housing authority guide

Housing is Key Application Status – How to Check

In this article, you can check housing is key application status online, Rent Relief Applications status, ca COVID-19 rent relief check status through the housing.ca.gov portal.

If you have already applied for rent relief, you can check the status of your application. Housing is a key portal that allows you to track your status. You need to log in to your account.

Here are the steps to check the Housing is Key application status.

Housing is key application status

Per SB 115, the application portal for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program closes on March 31, 2022. However, if you have already applied for housing, you can check the status of your application. For this, you need to log in to your existing account.

Additionally, you can call the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Call Center at 833-430-2122 to request additional assistance with your submitted application.

housing is key application status

Check online Application Status:

You can check out your Housing is key application status online, please follow the easy steps.

  • Go to the Housing is Key Portal at https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/ .
  • Click on Application Status.
  • Now, log in to your account by email and password.
  • Once you log in, you track your status.
  • Now you can see in your account whether you are approved or pending.

Check Application Status through Customer Care

To check the status of Housing is key application, you can call the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Center at this number: 833-430-2122.

So that you can track the status of your application. The status can be “In Review,” “Pending,” “Approved,” or “Rejected.” If your application is still under review, you can not see more details.

Housing is key application status approved pending landlord

If the status of your Housing Key application is “Approved Pending Landlord”, your application has been reviewed, and determined that you may be eligible for assistance. However, payments cannot be processed unless your landlord correctly completes the required paperwork.

Alternatively, if your application is pending, there may be a problem with the details you provided. To learn more about Housing is key application status is approved pending landlord, please contact customer care at 833-430-2122.

Ca covid-19 rent relief check status

You can check the CA COVID-19 rent relief check status through the Housing is Key portal at https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/.

  • Go to the CA COVID-19 rent relief portal or Housing is Key.
  • Click on the Application Status button.
  • Login to your account using your Email address and password.
  • After that, go to the Applications section and check whether your application is Pending, under Review, or Approved.

CA Covid rent relief approved pending payment

If your CA COVID-19 rent relief application is approved pending payment, it means that your application has been reviewed and approved, but payment is pending, as the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Due to processing a large number of applications. It may take 5–10 days for payment to be distributed.

  • March 3, 2022: State of Waiting: California’s Rental Assistance Program One Month Before Expiration

State of Waiting: California’s Rental Assistance Program One Month Before Expiration

March 3, 2022 [updated march 7, 2022], our analysis of program data reveals that fewer than one in six applicants have received assistance thus far, while hundreds of thousands are still waiting, signaling the urgent need for policy fixes to deliver on the program’s promise and keep renters in their homes..

By Sarah Treuhaft, Alex Ramiller, Selena Tan, and Madeline Howard *

Already shouldering some of the worst housing affordability challenges in the nation, California’s low-income renters, predominantly people of color facing the additional burdens of systemic racism, were pummeled by the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. They disproportionately fell ill and lost family members to the disease, and many lost their jobs or suffered financially from reduced hours and incomes. School closures and a childcare shortage forced many working parents, especially women, to stay home and forego wages. And while California’s renters made tremendous sacrifices to keep current on rent — often incurring large debts to friends, family, and predatory lenders — many ended up falling behind. At the beginning of January 2022, 721,000 renter households in California owed their landlords an estimated $3.3 billion in back rent.

California’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) offers a pathway to clear rent debt that has accrued for low-income tenants impacted by the pandemic. After tremendous advocacy, Congress established a rental assistance program in December of 2020 — nine months into the pandemic — which has provided the state of California with $5.2 billion to operate emergency rental assistance programs. These resources are crucial to prevent evictions, displacement, and homelessness, and to ensure that smaller landlords can make their mortgage payments and stay in business. 

These programs have been a lifeline for struggling renters who are able to access them, but they have been riddled with challenges . Many renters vulnerable to eviction have struggled to complete complex applications . Those who do make it through the application process may wait months for their application to be reviewed. And those whose applications are approved face another lag time before they are actually paid. At every stage of the process, the very people and families the program intends to serve and protect are living with the stress of potential eviction, enduring landlord harassment, and losing their homes.

While most of California’s eviction protections expired in October 2021, limited protections remain for eligible renters who apply for rental assistance. However, these protections are expiring on March 31. This means that the hundreds of thousands of families still waiting for assistance will be at imminent risk of eviction unless California policymakers extend these protections. At the same time, the California Department of Housing and Community Development just announced that the program is scheduled to close on March 31 , so renters who are eligible for relief but have not yet been able to apply to the program will have no option to do so.

