Virginia Rent Relief Program receiving extra $524M

State program aims to help tenants and landlords through pandemic crisis

Published February 16, 2021 by Sydney Lake

Landlords and tenants have additional rental assistance on the way. On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that $524 million in federal funding will go toward the Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP), funded through the Emergency Rental Assistance program.

“RRP is based on a unique, collaborative partnership between tenants and landlords to ensure both remain whole amid the pandemic,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball said in a statement. “Our priority remains keeping our families in stable housing while also ensuring landlords are receiving the payments they need.”

The RRP is a separate program from the Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program, which since June 2020 has distributed more than $83.7 million in nearly 25,000 rent and mortgage payments for Virginia households. RRP does not include mortgage relief funding.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have prioritized efforts to keep Virginians safely in their homes,” Northam said in a statement. “There continues to be an overwhelming need for additional relief to help those struggling to make ends meet. This new federal funding will provide an important lifeline to individuals and families, and bolster our ongoing work to address housing affordability in the commonwealth. I urge eligible households to act quickly and work with their landlords to seek rental assistance through this program.”

The program will be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Landlords must work with their tenants to apply for assistance. Tenants may be eligible for rent arrears payments back to April 1 of last year and up to three future payments.

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