Houston Rental Relief Package
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to negatively affect thousands of Houstonians, many are seeking assistance in paying their rent and mortgage, especially as eviction protection expires. ABC13 learned almost 40% of people in Houston fear the won't be able to pay their rent. The City of Houston’s latest $20 million rental relief package intends to help those most at risk of eviction.
Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits.
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Houston's Need
Second Rent Relief Package
Eviction help q&A
Additional Resources
Still have questions? Submit them here.
Houston Rental Relief Package
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to negatively affect thousands of Houstonians, many are seeking assistance in paying their rent and mortgage, especially as eviction protection expires. The City of Houston’s latest $20 million rental relief package intends to help Houstonians most at risk of evection. Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits.
HOUSTON'S
NEED
THE SECOND RENT RELIEF PACKAGE
EVICTION ASSISTANCE
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
HOUSTON'S
NEED
THE SECOND RENT RELIEF PACKAGE
EVICTION ASSISTANCE
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previous version
Houston's Need
The CARES Act was a bill passed by the U.S. government in March to help provide financial help to Americans affected by the coronavirus. One part of the bill included an 'eviction moratorium,' which protected tenants who live on federally backed property or low income housing and couldn't pay rent from being evicted.
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Houston continues to increase, many residents in the area are in this predicament.
On July 25, the day after this federal protection for tenants ended, Lone Star Legal Aid received 1,358 applications for eviction help - a 36% increase from the number of applications received on the same date of last year.
Almost 40% of people in Houston and about one third in Los Angeles and New York say they don't have money to pay the rent or mortgage.
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions of Americans are facing eviction after a federal protection granted by the CARES Act expired on July 24.
Second Rent Relief Package
Private donations to the package outside of the CARES Act are significant because they allow money to be set aside in the program to specifically help undocumented immigrants who would normally be unable to apply for funds.
Unlike the previous rental relief package, this one will be based on a matrix that gives preference to those with lower incomes. The first program was first-come, first-served.
Like last time, BakerRipley will allocate the funds and is expected to set up a website to apply for the new program.
For reference, under the May program, renters within Houston city limits were eligible for up to $1,056 a month, and it was designed to help about 8,000 families.
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A $20 million rent relief package that intends to help Houstonians most at risk of eviction unanimously passed a vote with city council August 5.
• $15 million from CARES Act
• $2 million from the Houston Endowment
• $1 million from the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund
• $1 million from the Kinder Foundation
• $1 million from Janice McNair, owner of the Houston Texans
Eviction help q&a
Houston’s second rental assistance program comes just a couple weeks after the federal eviction moratorium, which prevented landlords from taking new eviction actions against renters who hadn’t paid rent on certain federally backed properties, expired.
As evictions resume in parts of Texas, leaving unemployed renters with few options and undocumented immigrants with even fewer, many Texans are wondering - what’s next?
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can I get arrested for not leaving the property after an initial notice to vacate?
How can an eviction affect me in the future?
Do some parts of Texas have local moratoriums on evictions?
How do I know if my residence was covered under this moratorium?
Will I get additional time to move out of my residence?
Will moving out prior to an eviction help me avoid tarnishing my personal credit?
What's the eviction process in Texas?
Where can I get free legal help?
I'm undocumented. Can I still get free legal help and rental assistance?
The best way is to verify with your landlord. To do so, you can use this letter template created by Texas Housers, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and BASTA Austin. They have also created this map to help you determine whether your multifamily residence is covered under the federal moratorium. The map does not include single-family properties and smaller residences with one to four units. Keep in mind that even if your residence is not listed on this map, it could be covered by the CARES Act.
use this letter template
this map
Landlords must provide renters living in properties covered by the moratorium with a 30-day notice to vacate before formally filing an eviction for any reason. So a landlord cannot initiate legal proceedings until Aug. 25.
YES
Some local jurisdictions in Texas - such as Dallas County and the city of Austin - have their own moratoriums. Check with your city or county to see if it has implemented an extended moratorium. You can also visit this webpage from the University of Texas School of Law to see a list of measures local jurisdictions have taken to protect tenants.
visit this webpage
Landlords often report a tenant's debts to debt collectors and credit reporting agencies, which then go on a renter's credit report or tenant screening report, said Nelson Mock, a housing attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.
"Also, the filing of eviction cases, as well as the disposition of a case such as dismissal or judgments, are picked up through public records by tenant screening agencies and credit reporting agencies, and those also get reported in credit reports and tenant screening reports," he wrote in an email. "These all make it very difficult for a tenant to rent again."
Not necessarily. A landlord could still report your debts to a credit reporting agency, said Mary Spector, professor of law at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law and director of its civil/consumer clinic.
"So that a new landlord can look up an applicant and see that she was delinquent in her last apartment, and that new landlord may not want to rent to that person," she said. "So I think people mistakenly think that if they move out, they might avoid that sort of bad mark against their record, but that's not necessarily true."
Not complying with an initial notice to vacate will not get you arrested. A tenant is legally required to vacate a property within 24 hours only after a formal eviction is filed, a judge rules on the case, any appeal is concluded and a constable serves a writ of possession.
You can visit this page on the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service's website to learn how an eviction works.
visit this page
You can find free, or pro bono, legal help at various legal aid groups and legal clinics across the state. Legal aid groups are nonprofit organizations that serve low-income clients.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid - 956-447-4800
St. Mary's School of Law - 210-570-6135
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law - 214-768-2761
Lone Star Legal Aid - 800-733-8394
It depends. Some groups that receive federal grants are not allowed to help undocumented renters. Other groups do not ask about a renter's immigration status. Check with the individual group to determine whether you're eligible to receive help.
Additional Resources
The Houston Apartment Association has a compilation of resources for renters suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic available on their website. Currently, programs are listed for assistance in Montgomery County, Brazoria County and Fort Bend County, but the page is updated frequently as new programs become available.
Click here for more information on how local agencies are providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lone Star Legal Aid also has a series of resources listed on its website, including access to a public database of property subject to the CARES Act, educational blogs and assistance in filing eviction court documents.
haaonline.org
lonestarlegal.blog