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Has COVID-19 affected your ability to pay rent? You may be eligible for assistance with current or past due payments.​

 

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The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will administer federal emergency​ rental funding in two ways, (1) directly ​to local jurisdictions through the Maryland Eviction Partnership Program to support local rental assistance efforts and (2) to property management ​on behalf of tenants residing in affordable rental properties​ that received federal or state financing through the Assisted Housing Relief Program.

Local Emergency Rental Assistance ​- Where to Apply

Local jurisdictions will operate rental assistance programs independently. Select your county of residence to view the program details and how to apply for assistance:

Assisted Housing ​Relief Program

​Th​e Assisted Housing Relief Program is no longer accepting applications.

The Assisted Housing Relief Program is available to tenants residing in multifamily rental communities that have received state funds or federal resources from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. To be eligible, a tenant must reside in one of the communities listed at: Assisted Housing Relief Program Eligible Properties Search.

Eligible tenants should contact their property management company for application information. Tenant applications will be collected and compiled by the property management company and submitted to the department as one single program application for the property. Applications must be submitted by the property manager through the Application Portal.​

The following must be collected for each household:

• A rent ledger for each household must be submitted to verify​ the rental delinquencies.
• Additionally, ​the following documents must be collected and kept on file for a period of no less than five (5) years, and will be made available for DHCD's review for compliance monitoring within three (3) business days from the date of the request:
• Valid current lease identifying primary tenant as leaseholder as well as identifying the household size;
• Income verification – this includes paystubs, W-2s or other wage statements, tax filings, bank statements demonstrating regular income, an attestation from an employer, self-attestations, etc.;
• Tenant Certification; and
• Tenant Worksheet.
  

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Prioritization of Assistance

U.S. Treasury policies require the State of Maryland to prioritize ERAP assistance for the following two groups:

1. Households who have annual income at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI), as determined by HUD 
2. Households who have one or more individuals who are unemployed at the time of ERAP application AND have not been employed during the last 90 days

Local government programs receiving ERAP funds through the State of Maryland are required to process and approve applications for assistance from these two groups first. Once all applications from priority groups have been reviewed and approved, programs will begin approving applications for other eligible households.

For bulk tenant rent relief programs using ERAP funds through the State of Maryland, assistance is prioritized for tenants in properties that provide income-based housing and/or have a high proportion of tenants with income under 50% AMI. Properties include:

1. Housing developments that have received assistance from DHCD (such as low-income housing tax credit properties) 
2. Programs operated by Public Housing Authorities, such as Public Housing or Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8 
3. Class C & D multifamily housing properties in census tracts that have been identified as a high priority for rental assistance by the Urban Institute. Class C & D properties typically serve lower income families.