The two pilot regions are Way Finders in the Greater Springfield region and the Housing Assistance Corporation, serving Cape Cod and the islands. RAFT provides qualifying households with up to $10,000 per year to preserve current housing or move to new housing. After coordinating with your tenant and determining that they are eligible and have not already applied, you can start the application process by through the Central Application. Friday 8 AM 12:30 PM. Renters or landlords can apply by submitting an online application. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Information for landlords on emergency housing assistance, is, Information for landlords on emergency housing assistance. The onus is on the landlord to report a move-out to the Regional Administering Agency. The largest non-profit for owners and managers of Massachusetts residential real estate. A map of DHCDs regional administering agencies throughout the state with names in key.CC-BY SA 4.0 MassLandlords. However, applications received after Aug. 1, 2022, will only be considered if the applicant has received a notice to quit, eviction notice or court summons related to rent arrears. Wednesday 8 AM 4 PM Renters or landlords can apply by submitting an online application. A lock icon ( 3. Better Communities. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT). +8(!a]FJ@J3D8OzF@F@@AOaGJh pC4z Until Jan. 1, 2023, a Notice to Quit must be accompanied by information about tenants rights and rental assistance options. Please visit. A renter can apply once they have received a court summons or a notice to quit for owed rent. In that case, a landlord who has exercised the option to turn down RAFT COVID funding for a tenant, who then began or continued an eviction process for that tenant, may be vulnerable to a discrimination claim. The RAFT COVID program is very new and RAFT administrators are flooded with applications as households struggle with job and income losses. For Landlords. 2598 0 obj <>stream Landlords should be aware that Chapter 151B of the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits discrimination by a landlord against any tenant receiving federal, state, or local housing subsidies, including rental assistance or rental supplements, because the individual is such a recipient. RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent costs, as well as future rent in limited situations. by Nomer Caceres. Landlords will be able to log in and see all applications for their properties at once, as well as check application statuses in real time. Others need 12 weeks or longer. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, How Landlords Can Apply for RAFT, is, Upload Documents or Check Application Information, Call Massachusetts 2-1-1, Informational and referral hotline at, Landlords must obtain and submit asigned tenant consent form beforeapplying for assistance., determineincome eligibility for themetro area of your property. Some page levels are currently hidden. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. Once you have submitted your application, your landlord/property owner will be asked to provide the following documents: The RAFT application takes between 20-50 minutes to complete. LAS VEGAS (KSNV) The City of Las Vegas is taking applications once again for its newly re-funded Rental Assistance for Tenants (RAFT) program. The intake form does not need to be completed in person, however. The tenant should contact the landlord and rental assistance agency. Chinese and Khmer applications are not fillable at this time and need to be scanned. Find out more about HAF here. Applications received by April 15th, 2022 will be considered for ERAP until all funds have been allocated. hV\YZ^c3p*p #? This could be in the form of emergency rent assistance to avoid eviction (or help paying rent going forward, if the family applying is in search of housing or has already been evicted). Better Policy. If your tenant is behind on the rent - or expects they will be soon - tell them about this website. The program can also be used to help families who are already homeless pay for necessary costs to get into a house or apartment. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies RAFT helps all kinds of households by providing up to $10,000 per household, within a 12-month period, to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. While many of the special protections for homeowners impacted by COVID-19 are no longer in effect, owner-occupants of 1-4 family properties still may be able to seek relief. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Please limit your input to 500 characters. These twelve organizations process RAFT applications, request additional documentation as needed, and administer RAFT benefits (directly to the landlord or utility provider). Applicants should complete all of the fields in the preferred-language application and with all of the required documents, they may mail them to Metro Housing|Boston, 1411 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120. Join us! Renter advocates, who (like all attorneys) must zealously defend their clients, would likely raise the discrimination issue. RAFT helps all kinds of households by providing up to $10,000, within a 12-month period, to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. If approved for RAFT, funds will be. