Thanks to the efforts of Virginia REALTORS^®, Virginia has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Treasury as the top state for distributing rent relief payments to landlords and tenants. Virginia was one of the first states to establish a rent relief program in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From day one, our team did a great job working with state leaders to design a program that has minimal red tape and gets payments to housing providers efficiently,” said Beth Dalton, 2021 President of Virginia REALTORS^®. “Our team continues to push reminders to our members to utilize this program for their clients and communicates regularly with the Department of Housing and Community Development to iron out any issues that may arise so that the program continues to work effectively.”

Since June 2020, Virginia REALTORS^® Government Relations team has worked closely with Governor Northam’s administration, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Virginia Housing (formerly VHDA) to establish and continue to streamline the Virginia Rent Relief Program.

According to DHCD, through July and August of this year, the program has administered an average of $11.6 million in funding each week. That means more than $2 million per day potentially going to you and your clients.

According to the U.S. Treasury, as of June 2021, Virginia had distributed 43% of its total funding, amounting to more than $250 million. The closest state to the commonwealth is Texas, which has distributed about 35% of its funding, while 40 states have allocated less than 10% of funding in the same timeframe. Virginia’s Rent Relief Program has provided more than 57,000 rental payments.

“It’s imperative that our members utilize this program for their clients,” said President Dalton. “There’s no excuse not to go after these funds.”

Housing providers can find more information about the program and set up a profile to apply for funds on Virginia Housing’s website. If you have questions or feedback about the Rent Relief Program, please contact the Virginia REALTORS^® Government Relations team at advocacy@virginiarealtors.org.