Fact Sheet: FEMA Seeks Landlords for Housing Assistance Programs in Puerto Rico

FEMA is seeking landlords who can help provide housing assistance to survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Two programs—Direct Lease and Multi-Family Lease and Repair—make use of existing vacant rental properties in Puerto Rico that are either ready-to-rent or are in need of minor repairs to make them safe and functional. In both programs, FEMA provides rental payments directly to participating and eligible landlords to provide safe living quarters to displaced survivors with damaged or destroyed homes.

Direct Lease allows FEMA to lease residential properties as temporary housing for eligible applicants.

• Properties sought for immediate rental can include single-family homes, multi-family homes, apartments, cooperatives, condominiums and town houses.
• Direct Lease is limited to 18 months following the date of the disaster declaration (Sept. 20, 2017).
• Utility costs and other expenses not covered in the lease are the responsibility of the disaster survivor.

Interested property owners should contact: FEMA-Lease-PR@fema.dhs.gov or call (202) 506-0314 or (202) 506-0530 or (202) 705-9140.

To qualify for the Multi-Family Lease and Repair program (MLR), the rental property owner must own one or more multi-family properties that are ready to rent and/or need repairs and:

• The property must have three or more units available to FEMA to qualify as a multi-family dwelling.
• The property must have been previously used as a rental unit.
• FEMA will require a lease for exclusive use of the property as temporary housing for a period of at least 18 months from the disaster declaration date (Sept. 20).
• This program repairs property to make the rental units habitable and available to house hurricane survivors. (The repairs do not need to be the result of Hurricanes Irma or Maria.)
• Property owners may choose to complete the repairs using their own contractors or have FEMA secure a third party contractor.
• Repairs and improvements must be done within four months (120 days).
• The property owner must provide all property management services and own the entire parcel.

Interested property owners should contact: FEMA-MLR-PR@fema.dhs.gov or call (202) 705-9140.

Properties eligible for either Direct Lease and/or the Multi-Family Lease and Repair program must be accessible to community services like schools and grocery stores, must not be located in a Special Flood Hazard Area and must provide complete and independent living facilities for one or more people. This includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitation. All repairs must comply with local building codes, standards, permitting, inspection requirements and all applicable environmental and historical preservation laws and regulations. The landlord must also be willing to have at least one unit repaired or improved to be accessible to applicants with disabilities or other access and functional needs.  

For more information about FEMA Housing Assistance Programs, please visit DisasterAssistance.gov. (For more information about Special Flood Hazard Areas please visit: https://www.fema.gov/special-flood-hazard-area.)

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service). TDD/TTY, call 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters, which can cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

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