Housing Relief
Benefits Assistance

If You’re Behind On The Rent, Do This

Housing Relief
3 min read

Not paying your landlord on time may make you worry about ending up on the street after an eviction.

Before that happens, try these tips that could find you another place to live or at least give you some extra time to fix your finances.

Apply For A Section 8 Voucher

If you find that not paying your rent on time is a common occurrence, the best long-term fix may be a Section 8 voucher. With it, you can choose from different housing types, such as a single-family home, apartment, townhome, etc., and pay a maximum of 30 percent of your income towards rent.

It’s worth noting that a Section 8 voucher could take a year or longer to get, so don’t think of it as emergency rent assistance. Apply now so you can fix your rent issues in the long run while also following the rest of the tips in this list.

You can apply for Section 8 by contacting your Public Housing Agency.

Find Cheaper Housing Quickly

There’s a “hack” many people use to pay affordable Section 8 rates without having to wait for a voucher: Contacting affordable housing buildings directly.

The goal is to get in touch with a property manager who tells you they have units that charge 30 percent of income. This means you could get that affordable rent you desire without the long voucher wait. As for how this is even possible, that’s because some buildings have funding of their own that allows them to subsidize tenants.

To find affordable housing buildings you can contact, use these three methods:

  • Ask your Public Housing Agency if they have a local affordable housing contact list.
  • Use the HUD Resource Locator.
  • Google “affordable housing” in your city or desired destination.

Call 211

Dial those three digits in your phone to speak to a local operator who’s an expert in emergency housing assistance. They can direct you to local organizations that offer help with the rent, such as Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, etc. They can also offer assistance with food, healthcare, and other essentials.

See If You Qualify For The Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program was implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It splits up billions in funding from the federal government amongst 500 local offices with the hopes of helping people with their rent issues during these challenging times.

The ERA Program can help cover past rent, future rent, moving expenses, utilities, and more. To learn more about this program and see if you qualify, go here.

Get In Touch With Your Landlord

Instead of avoiding your landlord and making the situation worse, contact them and let them know the financial troubles you’re having. Doing so could result in a manageable payment plan or extra time to get caught up. And if you like where you’re living and don’t want to move, writing your landlord a rent hardship letter could help lower your monthly payment, so it fits your budget. You can find rent hardship letter templates via Google.

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