This brief, produced by the National Equity Atlas in partnership with Housing NOW! and Western Center on Law & Poverty, examines the performance of California’s statewide rental assistance program since its launch. The state program covers about 63 percent of the state’s population; the other 37 percent of California residents live in the  25 cities and counties that opted to administer their own programs. Our analysis is based on a dataset tracking all rental assistance applications submitted by renters to the program through February 23, 2022, which we obtained through a Public Records Act request. It includes anonymized individual case data with applicant demographics (race/ethnicity, income, and language of application), zip code, amount of rent and utilities requested and paid, and landlord participation in the application. It also includes detailed case status categories including “Application Complete: Pending Payment,” which is assigned to households that have been approved for payment but have not actually received funds and are still waiting for assistance. [1]  We used the 2015–2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample to summarize rent burden, racial/ethnic demographics, and primary language, and Census Household Pulse Survey Data on rent debt to compare program applicants and beneficiaries to the likely population of renters in need of assistance.

Our key findings include the following:

  • Only 16 percent of renters who have applied to the program have received assistance, either directly or through a payment to their landlord. Nearly half a million renters have submitted rental assistance requests but just 75,773 households have received their payments. 
  • The majority of applicants are still waiting for their applications to be reviewed. Fifty-nine percent of applicants (289,020 households) are still awaiting a decision on their applications. Among those whose applications have been initially approved, the typical wait time for a response was three months (a median of 104 days). 
  • Most renters whose applications have been approved are still waiting to be paid. As of February 23, 2022, 180,280 renter households have had their applications approved, but 104,507 of them (58 percent) have not yet received assistance. The median wait time between submitting an application and receiving payment is 135 days, indicating that it takes about a month for applicants to be paid even after approval. 
  • The speed with which rental assistance is being distributed is improving over time but remains painfully slow. Households that applied for aid in March 2021 typically waited 181 days to receive aid payments, and households that applied in October 2021 typically waited 119 days.
  • Most renters who received assistance have requested additional support. Among renter households who have received rental assistance, 90 percent of them (69,336 households) have reapplied to the program for additional support.
  • Renters whose primary language is not English appear to be underrepresented in the program. About half (51 percent) of California’s severely cost-burdened renter households speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of rental assistance applicants indicated that their primary language was English.
  • Long-term policy solutions, funding, and infrastructure are needed to support California's economically vulnerable renters.  With 8,200 new applications submitted every week and 90 percent of rental assistance recipients requesting additional support, tenants’ ongoing need for financial relief due to pandemic-related economic hardship, and the number of indebted renters not yet reached by the program, the need for rental assistance will continue beyond March 31, 2022 (when the program is set to expire).

Our review of the program data reveals the need for urgent policy solutions to fulfill the promise of the state’s rental assistance program, eliminating pandemic-related rent debt for all low-income renters and ensuring that they can stay in their homes. For an equitable recovery, California policymakers need to extend statewide eviction protections without preempting local ones, streamline the application and approval processes and increase equitable access to relief funds, and institute a permanent program to support economically struggling renter households.   

Nearly half a million renter households have submitted applications for rental assistance

Since March 15, 2021, when the state began accepting rental assistance applications, nearly half a million renter households (488,094) have applied for relief through the program. Applications peaked in September 2021 just before California’s eviction moratorium ended, with 115,000 renters submitting applications that month. Since January, about 8,200 new renters have submitted applications every week.

Most renters who have applied for assistance are still awaiting a response

Among the half million program applications, the majority — 59 percent, representing 289,020 renter households — are still under review. Four percent (18,794 households) have been explicitly denied assistance, while the remaining 36 percent (180,280 households) have been approved. But just 16 percent of applicants (75,773 households) have actually received assistance.

On average, program applicants wait an average of three months (a median of 104 days) after submitting their applications to receive initial approval. Many renters wait longer: nearly 20 percent of applicants waited more than 150 days to receive initial approval, and 4 percent of applicants waited more than 210 days. [2]

Among renters whose applications have been approved, the majority are waiting to be paid 

While 36 percent of program applicants have been approved for relief, less than half of them have received any payment. This means that despite formal approval, 104,507 households are still awaiting assistance.

This reality of long delays in relief delivery to renters whose applications have been approved contrasts with the snapshot of program performance provided on the public Housing Is Key data dashboard, which stated that 183,856 households have been “served” as of February 23, 2022 . [3]

Housing Is Key dashboard

Source: California Covid-19 Rent Relief Program dashboard, February 23, 2022 Although we currently do not have data on the number of days between application approval and receipt of payment, we can examine the number of days between application submission and payment. For renters who have received assistance and have not requested additional support, the median time between submission and payment is 135 days. About 39 percent of recipients have waited more than 150 days to get paid. This implies that the typical renter waits three months just to receive an initial decision on their application, and then another month or more to actually receive aid.

