Rental Assistance Is Here
The federal government gave money to the State, Los Angeles County and individual cities for rental assistance. This page provides a brief overview of the state program and links to resources to apply for assistance.
The California Rental Assistance Program opened on March 15, 2021 and will close on March 31, 2022. It is open to:
- Any L.A. County tenant not living in the City of Long Beach. (If you live in Long Beach visit https://www.longbeach.gov/lbds/hn/emergency-rental-assistance-program/ for more information on their rental assistance program.)
- Households with income below 80% of Los Angeles County's median income. Priority will be given to those with income of 50% or below the county's median.
- All individuals no matter your citizenship or immigration status.
How will the State Rental Assistance program work?
Tenants or landlords may apply to the program until March 31, 2022.If tenants apply, landlords must opt-in. When a tenant applies, the landlord will be contacted to verify they want to participate. For landlords that choose to participate, they will be provided direct payments of 100% of up to a year of unpaid, past due rent and up to 3 months of future rent.
If a landlord chooses not to participate, qualified tenants may still apply to the program for a 100% payment of all the rent that they owe. If you apply for rental assistance, you may be more protected from eviction. If your landlord tries to evict you before March 31, 2022, for not paying rent, they have to prove that you applied for rental assistance and were denied OR you did not apply to rental assistance in order to move forward. If your landlord cannot prove this, they may not be able to move forward.
If your landlord tries to evict you but you are approved for rental assistance, you can delay the hearing until you receive payment.
For more detailed information about the rental assistance program, help filling out the rental assistance application or questions about your existing application, visit HousingisKey.com or call 833-422-4255.
Resources
How to Apply
CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Renter Letter to Landlord
You can also watch the video below, which walks through the application process.
You can also watch the video below, which walks through the application process.
0:00 Video Begins
0:30 Rental assistance application requirements
2:50 How to access the portal and apply*
3:30 Program breakdown by geography
4:15 Other tenant protections
4:54 How to access the application on the Housing is Key website
5:40 Filling out the Application - Part A - Tenant Eligibility Checklist
7:50 Part B - Applicant information
9:10 Part C - Household Members
10:00 Part D - Income Verification
13:12 Part E - COVID-19 Impact
14:17 Part F - Rental Assistance Request
16:27 Part G - Water and Gas Utility Assistance
17:23 Part H - Trash and Sewer Assistance
17:54 Part I - Electric and other Utility Assistance
18:54 Part J - Prior Assistance Received
20:03 Part K - Other Required Paperwork
21:07 Frequently Asked Questions
24:52 Navigating the Website
25:30 Questions and Answers
What if I live in Long Beach?
If you live in the City of Long Beach you must apply to their rental assistance program, not the state’s program.
Information about Long Beach’s program can be found here.
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