Overview

Eligibility

New York residents were eligible for ERAP if they met the following criteria:

• Household gross income was at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). These income limits differ by county and household size. A household was able to qualify based on current income or calendar year 2020 income that was at or below 80 percent AMI. (The ERAP program serving households with income over 80 percent and up to 120 percent of area median income closed to new applications on February 14, 2022).
• On or after March 13, 2020, a member of the household received unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in income, incurred significant costs or experienced financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The applicant was obligated to pay rent at their primary residence and had rental arrears (rent overdue) at their current residence for rent owed on or after March 13, 2020.
• The household had to be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, which was demonstrated by having rental arrears owed on or after March 13, 2020.

Households eligible for rental arrears may also have been eligible for help paying utility arrears at the same rental unit.

Applications for all eligible households were processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Benefits

Households approved for ERAP may receive:

• Up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 13, 2020.
• Up to 3 months of additional rental assistance if the household is expected to spend 30 percent or more of their gross monthly income to pay for rent.
• Up to 12 months of electric or gas utility arrears payments for arrears that have accrued on or after March 13, 2020.

Payments were made directly to the landlord/property owner and utility company on behalf of the tenant. Tenant applicants were notified of the amounts paid on their behalf. If a landlord is difficult to locate or does not otherwise provide information needed to complete the application, funds were held for up to 180 days to allow sufficient time to locate the landlord and collect required information as well as to provide tenant protections and maximize landlord participation.

Required Documents:

Renter Applicants

Renters had to provide:

• Personal identification for primary applicant (individual signing application). Acceptable forms of identification include items such as: A photo ID, driver license or non-driver government-issued ID, passport, EBT/Benefits Issuance Card, birth certificate or school registration.
• Social Security number of any household members who have been issued one.
• Proof of rental amount, signed lease, even if expired. If no lease is available then proof can be shown through a rent receipt, canceled check or money order. If no documentation is available, landlord attestation will be accepted.
• Proof of residency and occupancy – Signed lease, rent receipt, utility bill, school records, bank statement, postal mail with name of applicant, insurance bill, or driver license. Proof had to be current.
• Proof of Income:

  • Documents demonstrating monthly income for the prior month, such as pay stubs, bank account deposit verification, unemployment benefits letter, or other proof;

    OR

  • Documents demonstrating annual income for 2020, such as a W-2 tax form from an employer, an annual statement of earnings, or a copy of a completed income tax return, such as a 1040, 1040EZ, 1099 tax form, or other evidence of 2020 annual income.
  • Self-attestation through a written and signed statement of income is permitted in certain circumstances where no documentation is available such as certain self-employment.
• Copy of gas or electric utility bill, if applying for help paying for utility arrears at the same rental unit.

Applicants were asked to attest that on or after March 13, 2020, a member of the household received unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs or experienced other financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The applicant had to sign the application form and associated certifications agreeing that the information provided in the application is accurate.

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Landlord Applicants

Landlords and property owners provide:

• W-9 tax form by typing this information in the Owner Account on the ERAP portal.
• Executed lease with tenant applicant, or if there is no written lease, a cancelled check, evidence of funds transfer or other documentation of the last full monthly rent payment. Uploaded pages of lease have to at least include unit address, tenants on lease, monthly rental obligation, and signature page.
• Documentation of 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 ERAP portal.
• If applicable, an owner affidavit or signed agreement designating the property management company/agent as authorized recipient of ERAP funds.

The property owner or an authorized property management company is 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.

The property owner or authorized property management company must also agree to the following terms as a condition of accepting rental arrears payments:

• The ERAP payment satisfies the tenant's full rental obligations for the time period covered by the payment.
• Waive any late fees due on any rental arrears covered by the ERAP payment.
• Not increase the monthly rental amount above the monthly amount due at the time of application for ERAP assistance for months for which rental assistance is received and for one year from receipt of the ERAP payment.
• Not evict the household on behalf of whom the ERAP payment is made for reason of expired lease or holdover tenancy for one year from the receipt of the ERAP 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.

Print landlord's checklist - English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Yiddish

Helpful Videos

Understanding the Landlord Portal - Demonstration of the landlord portal, and associated features.
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Contact

Call center hours are:
Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. — 5 p.m. EST

Contact us by phone:
844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368)
For the hearing impaired, TTY phone number: 1-833-843-8829.

Report Emergency Rental Assistance Program Fraud

To report Emergency Rental Assistance Program fraud in New York State complete and submit the Emergency 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 provide 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.