According to an announcement from Governor Northam, landlords can now apply for assistance for current and past-due rental payments dating back to April 1, on behalf of tenants who qualify for assistance under Virginia’s rental and mortgage relief program. The program uses federal funds from the CARES Act to help households facing eviction or foreclosure due to the pandemic. Now landlords can apply directly for relief under the program as well.

Qualifying landlords are those who are owners of Virginia rental properties (including apartments, single-family residences and manufactured housing), with bona fide leases to qualifying tenants. Tenants are eligible for relief if they have a valid lease agreement, a gross income that is less than the median income for the location, experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19, and are ineligible for other assistance.

The expansion of the rental and mortgage relief program is intended to provide assistance to landlords who have suffered losses due to decreased rent revenues during the pandemic, and counteract the anticipated flood of evictions due to non-payment of rent.

At PLDR we are monitoring developments from Richmond and Washington D.C. to ensure that you get the best advice regarding your landlord-tenant matters.