Rental Assistance

Rental Assistance Programs

If your household has been or will be unable to pay rent due to COVID-19, you may be eligible for rental assistance through the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program.

CA COVID-19 Rent Relief & Tenant Protections

The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program provides financial assistance for rent and utilities to income-eligible California renters and their landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19. Both renters and landlords can apply for funds at HousingisKey.com. For program details, visit Program Overview. For additional information, including eligibility and application help, call CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Call Center at 833-430-2122. If you need assistance in another language, or to get help to see if you’re eligible, help with an application, or upload required paperwork, schedule an appointment with an organization near you by calling 833-687-0967.

If you have ONLY applied for the San Francisco rental assistance program, you must ALSO apply at HousingisKey.com. Visit FAQ for applicants who have applied for the local program. For assistance, call Homeownership SF at 415-202-5464 or email [email protected].

For more details on Tenant Protection, visit:

Eviction Prevention

If you receive eviction documents, you should immediately contact the Eviction Defense Collaborative at (415) 659-9184 or [email protected], they will connect you to an attorney. If you need advice about a specific situation, you can also contact the Rent Board, a mediator, or a tenant counselor for more information.

FOR FREE LEGAL HELP: Contact Bay Area Legal Aid at 415-982-1300 to schedule an appointment at a rental debt clinic.

Extended tenant protections as of June 29, 2021 due to SB 832: landlords cannot evict a residential tenant for unpaid rent that became due between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, if certain requirements are met, as follows:

The tenant paid the landlord an amount equal to 25% of all the unpaid rental payments due from September 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021
The tenant was unable to pay rent because of financial impacts related to COVID-19.
Does not apply to evictions related to violence, health and safety issues, and evictions under the Ellis Act