to apply for emergency assistance:
- Renter must be scheduled by the Sheriff for eviction, or there must be an active Warrant for Possession that would allow the Sheriff to evict, or renter received a court summons or court judgement.
- Rental property located in Prince George’s County.
- Prince George’s County resident faced a financial hardship arising because of or during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
FOR QUESTIONS CALL: ERAP HOTLINE NUMBER: (301) 883-6504 and Press 9
DHCD has updated its Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) policies for tenants and landlords. If you have submitted an ERAP application and are waiting for review, please call the ERAP Hotline to inquire about the status of your application. It is important that you monitor your e-mail for any messages from DHCD. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail inbox in case the email goes into one of those inboxes instead of your e-mail inbox.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is closed to new applications. If you have already submitted an application, it will be reviewed for eligibility and funding. Please check your e-mail for correspondence from a DHCD Reviewer that may ask for additional updated information. DHCD closed the application portal to address the backlog of applications received and to ensure funding is available for tenants and landlords who have submitted applications. An announcement will be made if or when the application portal re-opens.
**Please note that the submission of an application does not guarantee approval for ERAP assistance. All applications are carefully reviewed and must meet eligibility requirements. Applications are also subject to the availability of funding at the time of processing.**
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The Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) offers relief to landlords on behalf of renters and tenants experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number ERA0202 awarded to Prince George’s County, MD Government by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
WHO CAN APPLY?
- Property owners, landlords or property managers. The property must be occupied by tenants meeting the requirements for tenant eligibility.
- Tenants whose landlords will not apply for funding on the tenants' behalf
- Tenants applying for utility assistance only
VIDEOS
Take a Look at the Tenant OR Landlord Tutorial Videos to Quickly Learn How to Apply for ERAP
ERAP Tenant Video
ERAP Tenant Video - Spanish
ERAP Landlord Video
Landlord Webinar
On September 12, 2023, DHCD held an Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Webinar for Landlords. The Webinar provided specifics about ERAP and how landlords can apply on behalf of their tenants. The PowerPoint presentation given during the webinar can be seen by clicking the link below.
WHAT CAN ERAP COVER?
- Past due rent beginning April 1, 2020, up to 18 months
- Past due utility and home energy bill payments, up to 18 months
If the tenant applies directly for funding because their landlord will not apply on their behalf, eligible tenants can receive up to 18 months of rental assistance and/or utility payments.
WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS?
To be eligible for assistance, a household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential unit and that:
- One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 outbreak;
- One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
- The household has a household income at or below 80% of area median income (AMI). Households with income at or below 50 percent of the AMI or those who are unemployed and have been unemployed for 90-days.are prioritized for assistance.
Prioritization Criteria and Methodology
DHCD will prioritize applications based on household incomes and on areas of greatest vulnerability within the County by considering the following factors:
- Housing Stress - Rent burden: 50% of income, Overcrowded: 1.5 people per room
- Social Factors - African-American and Latino population, population below poverty, number of single parent households (HH)
- Pandemic Effect - Confirmed COVID-19 cases, employment in fields with layoff risk
View County map of prioritization areas and priority census tract: ERAP Census Tract
TENANTS and LANDLORDS
For tenant applicants:
1. Date of submission based on volume of applications; and
2. Applications for tenants who are facing court-ordered eviction will be expedited and process within two weeks.
For landlord applicants:
1. Rental units located within census tracts that meet risk factors such as housing stress, social factors and pandemic effect; and
2. Landlords who applied in Fall 2020 and did not receive assistance.
- Household income at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI); priority given to households with income at or below 50% of AMI. See chart below, as of June 15, 2023:
Household Size |
Extremely low income (30% AMI = Maximum Income) |
VERY LOW INCOME (50% AMI = Maximum Income) |
LOW INCOME (80% AMI = Maximum Income) |
| 1 | $31,650 | $52,750 | $66,750 |
| 2 | $36,200 | $60,300 | $76,250 |
| 3 | $40,700 | $67,850 | $85,800 |
| 4 | $45,200 | $75,350 | $95,300 |
| 5 | $48,850 | $81,400 | $102,950 |
| 6 | $52,450 | $87,450 | $110,550 |
| 7 | $56,050 | $93,450 | $118,200 |
| 8 | $59,700 | $99,500 | $125,800 |
- A signed lease; if household does not have a signed lease, acceptable documents include: evidence of paying utilities for the residential unit or an attestation by a landlord who can be identified as the verified or management agent of the unit, or other reasonable documentation.