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. Landlords can apply directly for rental assistance on behalf of eligible residents. The RAFT COVID program is presented as an option to landlords, who may, according to its language, decide whether or not to accept the funding in excess of $4,000. If you would like to speak with a foreclosure counselor regarding your options, a list of foreclosure counselors by region is available here. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. Step 3: Program staff will review your funds application and will contact you asking for further documentation, if needed. If a family is eligible at this point, they must prove that the assistance they receive from RAFT will stabilize the current housing situation. In other words, a family applying for RAFT must show that after the funds are applied, they have enough income to either obtain new housing, remain in their current housing or otherwise avoid homelessness. MassLandlords interprets this to mean that a family who was facing eviction could, for example, obtain RAFT funding to get current on their rent and remain in housing, rent a new place, or use the money to pay court-ordered debts and then move in with family. Appropriate uses of funds include, but are not limited to: Financial Assistance Application Haitian Creole, Financial Assistance Application Portuguese, Financial Assistance Application Vietnamese, Financial Assistance Application in Chinese, Metro Housing|Boston Landlords will see it was denied but will not be given tenants private information. If additional income documentation is needed, the organization processing your RAFT application will reach out to you to request it. Applicants must bring photo identification and proof of current income for all adult members of the household. RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition) The Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance (ERMA) program ended on December 31, 2021. Does it matter whether RAFT COVID would cure or not? Homeowners in need of mortgage assistance or other housing assistance may apply for the new Homeowner Assistance Fund (MA HAF) Program. The system will automatically match the codes and bring the two parts together. Use this button to show and access all levels. Massachusetts' Rental Assistance for Families in Transition program, or RAFT, offers funds for eligible households facing eviction, loss of utilities or other housing . RAFT funds could go towards paying a security deposit, first/last months rent, even furniture, though there are caps on how much RAFT money can be used for those purchases. If all the required documents are uploaded, the CM will not need to contact the applicant and will instead contact the referring agency. Phone: 617.859.0400 Housing verification (Examples: a lease, tenancy agreement, or tenancy at will agreement) Proof of Identity of the property owner. No, the agreement signed by the tenant and landlordremainsin effectfor its stated term,unless the parties agree to amend it. The RAFT program is open to all types of landlords, including private landlords, non-profit landlords, and government landlords. Landlords should consult their own legal counsel for advice before declining rental assistance that covers all outstanding rent arrears. Suppose an inspection finds that a handrail is needed on a staircase. A landlord is required to notify a tenant if they've applied for eviction, This first notice is called a notice to quit and it should state why the landlord is evicting you. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To check which agency is processing your application, visit theCentral Application Portaland click Application Information. You can also use the Central Application Portal to upload additional documents after your application is submitted. Applications already in progress continued to be processed through the system already in place. Other funding would need to be lined up first. RAFT was first piloted in 2005, with a budget of $2 million for that first year. Under the current system, landlords applying on behalf of their tenants must include a signed tenant consent form, but the dual nature of the new portal application removes the need for this. This could delay the approval process. This additional funding program had slightly different eligibility standards than the regular RAFT program, and was used for mortgage foreclosures and loss of utilities, not just evictions. Click here for Applicant Portal First Time Home Buyers who currently live in one of these communities may be eligible for a Home Read More You skipped the table of contents section. We will use this information to improve this page. Visit this page to understand what to expect when you or your tenant applies for emergency housing payment assistance. Families who have received HomeBASE funding may also be eligible for RAFT. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can also help youfind a housing counseling agency (HCA). Renters or landlords can apply by submitting an online application. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT). Sue McMahon, a property manager for Winton Corp, a large rental complex in West Springfield, has been waiting months since summer in one case for word on RAFT applications for three of her tenants. If your tenant is behind on the rent - or . All funding sources are now merged behind one single RAFT application. RAFT became the primary housing safety net during COVID-19. The program started Nov. 14 in two regions, with statewide rollout expected sometime in mid-December. We also have RAFT Application walk in hours on Tuesday and Friday 9:30am-11:30am and Wednesday 1:00-3:00pm. Applicationsfor rental assistance received after April 15th will be considered for assistance under the more targeted state-fundedResidential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, subject to fundingavailability. It will take between four and seven weeks to process all applications. