Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance Program

10 Apr 2020
Real Estate

Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance Program

The City of Miami Emergency Rental & Utilities Assistance Program is designed to provide one-month rental and utility assistance to low-income (60% AMI or less) residents who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot afford to pay their rent, utilities or both. The program provides eligible households with one-time assistance of up to $1,500.00. Program is subject to funding availability. Qualifying utility costs to be paid include electricity, water, and gas. It does not include telephone, internet or cable bills.

This program is only available to applicants who are renters and live in The City of Miami. The program will not issue payments directly to applicants, but rather payments will be sent directly to landlords and utility companies which must be willing to participate in this program. Landlords must be able to provide the City with completed W-9s and ACH/Direct Deposit forms.

The ability to submit an online application for this program does not constitute acceptance, meeting minimum qualification criteria, nor is it a guarantee of a program award. All information submitted will be individually verified and households who provide misleading or false information or who apply more than once for the program (even under a different family member) will be disqualified.

Confirm Eligibility

You must meet all of the below criteria in order to qualify for this program.

Must be a US citizen, permanent resident or granted legal status;
Must be a City of Miami resident. To verify you live in the City of Miami, please visit the following site and look for your address: City of Miami Address Search Alternatively, you may also verify this information by accessing the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser website and perform a property search by your address. If the results display a “FOLIO” number that starts with “01-XXXX-XX-XXXX”, your address meets this eligibility requirement.
Not able to pay for rent and/or utilities due to loss of income related to COVID-19. Must be able to demonstrate
Current monthly income is less than:
- $3,200 for an individual household
- $3,660 for a two-person household
- $4,115 for a three-person household
- $4,570 for a four-person household
- $4,940 for a five or more-person household
Applicant/Landlord must not be receiving household subsidies from any other federal, state, and/or local program for the unit the applicant is living in. Such programs include, but are not limited to: Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher / Mod-Rehab, HOPWA Tenant Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Section 202, or VASH.
Rent and Utilities must be current as of February 2020.
No member of the applicant’s household is self-employed.
Must not have liquid assets or other sources of capital from where rent and utilities can be paid from.

Step 2.Gather Required Documentation

If receiving a preliminary approval for assistance, below is the documentation you will be required to provide within 5 business days of approval. You may want to start collecting the following documents now or once notified by the City of your eligibility.

Proof of legal residency: Ex. copy of passport, alien resident card or government issued picture ID along with documentation that proves your legal status in the US.
Job termination letter, unemployment verification letter or other proof that you lost your employment on or after March 1, 2020;
Copy of paystubs for all members of your household, if any, Social Security Award Letter, etc.
Copy of bank statement(s), annuity statements or any other documentation showing personal assets.
Authorization to Release Information Form, if applicable;
Copy of current executed lease agreement under applicant’s name or showing applicant as tenant. The address of the property listed on the lease agreement must be located within City of Miami limits;
Copy of most recent utility bill (i.e. Florida Power and Light (FPL), Miami-Dade Water & Sewer, etc.), if applicable;
Proof applicant is current on payments of rent and utilities as of February 2020;
From your landlord: They will need to provide the City with a W-9 form, ACH (Direct Deposit) form and a copy of a voided check.

Step 3.Apply

Warning

Applications for this program are no longer being accepted, as all available funding has been committed.

It is recommended you access the online application utilizing a desktop or laptop computer connected to the internet. However, you can also utilize an android-based mobile device (cellphone). Please note that there have been reported issues accessing some of the application functions with Apple©products such as iPads and iPhones; therefore, these Apple© devices could be utilized, but are not recommended.

Due to an anticipated high volume of applicants during the application period, we highly encourage eligible City of Miami business owners to apply online.

If you do not have computer access or are disabled, you may phone us at 305-416-2080 during the application period. Please note, you should expect delays on the phone as our staff attempts to assist as many callers as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Disclosure of SSNs is considered information subject to the Federal Privacy Act (5 USC §552a, as amended) and is exempt from Florida Statutes regarding public records (Florida Statute 119.0721(1)).