These deadlines were shared with MassLandlords and others by a state official over the March 25, 2021, stakeholder zoom. The RAFT COVID program is very new and RAFT administrators are flooded with applications as households struggle with job and income losses. Visitors to these websites are encouraged to contact agency representatives, listed on the websites, to help with navigation, clarifying information and applying . You cannot save and return to an application, so you must complete your application in one sitting. To view all of this presentation, you must be logged-in and a member in good standing. To view all of this presentation, you must be logged with webinar access. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. No eviction action was filed. Households that already receive income-based rental subsides are ineligible for prospective payments, and payments may not exceed the maximum benefit limit. This language leaves open the possibility that it may be interpreted as discriminatory to evict a renter who has received public rental assistance. RAFT gives short-term financial assistance to low-income families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Phone: 617.859.0400 If you need assistance, please contact the Housing and Community Development. 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. However, if COVID RAFT is mandatory and must be accepted for eligible renters, it presents a serious financial hardship for some owners who are not in position to forgive arrears or forswear termination. )0OP[S{ As a result, response times are delayed, rental assistance payments can take months, and it may be a difficult time to obtain information from administrators. fhousing@lhand.org A list of regional agencies can be found at the Massachusetts Housing Consumer Education Centers site. The final four steps are pending final approval, approved pending payment and then approved or denied. Tenants will be able to see why their application was denied. }. Posted in News - 0 Comments. The RAFT program is open to all types of landlords, including private landlords, non-profit landlords, and government landlords. The largest non-profit for owners and managers of Massachusetts residential real estate. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. They may also drop off the applications at our offices between the hours of 9:00 AM 3:00 PM. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. :If your tenanthas notapplied, startan application by asking for yourtenant to sign the required consentform that is available through theregional agency. RAFT helps families who are behind on rent, mortgage payments, or utility bills. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), a short-term Massachusetts rental subsidy program, is designed to help families who are at risk of becoming homeless transition into stable housing. Does it matter whether RAFT COVID would cure or not? RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent costs, as well as future rent in limited situations. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. During(or after)the RAFT benefit period, the tenant violates a lease clause that is unrelated to payment of rent. Homeowners in need of mortgage assistance or other housing assistance may apply for the new Homeowner Assistance Fund (MA HAF) Program. But considering the language in discrimination law 151B, theres too much risk and vulnerability for discrimination liability to take that step hastily. Landlords should also check general income eligibility for programs. 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. 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. A landlords refusal to accept emergency rental assistance, that covers the entire amount owed to the landlord, may, in some circumstances, constitute a violation of Chapter 151B. Families who have received HomeBASE funding may also be eligible for RAFT. contact the Housing and Community Development. 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. Households can apply by submitting an online application. There are many cases in Massachusetts in which landlords are owed rent of well over $10,000, such that RAFT alone would not cure arrearages or cover foreseeable future shortfall. The following documentation is required to apply: States that did not use all of the federal money they were allocated were at risk of having that money "clawed back" by the U.S. Treasury. Contact the Volunteer Lawyers Project for more information. Even if that tenant began paying full rent again in September, they would have tallied $11,562 in rent arrearages. Landlords of tenants who receive RAFT COVID funds do not lose the right to evict due to lease violations, or in the event that agreements including use of RAFT funds are not complied with. Signed W-9 in the name of the property owner. 1411 Tremont Street The tenant should contact the landlord and rental assistance agency. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords about Accepting State Funded Rental Assistance, is, Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords about Accepting State Funded Rental Assistance. _ Examples include, but are not limited to, Notice to Quit, courtsummons, utility shutoff notice., Name, DOB, sex, race, ethnicity and SSN (when available) forall adultmembers of the household, Identification for the head of household (Examples: photo id, license, birth certificate,passport), Rental information: Lease/tenancy agreement, amount of rent,amount of arrears, whether they have a rental subsidy, Household income (see more details here on income verification), W-9 from payee (landlord/property owner). Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Furniture. Landlords should consult their own legal counsel for advice before declining rental assistance that covers all outstanding rent arrears. This would seem to suggest that RAFT can be refused when it does not fully cover arrears. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. The new application portal is designed to replace the current central application process. The federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) stopped accepting applications on April 15, 2022. RAFT can provide up to $10,000 per household within a 12-month period to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. Step 3: Program staff will review your funds application and will contact you asking for further documentation, if needed. You skipped the table of contents section. Can a renter get RAFT directly and then not give it to the landlord? You need to contact your lender/servicer to request assistance. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. First published December 17th, 2020 | HomeBASE is a program for families who are experiencing homelessness and are living in shelters. Not submitted means an application has been started, but not completed and turned in. A lock icon ( Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Emergency Rental Assistance: Landlord Journeys. Find out more about HAF here. Mediation is a confidential, voluntary and non-judgmental process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps people resolve differences based on what is important to them. Funded by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), RAFT is described as a homelessness prevention program[that] provides short-term financial assistance to low-income families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. In other words, it is flexible funding that can be used for a variety of housing-related expenses, depending on the needs of the individual family. Please wait at least 10 business days before calling to check on your application. Homeowners may be eligible for assistance through the Homeowners Assistance Fund. Landlords and property managers will be able to create a profile on the portal with their W-9 and payment information. Monday 8 AM 4 PM If you are unable to assist your client in completing the online application, printable applications can be found below. However, there is a $10,000 cap in funding, and any money that a family has received from RAFT counts towards that. If they have no future income, a landlord would have expectation of additional losses. Note that the Tenant Application Code is different from their Case ID. Please limit your input to 500 characters. However, if you are unable to complete the application online, please emailhc@cmhaonline.orgor call508-752-5519, ext. Consider Section 8. RAFT can provide up to $10,000 per household within a 12-month period to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. The CM will review all documents and will follow up with the service provider by email or phone if they are in need of additional documents. You can find more information below. Thank you! If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. I have one tenant who applied [to RAFT] and didnt receive a call back at all, she said. The time between submitting a RAFT application and receiving a RAFT award or denial varies. If you would like to speak with a foreclosure counselor regarding your options, a list of foreclosure counselors by region is available here. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Landlords can apply directly for rental assistance on behalf of eligible residents. 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. Tenants and landlords can use mediation to resolve their problems without any court filing, or through court referrals. Interpreter services are available in multiple languages. Of the approximately $400 million allocated to Massachusetts in the March 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), 50% had to be spent by March 2022 to avoid clawback. Depending on which agency or housing authority administers the voucher or subsidy, this may take the form of a lease or a rent share letter.. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. 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. RAFT can pay up to $10,000 in back rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, future rent, mortgage payments or moving costs if: You are homeless or about to become homeless, and Your income is less than 80% of Area Median Income. As discussed earlier, families who receive RAFT funding can use that money for a variety of purposes to avoid becoming homeless or to find housing if they are currently homeless. But if they are moving out, any number of circumstances could have kept those funds from being directed towards you. Since RAFT monies can be used for more purposes than just late rentwhat may have happened in situations where the tenant got RAFT support but the landlord never saw any money was that the tenant directed the payment to an additional vendor as well as to a new landlord.. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Some page levels are currently hidden. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Find contact information for your RAA here. The onus is on the landlord to report a move-out to the Regional Administering Agency. Section 8 is permanent (as long as the recipient remains eligible for funding), and it guarantees the landlord will receive rent. 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. Thank you for your website feedback! There does not appear to be a clear answer for when funding is received, however, the first payment of the benefit must be used within 60 days of an applicant being determined eligible for RAFT money (barring documented administrative delays or extenuating circumstances). Residents can call 702-229-5935 if they are facing an eviction or need help applying for the RAFT program Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 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. Se enfrenta al desalojo? Youve been added to our list. Homeowners can continue to access the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund(HAF). endstream endobj 2600 0 obj <>stream . RAFT and ERMA are Massachusetts programs that provide financial assistance to eligible households facing a housing crisis, and can be used for things like paying rent in the future, paying rent owed (overdue rent or "arrears"), or for some other housing-related costs. More information is available here, or you can go to https://hedfuel.azurewebsites.net/ to find a legal aid program near you. In actuality, renters have racked up back rent owed of well over $20,000. The state is relying on RAFT to help renters during the pandemic, and the nonprofit is being criticized for long delays and mounting uncertainty. Open to all. Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Applying for Rental Assistance in Massachusetts to Avoid Eviction, contact the Housing and Community Development. The administering agency could require a handrail to be installed, even though this would cause the landlord to lose money on the Section 8 rental compared to a market rental, which would not necessarily trigger enforcement of that part of the code (ignoring, for the sake of argument, that the handrail should be provided regardless of an inspection). Until Jan. 1, 2023, Landlords are required to send a notice to quit for non-payment of rent. A lawyer can help advise you before a case gets to court or if a case is in court. Renters or landlords can apply by submitting an online application. RAFT provides qualifying households with maximum benefit limit of $10,000 per household in a 12-month period. 