The pace of delivering rental assistance has improved marginally over time. Whereas households that applied for aid in March 2021 waited an average of 181 days to receive aid payments, that figure declined to 119 days by October 2021. The program was delivering assistance most quickly in June and July, before the surge in applications in the fall.

The vast majority of tenants who received rental assistance have requested additional support

About 90 percent of renter households who have actually received funds from the state program (69,336 households) have reapplied to the program for additional funds. Given that applicants who are awaiting review or payment  have similar income levels as those who’ve received payment, and most of them are extremely low income, we would expect that these applicants will also require additional assistance after their initial payment.

Renters whose primary language is not English appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool

Since the launch of California’s rental assistance program, low-income renters who’ve suffered job and income losses due to the pandemic have faced numerous challenges accessing relief. These include technological and language barriers, lack of access for tenants with disabilities, difficulty supplying the necessary documentation of income losses, difficulty communicating with landlords or obtaining documentation from them, and fear of landlord harassment/retaliation and deportation or other immigration-related consequences. 

To assess whether California’s rental assistance program is reaching renters with the greatest needs, we compared the racial/ethnic composition of applicants with that of severely cost-burdened renters (those who pay more than 50 percent of their household income for rent and utilities), a population that represents renters at risk of having pandemic-related rent debt. To approximate the statewide program's service area, we excluded from the severely rent-burdened reference group 11 counties and five additional cities that are within areas operating local rental assistance programs. (We also exclude the city of Signal Hill, because it is entirely contained within the Long Beach census geography.)

This analysis reveals that the demographics are similar across both groups, indicating that the statewide program appears to be representative of the renters hardest-hit by the pandemic rent debt crisis. One exception could be Asian and Pacific Islander renters, who might be underrepresented in the applicant pool.

Renters whose primary language is not English, particularly Spanish-speaking renters and Chinese-speaking renters, also appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool. Among California renters who are extremely cost-burdened, 51 percent speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of program applicants indicated that their primary language is English on the application form. A significant share of the state’s severely cost-burdened renters speak Spanish at home (32 percent), yet only 10 percent of applications were submitted by people who indicated that Spanish is their primary language.

Renters whose primary language is not English, particularly Spanish-speaking renters and Chinese-speaking renters, appear to be underrepresented in the applicant pool. Among California renters who are extremely cost-burdened, 51 percent speak a language other than English at home, yet 88 percent of program applicants indicated that their primary language is English on the application form. A significant share of the state’s extremely cost-burdened renters speak Spanish at home (32 percent), yet only 10 percent of applications were submitted by people who indicated that Spanish is their primary language.

The demographics of program recipients reflect the demographics of the applicant pool

The federal emergency rental assistance program is targeted to low-income renters experiencing negative financial impacts due to the pandemic, and thus is means-tested: applicants need to have incomes below 80 percent of the area median income in order to qualify for assistance. In addition, the state program has prioritized serving tenants who indicate that they are imminently facing eviction, either on their application or via email correspondence. [4]   Our analysis shows that the incomes of program applicants and recipients reflect the program’s targeting: well more than half of renters who apply to and are served by the program are extremely low income.

Examining the racial/ethnic composition of applicants compared with those who are approved for and receive payment, we see that the demographics are similar and the program itself appears to be serving applicants equitably by race/ethnicity.

California needs permanent policy solutions, funding, and infrastructure to support economically vulnerable renters

California’s statewide rental assistance program was initially allocated $3.07 billion by the federal government and received an additional $62 million in January when the Treasury began reallocating funds. Approximately $900 million in aid has been delivered to struggling renters and landlords, and another $1.15 billion is in the process of being delivered to applicants whose payments are pending. An additional $4.97 billion has been requested by households with applications still under initial review. That adds up to just over $7 billion in total requests to date, with 8,200 new requests coming in every week and 90 percent of aid recipients requesting additional support. The need continues to grow as we approach the end of the program on March 31. 

Recognizing the critical demand for additional funding to ensure all eligible renters who apply in time can receive assistance, California’s legislature passed a bill this month that allocates General Fund resources to state and local rental assistance programs.

This budget allocation fills an urgent need, especially given that many locally administered programs have already exhausted their funds. But it will not be sufficient to protect and stabilize all vulnerable households still reeling from the economic impacts of the pandemic. The program’s expiration date of March 31, 2022 is an artificial and arbitrary endpoint, as the need for rent relief is ongoing and still extensive, and many eligible renters have not yet applied. Despite the desire to return to normal, many renters continue to face Covid-related economic hardships. Recognizing the pandemic is not over, the state of New York and Los Angeles County have extended eviction protections through the end of 2022, and California should follow suit.

Urgent policy fixes are needed to realize the promise of California’s rental assistance program

When California’s eviction protections expire on March 31, 2022, tenants eligible for assistance who are still waiting to receive payment can face eviction in court — and many will. With application processing times lasting four months and beyond, tens of thousands of tenants are likely to still be waiting when these protections expire. If the legislature does not extend eviction protections, many Covid-impacted renters may lose their homes because of the application backlog, exposing families and communities to the cascading harms of housing precarity and homelessness. Even with temporary protections in place, every day of delay leaves families more vulnerable to eviction and unable to make financial plans. 

Some local governments, including Alameda County, Los Angeles County, Fresno, San Francisco, and Stockton have passed their own eviction protections for tenants who could not pay rent because of the economic impacts of Covid-19. Extending statewide eviction protections while allowing local governments the flexibility to meet the needs of their communities is the most effective way to stabilize vulnerable renters and keep them in their homes while assistance is distributed.  

The pandemic has deepened the harms of structural racism on communities of color , who have suffered disproportionate deaths, job losses, and housing instability. Continuing to conduct outreach to underrepresented communities of color is imperative to ensure that rental assistance dollars do not further exacerbate the racialized harms of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For California’s rental assistance program to be effective, California’s policymakers need to:   

Protect people from eviction by extending the state’s current eviction protections; 

Ensure local jurisdictions can enact and strengthen eviction protections;

Streamline the screening and payment process for rental assistance; 

Promote equity by increasing outreach to underrepresented renters; and

Fund the rental assistance program to ensure low-income tenants receive ongoing support.

* Madeline Howard is is a senior attorney at Western Center on Law & Poverty.  

Correction (March 7, 2022): The March 3, 2022 version of this report included a data error relating to the racial/ethnic composition of severely rent-burdened households in California due to incorrect weighting of the sample data. This incorrect data suggested that Latinx households were underrepresented in the statewide rental assistance program. We have corrected the data and we no longer find any underrepresentation of Latinx households, so we have updated the analysis of the data to reflect this (positive) new finding.

[1] The table below, provided directly from the Department of Housing and Community Development in response to a Public Records Act request, shows the number of cases across the 16 case status categories provided in the dataset. “Approved” applications in this analysis include all applications in the categories "Application Complete: Paid," “Application Complete: Pending Payment," and all Recertification categories. “Application Complete: Pending Payment” means the application is approved for payment and a request for payment has been made, but the applicant has not actually received funds. “Recertification” means that applicants have received payment and have requested additional assistance. Applications that are categorized as “Application Complete: Paid” and those that fall under any of the recertification categories represent tenants that have actually received assistance.

what does pending assignment mean housing is key

Detailed case categories

[2] This median wait time is for renters who have received initial approval but have not yet been paid.

[3] The slight discrepancy of the number served on the public dashboard and the total paid renter households reported here is due to the timing of the database pull and continual program activity.

[4] This is based on two sources of information: 1) a positive response to the question, “Has your landlord issued a Notice to Pay, an Eviction Notice, filed an Unlawful Detainer against you due to unpaid rent, or indicated they will be seeking to evict you?” on the rental assistance application; and 2) applicants who send information about a pending eviction to the [email protected] email box including documentation from the landlord or legal documents related to an unlawful detainer (the final stage of the eviction process).

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Rent Relief in California: How to Apply, and What You Could Get

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Updated June 28, 4 p.m.

Skip straight to:

  • Do I qualify for California rent relief?
  • Are undocumented tenants eligible?
  • How do I apply for rent relief?
  • Are landlords required to apply for rent relief?
  • How much money could I potentially get?

The pandemic has been crushing for low-income tenants in California — and has caused financial strain on property owners who haven’t been able to collect rent and have their own bills to pay. Local and state eviction protections have helped many people stay housed but, eventually, the rent will be due.

California's rent relief program, called Housing Is Key , was established by state lawmakers in January when they passed Senate Bill 91, which also extended the statewide eviction moratorium through June 30. As of June 28, 2021 Gov. Newsom and state legislative leaders have agreed upon a deal shielding tenants from evictions through Sept 30 .

Both tenants and landlords with low-income tenants who have fallen behind on rent because of the pandemic can apply for relief. The new bill, AB 832, allows tenants and landlords to receive 100% of the back rent. That’s an increase from the previous program, where landlords could only receive 80% of what they were owed, and had to agree to forgive the remaining 20%. Landlords or tenants who have already applied or received funding, will automatically have their payments go up to 100%.

Tenants can now also apply directly for relief if their landlord does not respond or chooses not to participate, if they swear under penalty of perjury that the money will go toward paying off rent debt. Before if a landlord refused to participate, tenants could only get 25% of their debt forgiven.

The program to distribute $5.2 billion in federal funds opened for applications on March 15 – but that money has gone out extremely slowly. While billions have been available since January, the state has distributed only $61.6 million in relief to a little more than 5,000 households so far. That’s just about 10% of the total aid that people have applied for.

The delays in payment are due to problems with the Department of Housing and Community Development's anti-fraud system and to ensure there were no duplicate payments, said Jessica Hayes, a program specialist with HCD. She said they first prioritized sending assistance to people with the lowest incomes, but have started expanding the program to more people.

“We've been able to increase the number of households that we're processing through the application each week,” she said, “and we expect that to continue to ramp up.”

Applicants have also complained of a clunky and cumbersome system and the lack of translation for non-English speakers as factors inhibiting people from applying. In response, HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez said the state has now streamlined the application, making it more user friendly, and has added more languages, including simplified Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog.

Here’s what you need to know about applying for rent relief in California, with answers to these frequently asked questions:

'Do I qualify for rent relief?'

The program is targeted at low-income renters and their landlords.

To be eligible for the aid, tenants must make less than 80% of the local median income. Median income varies widely from county to county, and also depends on how many people live in your household. Don’t know what your local area median income (or AMI) is? Here’s a handy cheat sheet from the state .

The tenants must also have at least one person in the household who has lost a job or income during the pandemic and can show they are at risk of homelessness. A past-due rent or utility bill can be used to show a risk of homelessness.

The state wants to get relief as quickly as it can to the most vulnerable renters first, and is sending the first round of checks to households that are making 50% or below the area’s median income, or someone who has been unemployed for 90 days or more. People in higher-income tiers, but no more than 80% AMI, will receive aid next.

Some cities like Oakland, who opted to run their own programs, are going even further and prioritizing households making less — 30 % AMI or below.

'Are undocumented tenants eligible?'

Yes. The federal government never made citizenship status a requirement to access rent relief.

That means that the assistance is available to all renters who meet the eligible income levels, regardless of whether they are a legal resident or not.

what does pending assignment mean housing is key

'How do I apply?'

Most landlords and tenants who qualify can apply through the state’s website, Housing Is Key .

Tenants still have to submit a declaration saying they are unable to make full rent, and pay at least 25% of their monthly rent between Sept. 1, 2020 and June 2021, or in bulk, by Sept. 30, to avoid eviction.

Tenants and landlords each have a role to play. There are parts of the application to be filled out by both parties. If both a landlord and a tenant applied for funds, the money will go directly to the landlord. It will only go to the tenant if the landlord declines to participate in the program. The bill expands eligibility to tenants who may have moved out of their home during the pandemic, who were not covered previously. They can now apply for back rent owed to a previous landlord.

If a tenant applies first, the landlord will be notified and invited to participate. If a landlord applies first, the state will get in touch with the tenant to gather additional information, like their income.

The California Apartment Association is urging property owners to get in touch with eligible tenants early to let them know you plan on applying for aid.

“You and the tenant need to work together,” said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of state government affairs and compliance with the California Apartment Association, the state’s largest landlord group.

San Francisco renter Jonas Di Gregorio says the rent relief can't come soon enough. He lost his job as a restaurant server at the beginning of the pandemic and owes more than $10,000 to his landlord in back rent. He's been able to continue paying 25% of his monthly rent on his studio to avoid eviction.

"I think this rental assistance is very important," Di Gregorio said in March. "I hope my landlord will apply."

You can also find answers on eligibility or get help applying through the state’s new hotline, (833) 430-2122.

If you need direct one-on-one assistance to fill out the application, the state can arrange an in-person appointment with an outreach worker. The list of local groups who will be providing assistance will be available through the hotline or the state's website .

'Is the process the same for everyone in California?'

Not exactly. Like so many things that have to do with addressing the pandemic, it depends on where you live.

Some larger local governments got a slice of the federal stimulus money directly and are creating their own programs, and if you live in those places, your process may be a little different.

Some of the Bay Area’s largest cities and counties are among those with their own programs, including San Jose , San Francisco and Oakland .

Landlords and tenants in jurisdictions with a pending local program can start their application through the state portal.

For more information on local rent assistance programs, check out this nifty map from the National Low Income Housing Coalition .

'What documents or information will I need?'

Landlords will need some documentation proving they are the property owner. That could include a deed, a mortgage note, property tax statements or a current lease agreement. If it is an informal living situation and there is no signed lease, bank statements that show rent is being collected are also accepted. Property managers can also apply on behalf of a landlord.

