Anyone from ny unemployment got Emergency Rental Aid approved? Landlord payment status?

I applied in August and just got approved last week. The whole process took about 4 months. They told my landlord he'll be paid within 30-45 days for 6 months of back rent. My advice is to keep checking the portal and make sure all your documents are uploaded correctly. I had to resubmit my lease twice because they claimed they couldn't read it.

After spending literal DAYS trying to reach someone on the phone about my rental assistance application, I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual human at the department. Talking to an agent got my application unstuck and they approved me within a week after I explained my situation. Best investment I've made during this whole unemployment nightmare! They have a cool video explaining how it works too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I've been waiting since July and still nothing but 'pending review'. My landlord started eviction proceedings even though there's supposed to be protections. The legal aid society told me that just having an application in should protect me but the courts don't seem to care. The whole system is just broken.

ERAP is a total disaster in NY. I applied in June, got approved in October, and my landlord STILL hasn't received the money in February. They keep saying "payment processing" but what does that even mean? The worst part is you can't even get anyone on the phone to explain what's happening. I'm about to be homeless because of government incompetence.

Here's what worked for me with the NY Emergency Rental Assistance Program: 1. Document EVERYTHING. Every call, every email, every notification in the portal. Note the date, time, and who you spoke with. 2. Contact your state representative and senator. I was stuck for months until I reached out to my assemblyman's office. They have special liaisons who can escalate your case. 3. If your application is stuck, you need to speak with an actual human. The online portal is basically useless for resolving issues. I used claimyr.com to finally get through to someone after weeks of trying. 4. Make sure your landlord has submitted all their required documentation too. My application was delayed because my landlord didn't upload their W-9 properly. 5. If facing eviction, contact legal aid immediately and inform the court you have a pending ERAP application - this should pause proceedings. This program has been massively underfunded and understaffed, but persistence is key. Don't give up, and don't let your landlord intimidate you if you have a pending application.

you can check your status online. Go to otda.ny.gov and look for the applicant portal login. At least you can see if theyre still reviewing or if theres an issue with your application

I'm sooooo done with New York. Applied in August, approved in December, landlord still waiting for payment in February. Meanwhile they're announcing in the news that the program ran out of money. How can they approve people and then not pay???? This state is a joke.

My friend got approved after 3 months and her landlord got paid about 2 months after that. So total of 5 months from application to payment. The system is slow but it does eventually work.

Pro tip: If you're applying for rental assistance in NY, make sure you file for unemployment FIRST if you're eligible. They check if you've applied for all other available benefits before approving ERAP. I got rejected because they said I hadn't "exhausted all other options" even though I qualified for unemployment but hadn't applied yet. Had to appeal the whole thing. Such a waste of time.

Do NOT listen to your landlord if they tell you to withdraw your ERAP application so they can "work something out" with you. My sister did this and regretted it. Once you withdraw, you lose all eviction protections and they can take you to court immediately. Some landlords are doing this because they don't want to agree to the program terms.

anybody else notice how the ERAP website is always down for "maintenance" exactly when you have time to check it? 🙄 I swear it's intentional

FYI - don't waste your time calling the main ERAP number. It's completely useless. The reps can only tell you what you already see on the portal. "Your application is under review" is all they'll say. If you want real help, either use claimyr.com to reach someone higher up or contact your local state rep.

Has anyone gotten the "provisionally approved" status? Been stuck on that for 6 weeks now. What does it even mean??

i got approved but my landlord refuses to participate in the program. says he doesn't want to agree to their terms (can't evict for 12 months, can't raise rent, etc). so now i'm just stuck in limbo. has anyone dealt with this?

ngl I was shocked when my ERAP application actually got approved. Applied in October, approved in January, landlord got paid last week. I didn't do anything special - just made sure all my docs were clear and followed up like once a week through the message center in the portal. Maybe I just got lucky with a good caseworker.