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. Other landlords, especially mom and pops who rely on rental income for their livelihood, are simply not in the position of Winton Corp to wait several months to find out if assistance from RAFT will cover back rent owed. Outcome: Landlord's mother has an extended order of protection to protect her from the tenant, the court ordered the tenant to permit access so repairs could be made and landlord received one year's rent arrearage from the RAFT program. These deadlines were shared with MassLandlords and others by a state official over the March 25, 2021, stakeholder zoom. A lock icon ( }w~W. Also, the MassLandlords Helpline is a valuable resource for business advice and legal information. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. A RAFT application was the primary way to access the safety net for the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts. You can find information of HAFhereorcall 2-1-1 for more information. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. If you are unable to access or submit an online application, please email us at HCEC@rcapsolutions.org or call us at 978-630-6771 for assistance. Tenants and landlords can use mediation to resolve their problems without any court filing, or through court referrals. Some page levels are currently hidden. More information is available here, or you can go to https://hedfuel.azurewebsites.net/ to find a legal aid program near you. During COVID-19, the sustainability requirement was removed (Jan. 11, 2021), and then after it was reinstated. endstream endobj 2600 0 obj <>stream Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Once someone receives initial approval, they can complete an application. Slides are available only for members in good standing who are logged in. Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Applying for Rental Assistance in Massachusetts to Avoid Eviction, online through the Commonwealths Central Application, contact the Housing and Community Development, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. 172. If the link above does not work (please notify us using the "Need a Hand" widget below and right), then go to the regional directly. Therefore, going through a regional Housing Consumer Education Center to complete an intake assessment is the first step to accessing RAFT funding. Applicants must meet certain criteria to be eligible for RAFT: Risk of homelessness/housing instability (example: applicant has received a Notice to Quit), Currently renting or moving to a new rental, Income at or below 50% of Area Median Income (AMI), or 60% of AMI for households who are at risk of domestic violence (you can check AMI in your city/town using this online tool). The program can also be used to help families who are already homeless pay for necessary costs to get into a house or apartment. The RAFT COVID program is an enhancement to the regular 15-year-old RAFT program, which provides up to $4,000 for eligible households to pay for rent, mortgage, utilities or moving expenses. Are your tenants behind on rent? fhousing@lhand.org In 2020, this limit was increased to $10,000, but was decreased to $7,000 within a rolling 12-month period on Jan. 1, 2022. Youve been added to our list. But if they are moving out, any number of circumstances could have kept those funds from being directed towards you. Landlords and property owners can (a) begin the RAFT application process for their tenants who may need to request financial assistance for overdue rent OR (b) complete the application once the tenant has submitted their application. Applications with all required information and documentation will be processed more quickly than those with missing information and documentation. Thank you for your website feedback! One of the biggest features is the addition of a save and resume function. RAFT provides qualifying households with maximum benefit limit of $10,000 per household in a 12-month period. Though mass.gov is not completely clear on whether current participants in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) or Section 8 are RAFT-eligible, wording from the 2020 RAFT administrative plan states that If a family is using RAFT to move into a unit with a subsidy, proof of the total contract rent and of the tenants rent share must be provided. 2. Use this button to show and access all levels. A lawyer can help advise you before a case gets to court or if a case is in court. Landlords should be aware that Chapter 151B of the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits discrimination bya landlord against anytenant receiving federal, state, or local housing subsidies, including rentalassistance or rental supplements, because the individual is such a recipient. You can check AMI limits in your city/town here. You are entitled to a legal proceeding in which you can defend against an eviction. If a family meets the income guidelines, they must then be screened using an assessment developed by DCHD. For households applying to RAFT for assistance with rent arrears, a Notice to Quit or eviction notice/court summons is now required.
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