The City of Los Angeles Wants YOUR Participation in the Emergency Renter Assistance Subsidy Program
The City of Los Angeles Wants YOUR Participation in the Emergency Renter Assistance Subsidy Program
The City of Los Angeles put into place an Emergency Renter Assistance Subsidy (ERAS) program that will directly pay landlords on behalf of their qualified tenants up to $2,000 per month. Recently, the Los Angeles City Council modified the payment aspect of the program to pay the rental subsidy directly to the tenant IN THE EVENT their landlords opt-out or fail to timely reply to program notifications.
The City of Los Angeles reports there are landlords that have not responded and have been in “pending” status since as far back as August 2020. In these instances where a landlord is “pending,” the City of Los Angeles has now been authorized to begin remitting the rental subsidies directly to qualified tenants instead of directly to landlords. The City suggests that any landlords that have been notified that their tenant has been approved for the program and that they are eligible, should complete the enrollment process as soon as possible. Any landlords that have questions may contact the City of Los Angeles via email at: hcidla.eras@lacity.org.
Money is still available and payments are being made to cover rent. Many landlords are already receiving their checks and direct deposits. To receive the funds, landlords must provide their banking information to the Southern California Housing Rights Center through their secure, online portal. The Southern California Rights Center is responsible for processing the rental subsidy payments on behalf of the City of Los Angeles. This process is completely secure. The City does not have access to banking information of landlords that agree to participate in the program. Landlords will, however, be required to provide identification and a tax identification number to get paid, which is an Internal Revenue Service requirement.
The City warns that funds are limited, and that there will not be sufficient money for every tenant that qualifies for the program. Tenants are eligible to participate and landlords are entitled to receive the program’s money on a first-come, first serve basis.
