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This is another installment of a new series on how to navigate life in New Bedford. Ask us your questions here and our reporters will look into it for you.
One in every 10 Massachusetts renters is behind on rent payments, according to recent Census data.
A missed payment can lead to an eviction, but there are strategies you can use to stay in your home and pay back what you owe. Here’s what to do.
Step 1: Talk to your landlord
Ask your landlord if they’re open to setting up a repayment plan. By agreeing to pay your past-due rent in installments, you may be able to avoid an eviction case.
“I’m a proponent of working things out before you get to court,” said Rob Mount, managing attorney at South Coastal Counties Legal Services.
It can be a tense discussion, Mount said, but staying out of court saves everyone’s time and money. Just don’t make promises you can’t keep — go into the discussion with an idea of what you can realistically pay every month, Mount said.
Step 2: Apply for assistance programs
Two assistance programs can help you get caught up on rent payments: the state’s Residential Assistance for Families in Transition, or RAFT, and the federal Emergency Solutions Grant, or ESG.
Together, these programs can provide up to $7,000 in assistance in a year.
RAFT can pay for up to $7,000 in past-due rent, moving costs, and utility bills (if you have received a shut-off notice). You cannot be evicted while your RAFT application is pending.
To qualify for rent assistance through RAFT, you must be able to prove that you’re having a housing crisis — usually, that means showing you received an eviction notice. If you live in subsidized housing, you may need other documentation to show why you weren’t able to pay your rent, such as a bill for a medical emergency. Your household’s income must be at or below 50% of the area’s median income. For instance, a three-person household in New Bedford must have an income of $49,300 or less.
When you apply for RAFT, you will need:
- A current ID for the head of your household, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport
- Proof of housing, such as a lease or other rental agreement
- Proof of your housing crisis, such as an eviction notice
- Income verification, such as a pay stub and benefit letters for any cash benefits from state or federal programs
Your landlord will also need to complete a RAFT application for landlords.
The sooner you apply, the sooner you can get assistance.
“Getting that started is paramount to stopping an eviction case,” Mount said.
The Emergency Solutions Grant can help you with up to six months in late rent payments. To qualify you must be considered at risk of homelessness, meaning you could lose your home within the next 30 days. Your household’s income must be below 30% of the area’s median income. For instance, a three-person household in New Bedford must have an income of $29,700 or less.
To apply, you’ll need the same documents as for a RAFT application, as well as a social security number.
Staff at PACE’s Housing Opportunity Center can help you and your landlord apply for both of these programs. Call the center at (508) 993-0033 to set up an appointment.
Step 3: Know your rights in an eviction
An eviction is a legal process that happens in district court or housing court. Mount recommends reading the eviction guides on the MassLegalHelp website so you know what to expect and what you can do. You can also get legal help from South Coastal Counties Legal Services, at 800-244-9023.
To qualify for legal help from South Coastal Counties Legal Services, you must have income below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines and have limited cash or other assets. For a family of three, that would mean having an annual income below $51,640.
In order to evict you for missing rent payments, your landlord must send you a “notice to quit,” which notifies you that your landlord plans to file an eviction case in court within a certain period.
“Just because you get a notice to quit does not mean you have to leave,” Mount said. “There are options available.”
Your landlord can’t remove you from your apartment without a judge’s order. You may be able to resolve the case by paying all the rent you owe or coming to an agreement with your landlord through mediation. Even if you can’t come to an agreement, the judge may grant you more time to move out.
It’s very important for tenants to file an answer in any eviction case, Mount said.
You can file counterclaims if your landlord hasn’t addressed bad conditions in your apartment. Make sure to document any problems by taking pictures with timestamps, and keep a record of each time you’ve communicated with your landlord about them. If there are health code violations, you can call the Board of Health to do an inspection — you can use the inspection report to help you establish your counterclaims, Mount said.
“The biggest thing is being prepared,” he said. “The more prepared party is going to prevail.”
Email housing reporter Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org
You forgot a few important steps to prevent eviction, if you’re behind on your rent, work some overtime hours each week to make up the income you need to get paid up.
If you can’t work overtime because there are no extra hours available to you, get a part time job to work an extra 10-20 hours per week to get caught up, when you are caught up, work the extra job for an additional 3-6 months to build up a savings account so you’re not in this situation again in 6 months. There are so many companies seeking part time and full time employees, there has to be a position available for you.
Wouldn’t it be a pleasant change to take care of yourself and your family without having to ask for assistance from others and being dependant on other people to make it from month to month?
What would you do if there was no agency available to help you? You would have to help yourself, and be able to hold your head high instead of being dependant on federal & state tax payer funded programs to make it on your own, if you can’t live independently, then you’re obviously doing something wrong, and you need to change things in your life to improve it.