For Landlords

How it works

  1. Landlords may enroll in the program at any time.
  2. Tenants identify their landlord when applying for assistance. If a tenant’s landlord is not already enrolled, the landlord will be contacted and asked to enroll.
  3. Once a tenant’s application is approved, the landlord will be asked to confirm the amount of the tenant’s past-due rent and accept any prospective payments for future months.
  4. After confirming, the tenant and landlord will receive a ‘confirmed pledge’ email indicating the amount of rental assistance approved.
  5. Program administrators will pay the ‘confirmed pledge’ amount via electronic payment (ACH) to the landlord’s bank account. The landlord must then credit the tenant’s account within 5 business days.

Not sure if you’re enrolled already?

Funding Availability

Funding is available for past-due rent from April 2020 onward, for months in which no other rental assistance has been received, not to exceed 18 months total. Households may also be eligible for up to two months of future rental support that is paid directly to the landlord. The landlord must confirm the amount of past-due rent that is requested.

Landlord Enrollment

Landlords will register by completing a landlord enrollment form, agreeing to Landlord Terms & Conditions, and uploading supporting documents, including a signed W-9 and a canceled check or ACH payment instructions. To review all of the Landlord Terms & Conditions, please go here.

All participating Landlords are required to be verified once every 12 months and should be aware of the Landlord Terms and Conditions. Landlords who need to update any of the information on their enrollment form should email landlord.enrollment@catholiccharities.org.

Landlord participation is required. If a tenant applies for the program and their landlord is not yet enrolled, the landlord will be contacted and asked to enroll. If a landlord does not wish to enroll in the program but is willing to agree to the terms and conditions, payments may be made directly to the tenant. Landlords are encouraged to enroll in order to facilitate faster, more direct payment.

Landlord Guidelines

Participating landlords agree to:

  • Give the tenant credit for any partial payments
  • Waive all late fees, penalties, and interest related to past-due rent
  • Not pursue enforcement of any judgements, writs of possession or other litigation until a final decision is made on the tenant’s application
  • Rescind or cancel any prior notice to vacate, dismiss any eviction suit, and rescind or cancel any writ of possession based on non-payment within five business days of payment if the tenant’s application is approved
  • Refrain from implementing an Enforcement Mechanism against an Applicant for whom Landlord received payments through the Program until at least sixty (60) days following receipt of payment
  • Not interfere with the tenant’s possession of the rental unit/property

Program Eligibility

Landlords with residential property located within the City of Houston or Harris County are eligible to participate.

Note: Guidelines listed here correspond to grants funded by the US Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the primary source of funding for this program. Guidelines for funding from other sources may vary slightly.