Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA)

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA) provides funds to renters in Manatee County and its municipalities who are in need of rental payment assistance due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funds will be provided as a grant for rent and landlord-paid utilities for approved applicants. Eligible renters may receive grant funds up to 18 months of assistance, if needed, for expenses incurred no earlier than April 1, 2020 and no later than August 2025, as long as the applicant remains eligible and funding is available.

To be eligible for this grant, a resident must meet the eligibility guidelines below.

Prepare now

Get a head start on your application by doing the following:

• Gather your 2020 Taxes for all household members 18 years or older (view tax season resources)
• Register for an account in Neighborly, our online application portal
• Gather the required documentation, listed below

Review our Frequently Asked Questions if you have specific questions about how to apply or whether you're eligible for the program.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following requirements (documentation will be required):

• US Citizen or Legal Resident Alien, applicant only
• Applicant listed on the lease
• Resident of Manatee County including its municipalities
• Need rent assistance payments, which can include landlord-paid past-due utilities, due to financial hardship during COVID-19 (on or after April 1, 2020)
  • No assistance may be provided for rent due prior to April 1, 2020
• Qualify for unemployment, or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs or experienced a financial hardship during COVID-19 on or after April 1, 2020
• Household income is at or below the 80% area median income (AMI) (see below)
• Eligible Residential Dwelling Expenses: 
  • Tenant-owed rent owed directly to a landlord and is outlined in a lease signed by both the tenant and landlord. Tenant-owed rent may include, but not limited to, base rent, month to month lease fee, amenity fees, pest control, utilities, late fees, pet rent, storage fee, etc. and any other fees outlined within the lease.
  • Tenant-owed portion of rent that is not subsidized. Households that receive a monthly federal subsidy  (e.g. Housing Choice Voucher,   Section 8 Voucher, Public Housing or Project-Based Rental Assistance) and the tenant rent is adjusted according to changes in income is eligible for the ERA program.
  • Lot rent for Mobile Homes owned or rented by the tenant is eligible for the ERA program.
  • Mooring Fees for a houseboat is eligible for the ERA program. Houseboat is built upon a floating base, which is not designed primarily as a vessel, is not self-propelled although it may be towed about from place to place, and is primarily intended to be anchored or otherwise moored in a fixed location and used as a primary residence.

Not Eligible:

• Room rentals are not allowed under this program (i.e. housing whereby individual rooms are leased to tenants. The landlord may not reside at the same house as the tenant/applicant.)
• Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are not allowed under this program.
• Boats, designed as a vessel for self-propulsion, are not allowed under this program. Please Note: Houseboats built upon a floating base that is anchored or otherwise moored in a fixed location that may be towed about from place to place is eligible.
• Motel/Hotels.
  
  

Applicants will be prioritized if they meet the following:

• Household Income at or below 50% area median income (AMI) (see below)
• Someone in the household has been unemployed for 90 days prior to the application

Household Income Requirements

Applicants must be at or below the 80% area median income (AMI). Those at or below 50% AMI will be given priority. This is based on the number of people living in your household and the total income for all in your household (including spouse, roommate, elderly parent, adult children, etc.).

What’s covered

Funds will be provided as a grant for rent and landlord-provided utilities for approved applicants. Eligible renters may receive grant funds up to 18 months of assistance, if needed, for expenses incurred no earlier than April 1, 2020 and no later than August 2025, as long as the applicant remains eligible and funding is available. 

Note: Applicants who previously received funding through the State's Emergency Rental Assistance Program, OUR Florida, may be eligible to receive funding through Manatee County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program. However, all months of assistance from OUR Florida and Manatee County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program cannot exceed a total of 18 months.

After you apply, if you continue to experience impact from COVID-19 and need assistance, you can complete a re-certification form for future rent payments (pending available funding but cannot exceed a total of 18 months).

Required documentation

To ensure a successful grant program, compliant with federal statutes and County regulations, the following documents are required for your application:

• Documentation of Household Income is at or below 80% AMI
  • Filed 2020 1040 IRS Tax Return for all household members 18 years or older -proof that Taxes have been filed is required, see FAQ "What is required to prove that I have filed my taxes?"  (OR)
  • 2020 Income Source Documents for all household members 18 years or older (w2, 1099, etc.). (OR)
  • 2 months (8 weeks) of income statements immediately prior to application submission (pay stubs, unemployment compensation, retirement, Social Security, self-attestation) for all household members 18 years or older; (OR)
  • Determination of eligibility for other federal government assistance programs that verify household income as low-income (Medicaid, WIC, SNAP, TANF, Subsidized Housing, such as Section 8 Vouchers)
• Documentation of COVID-19 Impact (including self-attestation)
• Formal Letter or Statement from Landlord stating amount owed or Declaration of Housing Instability 
  • If the landlord refuses to participate in the program, payment from Manatee County, ERA2 shall be made directly to the eligible household for the purpose of making payments to the landlord. Only after confirmation from the verifiable landlord that they refuse to participate, will payment be issued directly to the tenant. Arrears must be verified prior to any payment. 
• Current lease and contact information for landlord
• Proof of identification for applicant
• Proof of US Citizenship or Legal Resident Alien for applicant
• Proof that Co-Applicant resides in the household, as applicable
• If Landlord is applying on behalf of tenant, must include a signed ERA Tenant Authorization Form

If selected for assistance, applicant and co-applicant must sign the documents below:

• Authorization to Release Information to Manatee County
• Affidavit of Duplication of Benefit Agreement
• Affidavit of Income and Financial Impact from COVID-19
• Affidavit of Self-Employment, as applicable

Funding source

U.S. Department of Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance set forth in Section 501 of Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260 and in Section 3201 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2.

View Frequently Asked Questions