OTDA Home Programs & Services Landlord Rental Assistance Program
August 22, 2024 Important Update on LRAP
Applications for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) are no longer being accepted, as of the LRAP application closure date of November 21, 2021. Limited funds were available to provide assistance through LRAP. The total number of LRAP applications exceeded the available program funds, and program funds are no longer available to pay all applications. If an LRAP application is not able to be paid due to a lack of available funding, the applying landlord either will, or already has, been issued a notice informing them that their application has been denied.
Overview
Applications for LRAP were accepted from Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 9 a.m. through November 21, 2021 at 5 p.m. LRAP provides rental assistance for landlords whose tenants were unwilling to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), including where the tenant has left the rental property. Assistance may be provided for households with rent up to 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for the county where the property is located.
Eligibility
Landlords who rent out unit(s) located in New York State are eligible for LRAP if they meet the following criteria:
- The landlord has a tenant who has left an apartment in New York State with unpaid rental arrears or the landlord has 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 is at or below 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for their location. These limits are based on county 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 has 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 were eligible to apply for LRAP when the program opened. For the first 45 days of the program, priority was given to landlords who own a building with 20 or fewer units. After 45 days, applications for all eligible landlords were processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds were available.
Consistent with the ERAP program, landlords/owners of units where the current or former tenant household's rent is limited to a percentage of household income may apply for assistance, but the application will not be assessed for eligibility until all other applications have been considered and will receive assistance only to the extent funds remain available.
Benefits
Landlords approved for LRAP may receive:
- Up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 1, 2020.
Of note, LRAP will not pay for future rental assistance or utility arrears.
Apply
Landlord Applicants
Landlords and property owners will need to provide the following when applying for LRAP:
- W-9 tax form, which must be entered by typing this information in the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
- Proof of Ownership by uploading this information into the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
- Executed lease with tenant, or if there is no written lease, a cancelled check, evidence of funds transfer or other documentation of the last full monthly rent payment. Upload pages of lease to at least include unit address, tenants on lease, monthly rental obligation, and signature page.
- Documentation of unpaid 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 LRAP portal.
- If applicable, an owner affidavit or signed agreement designating the property management company/agent as authorized recipient of LRAP funds.
- The property owner or an authorized property management company will be 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. Dates on which the landlord contacted the tenant to seek participation in ERAP must also be provided, if the application is for a tenant that still resides in the unit.
The property owner or authorized property management company must also agree to the following terms as a condition of accepting rental arrears payments:
- The LRAP 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 LRAP payment.
- If the household is currently residing in the unit, not increase the monthly rental amount above the monthly amount due at the time of application for LRAP assistance for months for which rental assistance is received and for one year from receipt of the LRAP payment.
- That they have contacted a current tenant household at least three times, two in writing, to encourage participating in ERAP.
- If the household is currently residing in the unit, not evict the household on behalf of whom the LRAP payment is made for reason of expired lease or holdover tenancy for one year from the receipt of the LRAP 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 , العربية, বাঙালি, 中文, Kreyòl Ayisyen, Italiano, 한국의, Polski, Русский, Español, אידיש
Contact
Call center hours are:
Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Contact us by phone:
844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368)
For the hearing impaired, TTY phone number: 1-833-843-8829.
Contact us by Webchat:
Chat with a representative
Report Landlord Rental Assistance Program Fraud
To report Landlord Emergency Rental Assistance Program fraud in New York State complete and submit the Landlord 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 apply for LRAP. Examples of available reasonable accommodations include assistance applying for LRAP, providing 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.