In "Rent Assistance Programs: NY Covid Rent Relief Program," we review NY's new rental subsidy program, which helps rent burdened tenants (and NY landlords) that were financially impacted by covid-19. If eligible, the subsidy amount you qualify for will fluctuate based on how more rent burdened you have become due to covid. We will also cover how NY you determines whether you are rent burdened, the window to apply for this NY rental assistance, and who can apply for rent relief. Whether you owe back rent or have managed to stay current on your rent, you may be eligible for this rent assistance program, which is administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

1. PURPOSE: As of July 16th
, New York has released a new rental assistance program
called the COVID Rent Relief Program. This article discusses details of the program
and how to determine if you qualify and should apply.
PROGRAM: This program is for tenants that were financially impacted by COVID-
19 and had their rent burden increased as a result. If received, this rental subsidy
program provides a one-time payment to the appropriate NY landlord. The COVID
Rent Relief Program, is administered by the New York State Division of Housing and
Community Renewal.
ELIGIBILITY: In terms of basic eligibility for the COVID Rent Relief Program, you
must be able to answer yes to the five following questions.
1) Are you a renter living in New York State?
2) Did you lose income between April 1st 2020 and July 31st 2020?
3) Did you pay more than 30% of your household income for rent before March
1st 2020?
4) Has your rent burden increased since March 1st 2020?
5) Is your household income including unemployment benefits below 80% of
HUDs area median income for your neighborhood
If you can say yes to all five of these questions, then you will be asked additional
questions in order to continue your application.
SUBSIDY AMOUNT: You can apply for a subsidy amount to cover between one and
four months of your increased rent burden between April and July. How you determine
this subsidy amount is a bit involved. Here's an example of how it works. Before
COVID, your monthly gross income was $4,000 and your monthly rent was $1,400. In
this instance, you're paying 35% of your monthly income towards your rent, which
qualifies you as being rent burdened. Then because of COVID-19, your hours are

2. reduced, and your monthly income decreased to 2,800 dollars while your rent remained
the same. Now you're paying 50% of your monthly income towards your rent. Your
rent burden has increased 15% or $420 per month, which is the subsidy amount you
can qualify for on a monthly basis. The total amount you can receive in this instance is
$1,680 ($420/month x 4 months).
BACK RENT: You do not have to owe any back rent to qualify for the program. If
you do not owe any back rent, the subsidy amount can be applied towards your future
rent or credited against your security deposit.
APPLICATION & APPLICATION PERIOD: The application period is open for
two weeks (until July 30th
). But given how intense demand has been for COVID
assistance programs, I highly recommend applying sooner rather than later. New York
landlords, you cannot apply on behalf of your tenants for the COVID Rent Relief
Program. However, you can inform them of it. If you're looking to apply for this rent
assistance program, here is the link: https://covidrentrelief.hcr.ny.gov/
CORRESPONDING VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
QYet7vKXr4&t=92s