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. If your renters are in a tough spot, it is worth checking to see if RAFT funds are available and if your renters qualify. Use this button to show and access all levels. RAFT does not serve homeowners. The two programs also serve different purposes. Then, during the case, RAFT responds, offering an amount of rental assistance funds, eventually, that will cure nonpayment. RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Use this button to show and access all levels. Section 8 is a housing subsidy, and RAFT is meant to be a short-term cash infusion to help families in a temporary difficult spot. The landlord may file for eviction under the following situations. c. 151B s. 4 states that it is an unlawful practice: For any person furnishing credit, services or rental accommodations to discriminate against any individual who is a recipient of federal, state, or local public assistance, including medical assistance, or who is a tenant receiving federal, state, or local housing subsidies, including rental assistance or rental supplements, because the individual is such a recipient, or because of any requirement of such public assistance, rental assistance, or housing subsidy program.. A .mass.gov website belongs to an official government organization in Massachusetts. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent, as well as future rent in limited situations. The answer is no, RAFT funding can be spent on any housing needs that will keep someone from becoming homeless. Landlords will see it was denied but will not be given tenants private information. 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. Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Applying for Rental Assistance in Massachusetts to Avoid Eviction, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. The RAFT Program is a homelessness prevention program funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The RAFT COVID program appears to be presented as an option for landlords to accept or decline. The system will automatically match the codes and bring the two parts together. 2021 Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development. We also have RAFT Application walk in hours on Tuesday and Friday 9:30am-11:30am and Wednesday 1:00-3:00pm. oSSx3xg=]z3|3|1Y|L8fu?|O>w~>~~o>j~Vc~_yw|yw/k7w/xwq&-Gd[WW? Tenants can also apply directly. To begin the landlord/property owner application process, you must first register an account as a new user if you have not already done so here: User Registration (mass.gov). If the landlord accepts, they forfeit the right to evict for six months or until June 2021. So far it has generously covered over $50 million in rent arrears and going forward stipends. If none of these are available, the applicant can self-certify. h[.wi343h7XMnh~74s9Jz=(WosJFY'*[ Email to hc@cmhaonline.org. Learn more about RAFT here. IMPORTANT: If you have multiple tenants completing applications, please make sure to respond to EACH landlord invitation email. Applications processed on or after Aug. 1, 2022, are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in RAFT funds. Thank you for your website feedback! If you need assistance, please contact the Housing and Community Development. 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. CC BY-SA 4.0 MassLandlords. C( QA%TD2*HTpA2EVHST0 QHH-W$2PgAEVA You skipped the table of contents section. This included applications received prior to that date that were not processed until after the first. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Tenant income eligibility limit forassistanceis 50%of the Area Median Income(AMI), or 60% of AMI for households who are at risk of domestic violence. 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. For households applying to RAFT for assistance with rent arrears, a Notice to Quit or eviction notice/court summons is now required. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can also help youfind a housing counseling agency (HCA). Please visit this link to learn more about HAF and to see if you may be eligible. Home / Tenants / Landlords / Helping People Apply / FAQ /. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. We will use this information to improve this page. Toll-Free: 800.272.0990 Please do not include personal or contact information. 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. Is RAFT COVID $10k Optional for Landlords? This would seem to suggest that RAFT cannot be refused even when it would not fully cover arrears. Submitted lets the landlord or tenant know that the application has been submitted but is still waiting for the other party to match with the application using the specialized code. When calling, please leave your name, call back number and application number. Alandlord's refusal to accept emergency rental assistance,thatcoversthe entire amount owed to the landlord,may,in some circumstances,constitute a violation of Chapter 151B. hV\YZ^c3p*p #? This could delay the approval process. The program can also be used to help families who are already homeless pay for necessary costs to get into a house or apartment. Say a tenant has applied for RAFT, but the landlord, unable to wait, starts eviction before receiving RAFT response. 172. The intake form does not need to be completed in person, however. RAFT was first piloted in 2005, with a budget of $2 million for that first year. The RAFT COVID programs stated optionality may leave landlords who opt out exposed to litigation. You can fill out the information with them. Click below for a step-by-step guide on how to apply for the RAFT program: For additional RAFT application resources for tenants and landlords, please read our blog post here. Please limit your input to 500 characters. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. If youown a 1-4 family home and are having trouble paying your mortgage, you may also be eligible for mortgage assistanceunder the states Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF) program which includes assistance for eligible owner-occupants of 1-4 family homes.

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