What documents are required for EDDP applications?

In order to process an application for financial assistance, we'll need the following documents:

• A current, signed copy of the lease agreement (or confirmation that the agreement has lapsed to month-to-month or is a verbal agreement)
• An updated rent ledger detailing the dates and amounts of charges/payments along with the balance owed following activity (click here for a sample ledger form)
• A signed copy of IRS Form W9

How much financial assistance can eligible households receive?

The EDDP utilizes multiple sources of funds to provide assistance to eligible households, so the total amount of financial assistance will vary between households. For households receiving assistance using Emergency Rental Assistance ("ERA") funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, households can receive up to 18 months of total financial assistance. For the program, we'll typically start by trying to cover back-owed rents and then see what additional financial assistance is available to eligible households following an initial payment.

How do I check where an application is in the process?

With the transition of the CORE 2.0 program on May 31st, 2023, the status of applications in Neighborly (the online application system used by EDDP for ERA funds) has changed slightly. Landlords should still be able to see the status of tenant applications connected to their application by looking under their application within Neighborly. However, if you can't find the details by looking online, landlords will receive email confirmations at various steps throughout the process, at the time of any payment, and in the event additional documentation is needed. However, landlords can also reach out to the Tenant Resource Center for additional information about the status of applications throughout the process.

What fees and costs are prohibited under the EDDP?

Starting June 1st, 2023, there have been changes to the EDDP's funding parameters that may impact the types of fees and costs allowable under the program.

Payments for Damages

The amounts allowable for payment of damages to a rental unit under the program are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The amount allowable for payment of damages under the program must be reasonable in nature. Payments for damages exceeding $500 in total require documentation to show itemized details for the costs related to damages to a rental unit. Examples of documentation allowable include receipts, estimates, invoices, pictures of the damage, or other billing details to clearly show the amounts of actual costs incurred in the repair of damages to the unit. Regardless of costs, documentation is always required for painting costs, carpet cleaning, and pest remediation costs.

Late Rent Fees

Under the EDDP, late rent fees must be considered reasonable in order to be processed. In general, late rent fees may not exceed $100.00 in total for a given month. Late fees must also be charged in accordance with any provisions of the rental agreement. For verbal agreements, late fees may only be eligible if the tenant confirms that their agreement includes such a fee.

Punitive Fees

Punitive fees are those that do not reflect actual costs and are used to try and deter behavior. These fees are categorically ineligible under the EDDP.

Escalating fees of any kind are ineligible under the EDDP. For example, a fee that starts at $15 for the first occurrence of an event, but is increased to $50 for the second occurrence would be ineligible under the program.

Court Costs, Attorney Fees, and Service Costs

In general, court costs, attorney fees, and costs of serving parties in a court proceeding can only be covered by the EDDP if they were awarded by a judge; otherwise they are treated as a cost of doing business under the program and not the responsibility of the tenant.

Pest Remediation (City of Madison Only)

If the rental unit is located in the City of Madison, pest remediation is an ineligible cost, regardless of any available documentation.

Other Fees

Other examples of fees that may be ineligible under the EDDP include sublet fees, breaking a lease fees, or other charges that don't reflect actual costs.

Fees Not Included in Rental Agreements

All costs paid by the EDDP must be reflected in the rental agreement or an addendum to the rental agreement. Any charges that aren't covered by a provision of the rental agreement will require additional documentation before payments can be issued towards those costs. In order to avoid delays in payment processing, landlords are encouraged to check their rental agreements against the rent ledger to ensure all charges correspond to provisions within the copy of the rental agreement provided to the Tenant Resource Center.

Rent Increases

With all types of rental agreements (term, month-to-month, periodic, tenancies at-will), the household must be notified in writing of any changes to the rent amount. The timing and legal requirements of the notice will vary depending on the type of lease. For the program, documentation of the current rent amount will be required in order to provide financial assistance. To document changes to the rent amount, landlords can provide any of the following: 1) signed copies of the rental agreement with the new rent amount, 2) a renewal agreement documenting the new rent amount, 3) a written notice of a change to a periodic tenancy, or 4) written documentation showing the tenant and landlord clearly established a change in the rent amount by mutual agreement.

In the event proper notice wasn't provided to a household of a rent increase, the program pays rents based on the last properly-noticed amount of rent available in the documents supplied.