Landlords, Tenants May Qualify For Funding Help Through County

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — There's help for residents who can't pay their rents or utility bills due to impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.

Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa have received more than $44 million from the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to assist landlords and tenants.

Landlords can register starting Tuesday, March 16, at 10 a.m., and online applications open Tuesday, March 23 at 10 a.m. for eligible residents.

Through this additional funding, the Rapid Response Recovery Emergency Rental Assistance Program was developed by the county. The program aims to prevent recipients from experiencing further financial hardship by providing up to $7,500 for past-due rent and up to $750 for past-due TECO electric bills per approved household.

For approved tenants living in Hillsborough, the county will issue direct payments to landlords who will apply these payments to past-due rent. Landlord registration is required for landlords to participate as a program vendor.

The county will host landlord information sessions to discuss the program and requirements for landlord participation on Wednesday, March 17 at 3 p.m., Thursday, March 18 at 1 p.m., and Friday, March 19 at 10 a.m. Register by clicking the link on the date for the session.

The program’s eligibility criteria, documentation requirements for households and the timeline for the opening of online applications are posted at HCFLGov.net/R3HomeHelp.

Any eligible resident of Hillsborough County, including individuals and families in Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace, can apply for assistance. The county urges residents who need assistance to review the eligibility criteria and requirements before applying. This ensures applications are complete, accurate and can be quickly reviewed to determine eligibility.

Qualifying households must be actively renting and have income at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) as reported on their 2020 federal income tax filing (IRS form 1040 Adjusted Gross Income). These incomes depend on household size and could be between $39,400 for a single-member household to $83,250 for a 10-person household.

Priority access will be given to eligible households at or below 50 percent AMI or with zero income the 90 days before the application date. These incomes could be between $24,650 for a single-member household to $52,050 for a 10-person household.

Online applications will open on Tuesday, March 23, at 10 a.m. for eligible residents. Rental financial assistance will be a direct payment to registered landlords for past-due rent of approved tenants. Electric financial assistance will be paid directly to TECO and will cover past-due charges.

For full details, click here.