Housing instability has long been an issue in Baltimore City. But COVID-19 made the situation even worse. In March 2020, 1 out of 10 city tenants was behind on rent. By June 2020, it was 1 out of 3. It was clear that Baltimore City tenants needed rental assistance.
In response, the Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success launched Baltimore City’s Eviction Prevention Program in December 2020. The goal of this program is to keep Baltimore City tenants in their homes by helping them get caught up on rent and avoid eviction.
Providing Rental Assistance and More
To fulfill this goal, the program will seek to disburse tens of millions of dollars over the course of two years. So far, this program has helped prevent evictions and homelessness for thousands of households.
Eligible tenants can receive assistance with:
- Up to 15 months’ worth of past-due rent, utility payments, and late fees (This was recently expanded from 12 months.)
- Relocation
- Legal support
- Case management
How to Apply for Baltimore City Rental Assistance
Any resident or family with a household income of 80% or less of the Area Median Income is eligible to apply. You can apply online after registering an account on the City of Baltimore’s Emergency Rental Assistance Portal. Or you can fill out a paper application and then mail it or drop it off at a Baltimore City Community Action Partnership (CAP) center. After you submit the application, the CAP staff will contact you.
We Help Landlords Benefit from Baltimore City Rental Assistance
If a tenant applies for assistance through the Eviction Prevention Program, then the landlord must apply as well. Landlords are required to provide documentation such as the rental license, updated rent ledger, W-9, signed electronic funds transfer document with voided check, and signed landlord grant agreement.
Landlords who have hired Peace of Mind to manage their properties can rely on us to manage the application process on their behalf. The CAP staff will contact us, and we take care of the necessary administration.
We understand how frustrating and budget-damaging it is if tenants fall behind on paying rent, especially for months at a time. We do everything we can to help landlords be as profitable as possible. So, this includes seeking out opportunities such as Baltimore City’s Eviction Prevention Program, which provides back-rent payments directly to the landlord.
Either Accept Funds or Evict
If there is already a court date or eviction date set, then the program staff will expedite your application. (The fastest application process time we’ve seen is one month.) However, it’s important for landlords to know that if they accept the funds from Baltimore City’s Eviction Prevention Program, then they must drop all court proceedings for 90 days. The tenant cannot be evicted during that time.
If the tenant falls behind on their rent again after that, then we can reapply to the program for more funds. Or if eviction becomes necessary, then we make sure the proper filings are done in court. We also have an attorney on retainer who extends discounted pricing to our clients. This is all part of the comprehensive services we offer to help you be a successful, profitable landlord.