What is the Texas rent relief program? During the COVID-19 pandemic lot of businesses were put on hold. And do you know the reparation of this? This means that many people were put out of jobs and in the process, the very livelihood of thousands and even millions of people was at stake.
Texas Rent Relief Program
Fast forward to the post-Covid era, the period after normalcy began returning to the world, many people found it hard to cope and adjust to the way things are. Many governments worldwide tried out various programs to help people recover and get back on their feet, and this is where the Texas rent relief program comes in.
The Texas rent relief program is one of the many programs and incentives put in place by the US government to help provide utility and rental assistance to applicants who qualify to prevent instability, potential eviction, financial hardships, and utility disconnections for tenants and landlords al as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Who Is Eligible For the Program
Eligible participants for this program are renter households and they must possess an income of not more than 80% of the AMI (area median income). Also, one or more members of the household must put to writing that they have either qualified for unemployment benefits. Or, that due to the pandemic, they have experienced income reduction, incurred significant costs, or have experienced other types of financial hardship and struggles.
Also, one or more individuals within the household must show that they are at risk of experiencing housing instability or homelessness, which may be inclusive of a past due to utility eviction notice or rent notice, or that unless they receive assistance in rental form, they would have to move to an unsafe or an unhealthy environment such as an emergency shelter or a shred living situation.
There is no U.S. citizenship requirement. This means that evidence of legal status is not required. The funding of this program is all part of the coronavirus stimulus bill that is passed by congress and due to the fact that it is a form of emergency assistance, documentation of household legal status is not required.
What Type of Financial Assistance Is Provided
The funds for this program may be used in providing for up to eighteen months of assistance for the following type of expenses;
- Utility that is past due and home energy costs.
- Utilities and home energy costs.
- Rent, past due rent, and also reasonable fees that are behind in payment stemming from the non-payment of rent.
Each scheduled month where an occupant family gets help from TRRP will also count with the 18-month limit on assistance, no matter what the kind of assistance given. Candidates should reapply every three months and might be assisted assuming funds are as yet accessible. The program can’t pay for food for families.
Rent and utility costs are qualified for assistance beginning March 13, 2020 (the date of Governor Abbott’s crisis declaration for Texas). Customized demands for the long stretch of March 2020 are permitted.
How Long Will the Texas Rent Relief Program Portal Be Open?
The portal as of now is closed. The portal which will stay open and will accept applications until all funds have been committed to applicants was shut to new applications on Friday, November 5, 2021, when the aggregate sum of subsidizing mentioned by candidates surpassed how much financing the program had accessible.
Candidates who had begun their applications (counting Additional Funding Requests) before November 5 were told that they would have until November 26, 2021, to finish and present their applications. The portal was shut to all applications on November 26, 2021.
As of the 13th of January, 2022, the Texas rent relief program has committed more than 99% of its funding in total available. And due to the great need for people, not every single person that applied will get assistance.
How Will Payments Be Made
Payments will be paid directly to landlords or utility providers unless in the event that they do not agree to accept the payment. If they do not accept the payment, then the payment will be paid directly to the tenant after up to 7 days of reaching out to the landlord or utility provider in confirming their refusal.
Texas Rent Relief Program Login
For landlords that have applied for the unpaid or the future rent on behalf of their tenants and for households that have applied directly for unpaid or future rent or utilities, you can always login to the Texas rent relief program online portal to check up on your application status. And to do this;
- Go to https://texasrentrelief.com/.
- Click on login as a landlord if you are a landlord.
- Click on login as a tenant if you are a tenant.
That’s it. Enter your login credentials and you will be taken directly to your application page but only if the details you entered are correct.