Philadelphia Rental Assistance – Phase 4 Is Open

Posted by Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations on April 6, 2021

Phase 4 Facts: 

• Funding was authorized by the federal government, and Philadelphia has about $97 million to spend on rental assistance and utility payments.
• Phase 4 should help around 10,000-15,000 renters.
• Landlords and tenants can apply. If a landlord applies, their tenant must be eligible, and they must get written consent from their tenant. If a landlord does not wish to participate, the rental assistance can be paid directly to the tenant.
• Applicants who received funds in Phases 1-3 of PHLRentAssist are eligible to apply for Phase 4, however, applicants may not receive funds for any months which they have previously been paid.

• Tenants are eligible if they meet all three of these criteria: 

1. Have a household income at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). View income guidelines here.
2. Qualify for unemployment benefits; or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced some other financial hardship due to COVID-19.
3. Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Tenants can meet this criterion if they have any past-due rent, past due utilities, received an eviction notice, or are paying over one-third of their household income on rent.

• Assistance for both rent and utilities is available:

1. Rent assistance can be provided for up to 18 months total, including back rent and forward rent. However, no more than 3 months of forward rent can be provided at one time. Tenants who receive 3 months of forward rent and have not exceeded the 18 months of total assistance, may reapply for another 3 months of forward rent.
2. Applicants with rent arrears must satisfy at least one month of those arrears before applying for forward rent.
3. Assistance may only be provided for months of rent after April 2020.
4. The total amount of rent assistance cannot exceed $2,000 per month, and that amount may include late fees or other charges passed on by the landlord.
5. Utility payments can be provided for up to 18 months total.
6. Utility payments must have been accrued on or after March 12, 2020.
7. Utility payments can only be for the current month and past-due utility payments(assistance is not available for future months’ utility bills).

• Utility payments can only be for the current month and past-due utility payments (assistance is not available for future months’ utility bills).

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