Eligible tenants have to have some financial impact from COVID-19. There is an opportunity to provide documentation , like a recent pay stub or a termination letter, but it is not required — and a written attestation that they have been impacted is sufficient.

Renters must also demonstrate housing instability or risk of homelessness. This could be owed back rent or an overdue utility bill.

'If I am a landlord, am I required to apply for rent relief?'

No, but if landlords want to start eviction proceedings after September 30, due to unpaid rent, they will need to show that they or their tenants have attempted to apply for rent relief. If they don’t receive word on their application from either the state or their tenant, or if their tenant doesn’t qualify or meet the income requirements, the landlord can proceed with the eviction.

'What if my landlord doesn’t want to participate?'

With SB 91, some nonprofits that advocate for low-income tenants voiced concerns that landlords may pick and choose which of their tenants get to receive relief, since the program depended heavily on the willingness of landlords to voluntarily opt-in.

Now, with AB 832, tenants will be able to apply on their own for 100% of back rent and up to three months of forward rent . Previously, without landlord approval, a tenant was eligible for only 25% of missed rental payments.

'How much money could I get?'

There isn’t any cap on how much rent aid an individual can qualify for under the state’s program. And the state says it will keep accepting applications and sending out checks until the pool of money runs out.

Rules vary for programs run by local jurisdictions, including the city of Oakland which has a cap of $15,000 of assistance per tenant.

In some cases, like if a landlord refuses to accept the funds, the tenant could use the money to cover future rent payments, but only after past due rent has been paid.

This story includes reporting from KQED's Erin Baldassari and CalMatters’ Manuela Tobias.

A version of this story was first published on March 15.

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Tenants Together

Statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

Hagale clic aquí para leer esta página web en español.

To learn more about the status of the Statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program please review Public Counsel FAQ in your preferred language https://publiccounsel.org/ca-rent-relief / 

Tenants Together partners including Public Counsel , SAJE , Policy Link , Western Center on Law & Poverty , ACCE , Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angles , and Covington & Burling LLP were successful cuing the CA Dept of Housing Community & Development  operation of the Housing Is Key COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program

What eviction protections still exist if I have rent debt due to COVID?

  • The statewide eviction protections for COVID rent payment ended September 30, 2021 (see visual below).
  • Tenants who were actively applying to ERAP during October 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022, and received a 3 day “pay or quit” notice from their landlord must have responded within 15 days of receiving the eviction notice with proof of their ERAP application and case number.
  • California normal rules about the eviction process applied. This means that a renter who received a 3-day eviction notice to “pay or quit” for rent due is in this period must respond to invalidate the notice OR pay rent owed within 3 days.
  • There are very few local jurisdictions that have remaining COVID eviction moratorium. Please review LegalFAQ.org to see if you are eligible for local COVID eviction protections.

what does pending assignment mean housing is key

How will I be informed about the status of my ERAP application?

  • Email address 
  • Mailing address 
  • Any 3rd party or other person the tenant listed in their application who helped them apply
  • Housing Is Key Call Center: 833-430-2122
  • Local Partner Network: 833-687-0967

Which tenants are covered by this ERAP settlment?

  • Any tenant who applied to ERAP on or before March 31, 2022 AND still has a pending application or was denied on or after June 7, 2022 .
  • Only for statewide ERAP – does not apply to local rental assistance programs run by a city or county
  • Does NOT re-open the ERAP program to new applications 

How do I appeal denied or partial approval status on my ERAP application that I received since June 7, 2022?     

  • Appeals process is now EXTENDED! Tenants have 30 days to appeal, or if not the denial notice will be considered final
  • Portal will automatically open an appeals process on ERAP applications that retroactively received a partial denial, who were denied for “partial approval notice”
  • Email:  [email protected]
  • Phone: 833-430-2122
  • Directly through the portal  

Help build power for renters' rights:

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Governor Newsom Announces Housing Is Key Campaign to Inform Californians About State’s New Tenant and Landlord Protections

Published: Sep 02, 2020

  Housing is Key campaign will connect tenants and landlords with important information about relief and protections under the new state law

Under new law, no tenant can be evicted before February 1, 2021 as a result of rent owed due to a COVID-19 related hardship

Announcement follows the signing of AB 3088, the Tenant, Homeowner and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020

SACRAMENTO – Following the signing of one of the strongest statewide tenant protection measures in the country, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of the “Housing is Key” campaign aimed at connecting renters and landlords experiencing economic hardship due to COVID-19 with helpful information and resources. The campaign will be run by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) and kicks off with a new website and social media ads targeting vulnerable communities.