- One or more individuals in household qualified for unemployment or experience a reduction in household income incurred significant costs, or other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In accordance with U.S. Treasury guidelines DHCD will use fact-specific proxies, for example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) to qualify based on the average income of a geographic area. A property must be in a QCT to qualify, and applicants reside in own rental property in a QCT will submit an Income Self-Certification only. No other income documents are required.
OWNERS/LANDLORDS
In addition to the tenant eligibility requirements, landlords must also meet these requirements:
- The property must be occupied by tenants meeting the requirements for tenant eligibility.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Landlords and tenants applying for assistance from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program must submit their application with the documents listed below. Read our documents guide “Documents for a Successful Application” to gather the right documents for your application. DHCD may request additional information outside of the list identified below, where necessary to validate the information provided in this ERAP application.
REQUIRED Documents for Application - Requires Completion and Upload
| Landlord-Based Applications | Tenant-Based Applications |
|---|---|
|
Landlord Information and Documents: Landlord name, address, and Social Security number, tax identification number and Unique number, Property Deed, Copy of Landlord W-9 form, PGC Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Enrollment Form/Automated Clearing House (ACH) |
Tenant Information and Documents: Residency Verification Document:
|
|
Tenant Information and Documents (Request from Tenant)
Income Verification:
If Applicable
|
Income Verification
Tenant Eligibility Attestation Tenant Eligibility Attestation (Spanish) Client Information Authorization Client Information Authorization (Spanish)
|
CAN SOMEONE HELP ME WITH THE APPLICATION?
The Prince George's County Department of Housing and Community Development has partnered with several community non-profit organizations to assist county landlords and tenants with completing the application and uploading it into the proper on-line portal. These organizations include:
| Casa de Maryland – Council District 2 8151 15th Avenue Langley Park, MD 20783 240.491.5763 (call to make an appointment)* Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP) – Council District 2 Centro De Apoyo Familiar (CAF) – Council District 3 Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development, Inc. (SEED) - Council District 3 Laurel Advocacy Referral Service (LARS) (District 1)
|
United Communities Against Poverty, Inc. (UCAP) – Council District 6 Mission of Love (MOLC) – Council District 7 Housing Options & Planning Enterprises, Inc. – Council District 8 *Bilingual Staff Sign language for the hearing impaired and interpretive services can be made available. To request these services, please call 301-883-5540 ● TTY (301) 883-5428. Prince George’s County affirmatively promotes equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, disability, or familial status in admission or access to benefits in programs or activities. |
SUBMITTING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION
In addition to the assistance from the community non-profit organizations above, you can also review this presentation entitled: How to Submit a Successful Application to learn about the forms and information DHCD needs to process your application for emergency rental assistance and utility assistance.
NOTICE OF AWARD AND ACCEPTANCE
Once your application is submitted, you will not be able to go back into the portal to make additional changes to your application unless directed by DHCD. DHCD will review your application and contact you via e-mail regarding any discrepancies or missing information for your application. It is important that you monitor your e-mail for any messages from DHCD.
Applying for funding through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program does not guarantee you will be awarded the full amount. Your application is subject to review by DHCD and funding availability. Following DHCD's review and if approved, you will be e-mailed a notice of approval with the dollar value of the approved rental assistance. Landlords will receive the Rental Assistance Agreement which is non-negotiable. Tenants will receive an affidavit which will require certification. Each must indicate acceptance of the final amount of assistance, as determined by DHCD, to receive payment.
Sign Language for the hearing impaired and interpretive services can be made available. To request these services, contact Adedamola George, Compliance Officer at (301) 883-5576 or TTY (301) 883-5428.
Prince George’s County affirmatively promotes equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, disability, or familial status in admission or access to benefits in programs or activities.