Disaster Specific Rent Assistance

FEMA Rental Assistance is a temporary grant for applicants whose homes have become uninhabitable due to wildfires. This assistance helps cover the cost of living in temporary housing while homes are being repaired or rebuilt, or while individuals search for a new rental home. Displacement assistance is a one-time payment to help individuals if they can’t return to their homes directly after a disaster. Continued Temporary Housing Assistance provides funds to pay a security deposit and rent.

For more information FEMA's website.

FEMA disaster application is now closed. Late applications may be reviewed, and FEMA may request documentation to prove late application.

To apply for assistance, update your application or check the status of your application, please visit at disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST. Claims can be made for damage and one-time financial assistance to help with cleanup. 

Visit the FEMA California Region 9 page for updates, including when disaster recovery centers (DRC) are opened.  

What Landlords Need to Know about the FEMA Rental Assistance Program

FEMA works with applicants unable to live in their fire-damaged homes to determine their temporary housing needs. Rental Assistance helps them pay the security deposit, monthly rent, and utilities (gas, oil, trash, sewer, electricity, and water) for a dwelling other than their damaged home.

The rental assistance amount is based on fair market rates for the Los Angeles County area as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The initial rental assistance award, which FEMA pays to eligible applicants, may pay for up to two months of rent, with incremental three-month extensions up to 18 months from the date of the FEMA disaster declaration (Jan. 8, 2025) if the applicant remains eligible.

Extensions of rental assistance tend to be unpredictable at the time a renter moves in. It depends on the progress made on repairs to the damaged home or on finding another permanent housing solution. Throughout the rental period, rental assistance recipients must continue to work toward a permanent housing plan to remain eligible for Rental Assistance. They must also comply with their occupant lease and prove their ongoing need for rental assistance.

For more information on FEMA Rental Assistance, visit FEMA's website.