“Struggling tenants and landlords now have new protections and relief under the law – and it’s critical that all Californians learn their rights,” said Governor Newsom. “It’s important that we reach renters across the state who might be one paycheck away from losing their homes and landlords who are short on their mortgages because of owed rent. Housing is Key will begin the public education campaign that will ramp up in the weeks to come and target vulnerable communities who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic.”

On Monday, Governor Newsom  signed  AB 3088 to protect millions of tenants from eviction and property owners from foreclosure due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. These protections apply to tenants who declare an inability to pay all or part of the rent due to a COVID-related reason.

“Having a home is fundamental to all that we do,” said BCSH Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “During this pandemic and continued economic crisis it is more important than ever to provide people with the accurate, up-to-date information they need to connect to resources to stay housed or to access safe, stable, affordable housing.”

Tenants and landlords can learn more about the new Tenant, Homeowner and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020 by visiting COVID19.ca.gov or going directly to HousingIsKey.com. Later this week, BCSH will also launch a mobile and web based app, available on the website, to help landlords and tenants. It will include a personalized, downloadable report that explains what protections or obligations apply under the new law by answering a few questions. The campaign will include targeted social media ads and digital materials in multiple languages to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Under the new law, no tenant can be evicted before February 1, 2021 as a result of rent owed due to a COVID-19 related hardship accrued between March 4 – August 31, 2020, if the tenant provides a declaration of hardship according to the legislation’s timelines. For a COVID-19 related hardship that accrues between September 1, 2020 – January 31, 2021, tenants must also pay at least 25 percent of the rent due to avoid eviction after February 1, 2021 for the unpaid rent.

Tenants are still responsible for paying unpaid amounts to landlords, but those unpaid amounts cannot be the basis for an eviction. Landlords may begin to recover this debt on March 1, 2021, and small claims court jurisdiction is temporarily expanded to allow landlords to recover these amounts. Landlords who do not follow the court evictions process will face increased penalties under the Act.

The legislation also extends anti-foreclosure protections in the Homeowner Bill of Rights to small landlords; provides new accountability and transparency provisions to protect small landlord borrowers who request CARES-compliant forbearance; and provides the borrower who is harmed by a material violation with a cause of action.

Additional resources are on the way for struggling homeowners and renters. Governor Newsom and the Legislature made available $331 million from the National Mortgage Settlement for housing counseling, mortgage assistance and renter legal aid services. A housing counseling program administered by the California Housing Finance Agency will launch this fall and mortgage assistance will be available to help distressed households next year. The $31 million for renter legal aid services will be distributed by the Judicial Council to qualified legal aid organizations in the coming months.

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  1. 5 Takeaways: What Does Pending Mean in Real Estate?

    what does pending assignment mean housing is key

  2. What Does Pending Mean in Real Estate? In-Depth Guide

    what does pending assignment mean housing is key

  3. What Does Pending Mean in Real Estate: Guide

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  4. Real Estate 101: What Does Pending Mean In Real Estate?

    what does pending assignment mean housing is key

  5. What Do Pending and Contingent Mean in Real Estate?

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  6. What is Contingent vs. Pending?

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COMMENTS

  1. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    I am a tenant who has failed to pay part or all of my rent between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021 due to financial distress caused by or related to COVID-19, what do I need to provide my landlord to avoid being evicted? Do I need to provide evidence of my financial distress?

  2. "Rent Assistance

    "Rent Assistance - Landlord Pending Assignment" Hey everyone! On the website I can see that I've been approved, but that nothings been disbursed. Under category it says "Rent Assistance - Landlord Pending Assignment". Does that mean it'll get paid directly to my landlord? I haven't received any emails from a case manager or the program in general.

  3. Rent Arrears

    If you are in Los Angeles city or county you can contact StayHousedLA for advice on your 3 day notice. https://www.stayhousedla.org/ If you're not, hopefully you have something similar in your area that can advise you of the local laws. Solid_Affect6874 OP • 2 yr. ago Any help would be amazing... meechy420000 • 2 yr. ago

  4. Application Status

    Beginning July 1 though, a landlord can evict a tenant for non-payment of rent even if the tenant's rent relief payment is pending. Some local cities and counties have their own eviction protections in place. Please check with your local jurisdiction for more information.

  5. COVID Rent Relief: Already Applied and Still Waiting? Here's ...

    That means that if you live in a jurisdiction where your city or county is administering the rent relief program (and it's not going through the state's Housing Is Key program), and they allow you to submit an application for rent relief after April 1, you could still be evicted even if you're waiting on rent relief from your city or county.

  6. 70,000 California Housing Is Key applications still pending

    The Housing is Key is key program was created to provide rental relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... more than 70,000 households still have applications pending on the eve of 2024.

  7. Anybody Know? CA Rent Relief : r/CACovidRentRelief

    The green circle means that you've been approved but the payment is pending assignment to bill.com or whoever will issue the funds to you.

  8. Housing is Key Application Status

    If the status of your Housing Key application is "Approved Pending Landlord", your application has been reviewed, and determined that you may be eligible for assistance. However, payments cannot be processed unless your landlord correctly completes the required paperwork.

  9. Resources for Renters/Landlords

    The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program is committed to keeping individuals and families housed throughout the state of California. The following resources can help landlords and renters who are in the application process. Remember: As of April 1, 2022, CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program is no longer accepting new applications.

  10. CA COVID-19 Rent Relief

    Program Overview. The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program is no longer accepting apps. In accordance with California Senate Bill 115, all eligible candidates ensure submitted their application before the Tramp 31 deadline will receive assistance includes past-due rent and/or utility specie.

  11. State of Waiting: California's Rental Assistance Program One Month

    It also includes detailed case status categories including "Application Complete: Pending Payment," which is assigned to households that have been approved for payment but have not actually received funds and are still waiting for assistance. [1]

  12. Rent Relief in California: How to Apply, and What You Could Get

    Most landlords and tenants who qualify can apply through the state's website, Housing Is Key. Tenants still have to submit a declaration saying they are unable to make full rent, and pay at least 25% of their monthly rent between Sept. 1, 2020 and June 2021, or in bulk, by Sept. 30, to avoid eviction. Tenants and landlords each have a role to ...

  13. Statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

    Housing Is Key Call Center: 833-430-2122 ; Local Partner Network: 833-687-0967; ... 2022 AND still has a pending application or was denied on or after June 7, 2022. Only for statewide ERAP - does not apply to local rental assistance programs run by a city or county;

  14. Rent arrears

    Rent arrears - tenant pending assignment Hello! So mine is approved now just waiting for it to be disbursed, however a case manager for whatever reason changed my landlords info and it's the wrong landlord information so now I'm just wondering when it's days tenant pending assignment does that mean it will go to the tenant ?

  15. California can't deny pending applications for rent relief while its

    Since last spring, California has passed along federal aid to hundreds of thousands of low-income renters who faced debt and possible eviction because of the pandemic.

  16. CA COVID-19 Rent Relief

    On March 15, 2021, the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program began to accept applications for rent and utility support, helping Californians hit hardest by the pandemic. Tenants and landlords were able to request up to 18-months in assistance covering the time between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022. As the program continues to issue payments for ...

  17. Governor Newsom Announces Housing Is Key Campaign to Inform

    Housing is Key will begin the public education campaign that will ramp up in the weeks to come and target vulnerable communities who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic." On Monday, Governor Newsom signed AB 3088 to protect millions of tenants from eviction and property owners from foreclosure due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.

  18. Housing Is Key

    Housing Is Key. 4,732 likes · 8 talking about this · 1 was here. The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program wants to protect the privacy of applicants. As such, this social media page is used to promote...

  19. " Rent Arrears

    " Rent Arrears - Tenant Pending Assignment" ?? means check send to me or landlord? Sort by: BodybuilderVisible10 • 2 yr. ago To you. Assuming your landlord is not participating. Catt1969 • 1 yr. ago He didn't but I sent him my approval letter TrippsonSteps • 1 yr. ago Yours says pending assignment even after receiving the check?

  20. CA COVID-19 Rent Relief

    Program Overview. The CA COVID-19 Rent Relaxation program is no longer accepting business. In correspondence at Californians Senate Get 115, all eligible applicants this submitted his application before that March 31 deadline will receive assistance with past-due rent and/or utility bills.

  21. PDF What do the different statuses in the Emergency Rental Assistance

    Approved Pending Payment This means we have received all the information we need to process this case for payment. **The payment process can take up to 2-3 weeks** Denied This means the ERAP Caseworker has found that the application is not eligible for this program. Paid This means that the check has been processed and mailed to

  22. What does pending assignment mean ? : r/CACovidRentRelief

    I dont really know. I thought it meant that I had to do one more assignment but that is not the case.. I think its just saying that your case is a pending assignment for the company to work on. Mine says the same. Lmk when u get ur check cuz im wondering how long til I'll get mine since we r in the same status.

  23. What does application complete pending payment mean? Also it ...

    The pending assignment will always show even after being disbursed but it's basically explains category is what you applied for: rent,utilities funding is your county and where the funding is coming from and if you scroll to the right of the pending assignment it will show the amount and if it's been disbursed yet or not.