The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs reminds L.A. County tenants and landlords that COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance is available and applications are open through March 31, 2022. Eligible tenants and landlords are urged to apply immediately. Applications will no longer be accepted after March 31, 2022.

Recent data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey estimates that hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles area tenants live in households that are behind on rent but have not applied for assistance.

If these households do not receive help, many could lose their housing, worsening the region’s homelessness crisis. County officials have redoubled their efforts to get the word out about the program before the end of the month. Every eligible applicant seeking assistance for eligible costs submitted and incurred on or before March 31, 2022, will be assisted. Rental assistance helps tenants and landlords avoid the eviction process and makes sure that all rental obligations are paid. Eligible households may receive up to 18 months of assistance to cover rent debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 until March 2022.

Those in need of rental assistance for unpaid rent and utilities owed from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022, should visit California Rent Relief.

For additional information, including eligibility and application help, residents should call the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Call Center at (833) 430-2122. Income-eligible applicants may qualify regardless of immigration status and will not be required to show proof of citizenship.

Residents who are facing eviction should immediately contact StayHousedLA.

StayHousedLA will continue to provide L.A. County renters with information about their rights as tenants, workshops, legal assistance and other support to keep tenants housed in L.A County even after the state deadline of March 31, 2022.

“Emergency rental assistance programs provide much needed relief for low-income tenants who are behind on their rent and utility payments,” said Consumer Affairs Director Rafael Carbajal. “These rental assistance programs have helped prevent unnecessary housing displacement and have helped ensure our most vulnerable residents have remained protected throughout the pandemic.”

“Thousands of county residents have received rent relief, but data shows that many thousands more may be missing out on available help,” said Emilio Salas, executive director of the Los Angeles County Development Authority. “Now more than ever, we encourage landlords and renters who have been affected by the pandemic to apply by the state’s March 31 deadline.”

As of March 9, the state has received 234,809 applications from L.A. County residents and paid out over $1.2 billion.

For more information about how federal, state and county laws can protect tenants and property owners, call Consumer and Business Affairs’ Housing and Tenant Protections team at (833) 223-RENT (7368) or visit Rent Relief.

For information about L.A. County’s Mortgage Relief Program, visit Mortgage Relief.