The Virginia Rent Relief Program

Virginia Housing is now administering relief for renters experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP). You can now apply through Virginia Housing on behalf of tenants to receive funds to pay delinquent rental payments dating as far back as April 1, 2020 and forward. The Landlord component of RRP is open to the confirmed Owners of Virginia rental properties (including apartments, single-family residences and manufactured housing), with bona fide leases to qualifying tenants, and that agree to RRP requirements. You are not required to have financing through Virginia Housing or DHCD to apply.

Eligibility:

In order to receive financial assistance through the Virginia RRP, tenants must meet the following requirements:

Have a valid lease agreement in their name and occupying the unit at time of application.

The household’s total rent payment is at or below 150% Fair Market Rate.

The household’s total gross income is equal to or less than 80% Area Median Income for location.

The household has experienced a financial hardship due (directly or indirectly) to COVID-19, for example:

• Tenant has been laid off.
• Tenant's place of employment has closed.
• Tenant has experienced a reduction in hours of work.
• Tenant must stay home to care for children due to closure of day care and/or school.
• Tenant must stay home to care for children due to distance learning.
• Tenant has lost child or spousal support.
• Tenant has had an increase in expenses due to COVID-19, i.e. child care, medical bills, etc.
• Tenant has been unable to find employment due to COVID-19.
• Tenant is unwilling or unable to participate in their previous employment due their high risk of severe illness fromCOVID-19.

The household cannot receive rental assistance from any other source, including, but not limited to, federal (including Housing    Choice Voucher), state and local rental assistance programs, for the same period of time RRP is requested.

Required Documentation:

• Proof of income (pay stubs, bank statements, letter from employer, social security documents, pension).
• Valid lease or other documentation of landlord-tenant relationship.
• Rent ledger.
• Completed Application and Agreements.
• Landlord W9.

How to Get Started:

Program Details for Landlords (Coming soon)
 Landlord Flyer and Tenant Flyer (English)
 Landlord Flyer and Tenant Flyer (Spanish)
 Landlord User Guide to create a profile and enter tenant application data
 Grant Management System (GMS)
 Guidance for Income Eligibility and Allowable Fees (Coming soon)
Contact Us rentrelief@virginiahousing.com.

Forms:

ACH Form for Landlord Registration
 Multiple Property Template for Landlord Registration
 Application and Agreements
 Zero Income Certification (Coming soon)
 Authorization to Release Information 

Resources:

HUD Definition of Annual Income
 DHCD RRP Tenant Program
 80% AMI Guide and 150% FMR Guide
 HUD's SAFMR

Chesterfield County and Fairfax County Information:

Chesterfield and Fairfax Counties have elected to administer rent relief programs at the local level as permitted by Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance program. As a result, effective 11:59pm February 14, 2021, Virginia Housing is no longer accepting applications or amendments for residents that reside in these localities. Landlords should work with the appropriate program for assistance in those localities.

Chesterfield County

 Chesterfield County residents who have been impacted by Covid-19 have two ways of applying for rent assistance through current federal funding:

• Call ACTS at 804-644-2401. Press 2 and leave a message. (Spanish speaking residents press 5).
      Calls will be returned in the order in which they are received.
• Complete online application at: http://actsrva.org/chesterfield-cera-application/

 Chesterfield County landlords may apply on behalf of their tenants by sending completed applications with required documentation attached to chesterfieldlandlord@actsrva.org.

• Landlords may find necessary information with instructions at: http://actsrva.org/chesterfield-landlord-information.

Fairfax County

Fairfax County residents seeking rent assistance:

• Call Fairfax County’s Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880, TTY 711 (Monday through Friday 8AM to 4:30PM)
• Website for general information: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/coordinated-services-planning

Fairfax County landlords seeking rental assistance on behalf of their tenant:

• The Fairfax County Landlord Portal can be found on their Eviction Prevention website: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health-humanservices/eviction-prevention
• Telephone: 703-324-5580
• Email: NCSEvictionSupport@fairfaxcounty.gov

Funding for RRP is made available through Virginia’s allocation of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and is administered through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Interested applicants will work directly with grantees throughout Virginia to complete applications and process payments. Virginia Housing is the grantee for landlord-initiated applicants. In the event of insufficient program funds to fund all applications, VH will prioritize assistance to households with incomes of no more than 50 percent of AMI and to households in which one or more household member is unemployed and has been unemployed for 90 days.