Page 15 - NBIZ October 2022

Texas Emergency Rental Sometimes, the landlords must file Texas Eviction Diversion
Assistance Program (“TERAP”) an eviction not related to lack of Program (“TEDP”)
In September 2020, the Texas
The U.S. Department of Housing payment but for conduct-related Supreme Court established the
defaults. Nevertheless, if a landlord
and Urban Development and Com-
A Lifesaver munity Development Block Grant received rental assistance previously Texas Eviction Diversion Program
(“TEDP”) to limit the increasing
CARES provided the funding for
but must proceed for non-payment
amount of evictions due to COVID-
Texas Emergency Rental Assistance
reasons, the landlord(s) may encoun-
for Landlords? Program (TERAP). TERAP provides ter problems. 19. Under TEDP, if a landlord
7
assistance to the participating
forty-four cities and counties with
no more than six months of relief,
or five months of past rent and
4
one month of future rent. TERAP
closed on January 14, 2022.
Houston-Harris County
Emergency Rental Assistance
Program
Houston-Harris County Emer-
gency Rental Assistance Program
provided relief to participants with
active eviction cases or current
notices to vacate for delinquent
5
rent. It provided a maximum of
rental relief between fifteen to
6
eighteen months. It was started in
February 2021 by the Archdiocese
of Houston-Galveston, Catholic
Charities, The Alliance, and
BakerRipley. It has provided over
290 million in relief to over 73,000
families. Applications selected
before December 2021 will contin-
ue to be processed.

How the Programs Affect the
Landlords
Landlords want to receive rental
payments, and it is often irrelevant
who pays those rental payments.
Yet, landlords have had to deal with
tenants that have not paid rent for
12, 18, and sometimes more months
who do not qualify for any rental
assistance program, or received
some funds but are unable to pay
for the remaining months. Banks
have not provided landlords with a
break from the incessant mortgage
payments. Unfortunately, rental
assistance has left some landlords
with tenants that have never paid
their rent and/or cannot pay rent.
At that time, many of those land-
lords must make the hard decision
to opt-out of rental assistance
and the funds to pursue eviction.

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