On June 28, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) launched the Rental Assistance Finder tool, designed to assist tenants and landlords in locating state and local programs that are distributing federal financial assistance available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA-21) (Pub. L. No. 116-260) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2) (ARPA). The tool can be located at consumerfinance.gov/renthelp. In order to ensure that tenants and landlords are aware of the state and local programs available to them, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) is promoting the tool and encouraging state and local governments and tribal communities to help spread the word.

The CAA-21 includes relief designed to aid residential tenants and landlords suffering financial hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by:

For additional information on the CAA-21, see Legal Update, Road Map to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

The ARPA allocates $1.9 trillion in housing relief for families impacted by COVID-19 in the form of:

For additional information on the ARPA, see Legal Update, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Provides Continued Rental and Other Housing Assistance.

With the nationwide eviction moratorium coming to an end on July 31, 2021, tenants and landlords may need additional federal financial assistance to help pay rent, utilities, and other housing related expenses and to avoid housing displacement. For that reason, the Rental Assistance Finder tool comes at an ideal time. It is key in ensuring that tenants and landlords find the information they need to obtain the federal financial assistance available to them through the CAA-21 and the ARPA.

As an additional means of protecting tenants from housing displacement, counsel should check for ongoing state and local eviction moratoria even when the nationwide eviction moratorium comes to end. For a list of ongoing state and local eviction moratoria, see COVID-19: Commercial and Residential Eviction Moratoriums Select State and Local Laws Tracker (US).

For a continuously updated collection of resources addressing COVID-19, see Practical Law's Real Estate Global Coronavirus Toolkit.