Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers also offer free pre-court mediation between landlords and tenants for COVID-19 related lease disputes in addition to the summary process cases referred through the courts. Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Applying for Rental Assistance in Massachusetts to Avoid Eviction, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Landlords and tenants can see their application status change as it moves through the system. While many of the special protections for homeowners impacted by COVID-19 are no longer in effect, owner-occupants of 1-4 family properties still may be able to seek relief. A .mass.gov website belongs to an official government organization in Massachusetts. Search Eviction Records by Address (Beta). During(or after)the RAFT benefit period, the tenant violates a lease clause that is unrelated to payment of rent. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. Renter advocates, who (like all attorneys) must zealously defend their clients, would likely raise the discrimination issue. Contact the Volunteer Lawyers Project for more information. RAFT helps all kinds of households by providing up to $10,000 per household, within a 12-month period, to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please let us know how we can improve this page. If you would like to speak with a foreclosure counselor regarding your options, a list of foreclosure counselors by region is available here. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, is. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. RAFT provides qualifying households with up to $10,000 per household in a 12-month period to preserve current housing or move to new housing. To begin the landlord/property owner application process, you must first register an account as a new user if you have not already done so here: User Registration (mass.gov). The North Shore Housing Action Group (NSHAG) is financial assistance program that specifically focuses on the needs of 18-24 year olds that are experiencing housing Landlord/Property Owner Portal Reference Guide, MA Emergency Housing Payment Assistance Portal (mass.gov), Housing Assistance Application Reference Guide (mass.gov), RAFT Public Resource and Training Portal | Mass.gov. Landlords must obtain and submit a signed tenant consent form before applying for assistance. Landlords should be aware that Chapter 151B of the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits discrimination by a landlord against any tenant receiving federal, state, or local housing subsidies, including rental assistance or rental supplements, because the individual is such a recipient. Note that the Tenant Application Code is different from their Case ID. Does it matter whether RAFT COVID would cure or not? There does not appear to be a clear answer for when funding is received, however, the first payment of the benefit must be used within 60 days of an applicant being determined eligible for RAFT money (barring documented administrative delays or extenuating circumstances). The two pilot regions are Way Finders in the Greater Springfield region and the Housing Assistance Corporation, serving Cape Cod and the islands. First, according to mass.gov, families must be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The process for referrals from partner agencies has several steps: For greatest efficiency and to ensure the swiftest process, please provide all required documents and explanation of the housing crisis. Please limit your input to 500 characters. The state RAFT program may provide up to up to $10,000 per household in a 12-month period for rent and other housing costs, including moving expenses. Proceed with caution if you are a landlord considering declining RAFT COVID funding, especially in cases in which the funds would fully cover rent arrears, could cure nonpayment, and/or stabilize the tenancy. For households submitting applications on or after 8/1/2022, a Notice to Quit or eviction notice/court summons is required to receive assistance for overdue rent. Alandlord's refusal to accept emergency rental assistance,thatcoversthe entire amount owed to the landlord,may,in some circumstances,constitute a violation of Chapter 151B. Applicants must bring photo identification and proof of current income for all adult members of the household. If you have questions regarding how to complete the application, please contact Metro Housings Housing Hub at 617-425-6700 or via e-mail at ResourceLine@MetroHousingBoston.org. Upon application submission, you will be asked to provide: Proof of ownership of the unit. 172. The long answer is a bit more complicated. Better Policy. Housing verification (Examples: a lease, tenancy agreement, or tenancy at will agreement) Proof of Identity of the property owner. A renter can apply once they have received a court summons or a notice to quit for owed rent. If approved for RAFT, funds will be. Since RAFT monies can be used for more purposes than just late rentwhat may have happened in situations where the tenant got RAFT support but the landlord never saw any money was that the tenant directed the payment to an additional vendor as well as to a new landlord.. Then, during the case, RAFT responds, offering an amount of rental assistance funds, eventually, that will cure nonpayment. For more information about how to apply, please visit our landlord page. 100 Cambridge St, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02114. They may be eligible for assistance from the state that