Starting Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 9 a.m., applications will be accepted for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) which provides rental assistance for landlords whose tenants are unwilling to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), including where the tenant has left the rental property. Assistance may be provided for households with rent up to 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for the county where the property is located.  LRAP 150 Percent of Fair Market Rent (ny.gov)  Landlords approved for LRAP may receive up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rent accrued after March 1, 2020.

Eligibility Requirements:

The landlord has a tenant who has left an apartment in New York State with unpaid rental arrears or the landlord has a tenant with rental arrears who is residing in an apartment in New York State who refuses to apply for ERAP and the landlord has reached out to their tenant to encourage participation in ERAP at least 3 times, including 2 in writing.

• Unit rental amount is at or below 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR)for their locati These limits are based on county and number of bedrooms of the rental unit. If the monthly rental amount exceeds 150 percent of the FMR, the landlord will be ineligible for assistance.
• The landlord has documented rental arrears owed for the tenant at their residence for rent costs accrued on or after March 1, 2020.

For the first 45 days of the program, priority is given to landlords who own a building with 20 or fewer units. After 45 days, applications for all eligible landlords will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available.

Consistent with the ERAP program, landlords/owners of units where the current or former tenant household’s rent is limited to a percentage of household income may apply for assistance, but the application will not be assessed for eligibility until all other applications have been considered and will receive assistance only to the extent funds remain available.

Required Documents to Apply:

• W-9 tax form, which must be entered by typing this information in the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
• Proof of Ownershipby uploading this information into the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
• Executed leasewith tenant, or if there is no written lease, a cancelled check, evidence of funds transfer or other documentation of the last full monthly rent payment. Upload pages of lease to at least include unit address, tenants on lease, monthly rental obligation, and signature page.
• Documentation of unpaid rent duefrom tenant by uploading a monthly rent confirmation form or ledger identifying the rental amount due by month. Do not include non-rent payments such as late fees or parking fees.
• Banking informationby typing in direct deposit information in the Owner Account on the LRAP portal.
• The property owner or an authorized property management company will be required to sign the application form and associated certifications agreeing that the information provided, including the amount of rental arrears owed, is accurate and does not duplicate a payment received from another program. Dates on which the landlord contacted the tenant to seek participation in ERAP must also be provided, if the application is for a tenant that still resides in the unit.

The property owner or authorized property management company must also agree to the following terms as a condition of accepting rental arrears payments:

• The LRAP payment satisfies the tenant’s full rental obligations for the time period covered by the payment.
• Waive any late fees due on any rental arrears covered by the LRAP payment.
• If the household is currently residing in the unit, not increase the monthly rental amount above the monthly amount due at the time of application for LRAP assistance for months for which rental assistance is received and for one year from receipt of the LRAP payment.
• That they have contacted a current tenant household at least three times, two in writing, to encourage participating in ERAP.
• If the household is currently residing in the unit, not evict the household on behalf of whom the LRAP payment is made for reason of expired lease or holdover tenancy for one year from the receipt of the LRAP payment. An exception to this requirement shall be made if the dwelling unit contains four or fewer units and the property owner or owner’s immediate family members intend to immediately occupy the unit for use as a primary residence.

Applications may be submitted at Landlord Rental Assistance Program | OTDA (ny.gov).  Don’t hesitate to reach out to Daniels Norelli Cecere & Tavel, PC with any questions you may have on these applications or if you would like us to assist you with the preparation.