will send rent payments directly to you, the landlord. RAFT provides qualifying households with maximum benefit limit of $10,000 per household in a 12-month period. Under review tells the landlord or tenant that the application portions have been matched up, and it is being reviewed for eligibility. Landlord struggling because your tenant cant pay the rent? TheVolunteer Lawyers Projectassists low-income owners of 1-4 family homes with referrals, legal information, and legal representation for COVID-related evictions statewide in Housing Court. RAFT provides qualifying households with maximum benefit limit of $10,000 per household in a 12-month period. endstream endobj 2600 0 obj <>stream Families who have received HomeBASE funding may also be eligible for RAFT. Examples include, but are not limited to, Notice to Quit, courtsummons, utility shutoff notice., Name, DOB, sex, race, ethnicity and SSN (when available) forall adultmembers of the household, Identification for the head of household (Examples: photo id, license, birth certificate,passport), Rental information: Lease/tenancy agreement, amount of rent,amount of arrears, whether they have a rental subsidy, Household income (see more details here on income verification), W-9 from payee (landlord/property owner). If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Please wait at least 10 business days before calling to check on your application. It is important to submit a complete application for RAFT to receive support quickly. IMPORTANT: If you have multiple tenants completing applications, please make sure to respond to EACH landlord invitation email. The maximum benefit cap for RAFT is $10,000 over a 12-month period. Homeowners in need of mortgage assistance or other housing assistance may apply for the new Homeowner Assistance Fund (MA HAF) Program. On the other hand, in certain conditions, Section 8 might cause the landlord to lose money. If your income can be verified with government databases, you will not have to submit any additional income documentation. Applying online is the most direct and efficient way to apply for financial assistance. General Law 151B, the states discrimination law, bars discriminating against anyone receiving public assistance, including rental assistance. Under the current system, landlords applying on behalf of their tenants must include a signed tenant consent form, but the dual nature of the new portal application removes the need for this. RAFT is administered by eleven Regional Administering Agencies (RAAs) as well as the Rental Assistance Processing (RAP) Center operated by Nan McKay and Associates (NMA). Fax . Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Landlords of any size may now apply for emergency rental assistance on behalf of their tenants. For greater efficiency, these documents should be submitted with the referral. Note that you as the landlord must provide information for the RAFT application. Applicants who have not already done so will be prompted to create a new profile and account. One of the biggest features is the addition of a save and resume function. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. Applications already in progress continued to be processed through the system already in place. Please do not include personal or contact information. The program can also be used to help families who are already homeless pay for necessary costs to get into a house or apartment. The RAFT COVID program is presented as an option to landlords, who may, according to its language, decide whether or not to accept the funding in excess of $4,000. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Starting Nov. 14, landlords or tenants in these areas were able to file new RAFT applications through the portal. However, applications received after Aug. 1, 2022, will only be considered if the applicant has received a notice to quit, eviction notice or court summons related to rent arrears. %PDF-1.6 % Residential Assistance for Families in Transition could pay for moving costs, paying owed rent or utilities, security deposits or first/last months rent, among other uses. I have one tenant who applied [to RAFT] and didnt receive a call back at all, she said. Applications with all required information and documentation will be processed more quickly than those with missing information and documentation. Eventually, that number increased, and families were able to access up to $4,000 in funds, with the possibility of reapplying after 12 months if they needed additional assistance. The wait time in some cases has been months.. To check which agency is processing your application, visit theCentral Application Portaland click Application Information. You can also use the Central Application Portal to upload additional documents after your application is submitted. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Sign up with to receive important news and updates. Signed W-9 in the name of the property owner. The application will also require property owner documents if requesting arrears or start-up costs. This funding source no longer matters. RAFT helps families who are behind on rent, mortgage payments, or utility bills. You can fill out the information with them. The new application portal is designed to replace the current central application process. Be sure to provide contact information for your landlord/property owner in your RAFT application. Section 8 requires an inspection, to certify a rental units health and safety suitability. Please limit your input to 500 characters. A landlords refusal to accept emergency rental assistance, that covers the entire amount owed to the landlord, may, in some circumstances, constitute a violation of Chapter 151B. The administering agency could require a handrail to be installed, even though this would cause the landlord to lose money on the Section 8 rental compared to a market rental, which would not necessarily trigger enforcement of that part of the code (ignoring, for the sake of argument, that the handrail should be provided regardless of an inspection). Monday 8 AM 4 PM All Rights Reserved. (781) 581-8600, Hours Some page levels are currently hidden. Click below for a step-by-step guide on how to apply for the RAFT program: For additional RAFT application resources for tenants and landlords, please read our blog post here. Landlords and property owners can (a) begin the RAFT application process for their tenants who may need to request financial assistance for overdue rent OR (b) complete the application once the tenant has submitted their application. Before you begin your application, be sure you have the following documents ready to upload: ID for Head of Household (expired or international forms of ID are acceptable), Verification of current housing (example: your current lease or rental agreement), Verification of eligible housing crisis and arrears (examples: a Notice to Quit from your landlord; eviction notice; or documentation showing an inability to stay in your current home due to health, safety, or other reasons). The landlord will receive a special code they must enter in the portal before completing their portion of the application. You cannot save and return to an application, so you must complete your application in one sitting. If a family had used RAFT funds to stave off becoming homeless, but in the end were not able to remain in housing, they could see less HomeBASE funding later on. RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition) is a state-funded homelessness prevention program. The following documentation is required to apply: Families living in emergency shelters are not eligible for RAFT funds, and in theory, RAFT is the superior program, as the goal of the Commonwealth is to keep families out of shelters in the first place. We also have RAFT Application walk in hours on Tuesday and Friday 9:30am-11:30am and Wednesday 1:00-3:00pm. Tuesday 8 AM 7 PM Imagine, for example, a Boston tenant who stopped paying rent in March. Use this button to show and access all levels. Click here for Applicant Portal First Time Home Buyers who currently live in one of these communities may be eligible for a Home Read More Since such a family is beyond stabilization with RAFT alone, such a family would likely not be eligible for any RAFT assistance at all. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies RAFT helps all kinds of households by providing up to $10,000 per household, within a 12-month period, to help preserve current housing or move to new housing. Please let us know how we can improve this page. For more guidance on how to apply and create a landlord profile, please utilize this reference guide: Housing Assistance Application Reference Guide (mass.gov), For a list of landlords/property owners Frequently Asked Questions, visit: Landlord FAQs download (mass.gov), For other resources, including recordings of webinars about Landlord/Property Owner RAFT Application Portal, visit: RAFT Public Resource and Training Portal | Mass.gov. A lock icon ( A tenant who is late on rent could sign up for the program, receive funds, and use it to put down a security deposit on another housing unit elsewhere. ?kB9z :If your tenant has already submitted an application for rental assistance, please do not reapply. RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent costs, as well as forward rent in limited situations. They were eligible to reapply after that time, but had to wait 12 months from their first received payment. The following documentation is required to apply: Homeowners can continue to access the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund(HAF). Community mediation and free or low-cost legal assistance for eligible parties can help landlords work with tenants to avoid eviction. Your support is critical to help alleviate and prevent the impact of homelessness in Boston. In 2020, this limit was increased to $10,000, but was decreased to $7,000 within a rolling 12-month period on Jan. 1, 2022. Section 8 is permanent (as long as the recipient remains eligible for funding), and it guarantees the landlord will receive rent. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Community-based organizations will also get training in how to use the new portal. The same might apply to a landlord who initiated or continued eviction while a RAFT application is pending. Initially, families accessing RAFT funds received between $1,500 and $3,000 as a one-time payment, according to literature published by Metro Housing Boston. The landlord contacted VLP to seek legal advice. Se enfrenta al desalojo? Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) Program. The extra RAFT funds from the federal government were meant to be used within a specific amount of time. Homeowners may be eligible for assistance through the Homeowners Assistance Fund. Despite statements from the Baker-Polito administration and our best efforts at clarification, we are unable to verify that the expanded limit of RAFT COVID will be declared legally optional by a court. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies.