Frequently Asked Questions

• The ILRPP application is a joint application between the tenant and the landlord. Both the tenant and landlord may complete their online application by visiting www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org and completing the pre-eligibility questionnaire, creating an ILRPP account, and providing the required information and documents. Applicants are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and list of required documents available at www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org prior to starting their application. There is no requirement for either the tenant or the landlord to complete their application before the other.
  

• When complete, applications from the tenant and landlord will be paired and reviewed for eligibility. You will be contacted by IHDA via DoNotReplyILRPP2@ihda.org if further information is required.
  

• For tenants or landlords with barriers to accessing the online application, Housing Stability Service (HSS) Providers are standing by to help. Contact IHDA’s ILRPP call center at 1-866-IL-HELP1 (866-454-3571) to be connected with an available HSS provider or visit www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org. 

Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, December 6, 2021 through Sunday, January 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Neither party will be provided additional time to submit an application after this deadline. Additional application periods may be announced in 2022. Please check IllinoisHousingHelp.org for future program announcements.

Landlords can submit contact information for their tenants in their ILRPP application which generates an email invitation to participate in the program. Tenants should follow the link provided, create an account, and submit their application using the exact address and unit number (if applicable) listed in the email. If the address listed in the email is incorrect, please call IHDA’s call center at (866) 454-ILHELP 1 (866-454-3571).

There is no requirement for one application to be completed before the other. Both the tenant and the landlord should take their time to collect all necessary documents required and complete their application on or before January 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. If either the tenant or the landlord completes the application first, the other party will receive an email invitation to create an ILRPP account and submit an application.

Yes, your application progress will be saved every time you click the “Save and Next” button. If you need to stop and finish your application later you can log into your ILRPP account, view your application dashboard, and click “Resume” to continue your application from the last saved point.

Tenants may still be eligible for assistance if their landlord does not wish to participate in the program or is unresponsive to IHDA’s requests to complete their application. Tenants should still complete their application and contact one of the Housing Stability Service Providers listed at www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org for further instructions.

Please contact the Illinois Housing Development Authority at 1-866-ILHELP-1 (1-866-454-3571) or Questions.ILRPP@ihda.org.

Tenants are eligible to receive a one-time grant of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlord on their behalf. However, if the landlord chooses not to complete their application, tenants may receive ILRPP payments directly. Grant amounts will vary and will be matched to the tenant’s specific need.

Assistance will cover up to 18 months of emergency rental payments, including up to 15 months of missed rent payments and up to three months of future rent payments. Rent owed from June 2020 through April 2022 may be paid for with ILRPP funds.

Please note that households that received federal rental assistance previously may not receive more than 18 months of total assistance, regardless of the source of the assistance provided. In addition, the combined assistance received from the Illinois Rental Payment Program may not exceed a total of $25,000. Finally, households that received emergency rental payment assistance previously may not receive further ILRPP payments for those same months.

If an application is approved, IHDA will issue a grant payment directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant in the form of a check using the payment information provided in the application. However, if the landlord chooses not to complete their application, tenants may receive ILRPP payments directly through a special review process. Tenants whose landlords are unresponsive or uncooperative will be contacted by IHDA for further direction.

No, the assistance is a grant.

No, ILRPP assistance awarded to renter households is not considered income for tax purposes.

No, in order to provide assistance to as many households as possible, ILRPP grants will only pay for past due or future rent payments. If you need utility assistance, please visit www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org for more information and instructions to apply for utility assistance programs.

No. If you need help with moving expenses, please check www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org for additional programs and support offered by the State of Illinois and its partners.

Funding for ILRPP is limited and IHDA will prioritize tenant households who have been unemployed for more than 90 days and those earning less than 50% of their area median income. IHDA will issue a press release when ILRPP funds are exhausted.

Federal rules require IHDA to prioritize applications from tenants who have been unemployed for more than 90 days and those earning less than 50% of the area median income. IHDA reserves the right to further prioritize applications to ensure the tenants with the highest risk of housing instability and homelessness are considered for ILRPP assistance.

The Illinois Rental Payment Program is only available to renters. IHDA will be offering a mortgage assistance program in early 2022. Additional information related to the program will be available in the coming months at www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org. In the meantime, homeowners are encouraged to contact their mortgage servicer (the agency that sends your mortgage statements) to discuss their specific situation.

Illinois tenants may be eligible to receive ILRPP assistance if:

• The household is at risk of homelessness or housing instability (i.e. household received a past due rent or eviction notice). 
• The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
• The household is a low-income family (meaning those families whose incomes do not exceed 80% of the median income for the area, adjusted for household size, as determined by HUD). Find your county’s income limits here.
• One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the coronavirus pandemic.

No, ILRPP assistance is available to all eligible renters in Illinois regardless of immigration status. ILRPP assistance is not a “public charge” benefit.

Yes, tenants may apply for additional assistance from ILRPP as long as the total number of months of federal rental assistance you have received does not exceed the program limit of 18 months, regardless of the source of the assistance provided. In addition, the combined assistance received from the Illinois Rental Payment Program may not exceed a total of $25,000 per household. Finally, households that received federal rental assistance previously may not receive further ILRPP payments for those same months. IHDA will adjust the ILRPP grant amount in these situations to avoid duplication of assistance.

Yes, tenants residing in state- or federally-subsidized housing are eligible to receive ILRPP assistance to cover the tenant-paid portion of rent. Applicants will be asked to provide a proof of voucher and recertification of income in their application. If the rental unit is part of a subsidized property, ILRPP funds cannot be applied to costs that have been or will be reimbursed under any other federal assistance. If anyone in the household receives rental assistance other than the ILRPP grant, the ILRPP grant may only be used to pay for the tenant-paid portion of rent that is not already paid for by the other rental assistance.

For example, if the rent is $1,000 and the tenant’s contribution is $200 a month with the remainder covered by a voucher or other subsidy, the tenant is eligible for $200 of ILRPP assistance per month.

Renters will need the following documents to apply:

• Government-issued photo ID regardless of expiration date
• A utility bill or proof of address dated 90 days prior to the application (if the address on your ID is not your current address)
• Proof of household income
• Proof of past-due rent
• Proof of public assistance (if applicable)
• Recertification of income (if applicable)
• A list of acceptable documents is available here.

Renters will need the following information to apply:

• Valid email address (must be accessible throughout the application review process)
• Valid phone number
• Monthly rent and amount past-due
• All required documents listed in question 21

The landlord is to provide a current lease in their application if one is available. If a current lease is not available, tenants and landlords are still permitted to apply.

No, a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer ID Number (ITIN) is not required for tenants.

After the tenant completes their application, it will be matched with their landlord’s corresponding application if one has been submitted and will be considered eligible for review. If the landlord has not yet completed their application, they will receive a notification inviting them to create an ILRPP account and apply. Tenants can check to see if their landlord has completed their application by logging into their ILRPP account and viewing their status on the application dashboard.

If further information is needed, you will be contacted by IHDA via DoNotReplyILRPP2@ihda.org with further instructions.

If the landlord does not complete their section of the application, they will be considered unresponsive and the tenant’s application will go through a separate review process. Those tenants may receive ILRPP funds directly and will be contacted by IHDA with further instructions.

Tenants whose landlords are unresponsive and/or uncooperative will be required to attend a rental counseling session provided by IHDA or one of our HSS partners. Once completed, further instructions will be provided.

Applicants may check the status of their application by logging into their ILRPP account. Your status will be listed on your application dashboard. Please note that application status updates will not be available immediately.

You will see these various status terms during the process:

• Submitted Waiting for Match: The application is waiting to be matched with the corresponding application for review. 
• Ready for Review: The application is complete and ready for review.
• In Review: The application is currently being reviewed. 
• Needs More Info: More information is needed. Please use the ADD DOCUMENT button to upload the requested documents. 
• Ready for Supervisor Review: the application has been flagged for further review.
• In Final Review: The application is under final review.
• In QC: The application was selected for special review.
• Approved: The application was approved for funding.
• Rejected: The application is ineligible for funding.
• App Under Review – 1: The application has been flagged for further review.
• App Under Review – 2: The application has been flagged for possibly being a duplicate.
• Duplicate Application: The application has been found to be a duplicate.

Reviews and payouts of approved applications will begin in December 2021. Please check your ILRPP account for application status updates.

All program communications will be sent to the email addresses provided in the application. Please make sure you maintain access to the email accounts associated with the application throughout the entire review and approval process.

Yes. However, tenants cannot receive rental assistance from more than one source for the same months. Duplication of benefits is prohibited and IHDA will adjust the ILRPP grant amount as needed to avoid double payout of funds.

ILRPP grant funds are paid to the landlord on behalf of the tenant. Landlords must agree not to evict their tenant for rent not paid during the program coverage period as a condition of receiving ILRPP funds. The program coverage period includes all months for which ILRPP payments were received for rent arrearage as well as future months covered by ILRPP pre-payments. If eviction proceedings have been initiated, they must stop for an ILRPP application to be considered for payment. If a landlord evicts their tenant, they are no longer eligible to receive ILRPP assistance on that tenant’s behalf.

If a tenant has been approved for ILRPP funding and their landlord has not stopped the eviction process, they should provide evidence of the ILRPP grant approval for the court to consider during the proceedings.

Tenants currently in court eviction proceedings are encouraged to apply for expedited assistance through the Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program.

Renters facing additional economic or social challenges should visit www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org for information on programs offered by the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, and other partners working to assist persons who are experiencing food insecurity, have mental or physical health concerns, substance use concerns, excessive debt, legal challenges, immigration challenges, justice involvement, and domestic violence.

If you have any questions, or if you are unsure about anything regarding your application, please refer to the list of Housing Stability Service Providers standing by to help at www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org. For additional assistance, contact the Illinois Housing Development Authority at 1-866-ILHELP-1 (1-866-454-3571) or Questions.ILRPP@ihda.org.

IHDA takes all allegations of fraud seriously. If you have reason to believe someone is providing fraudulent information in an attempt to obtain emergency rental assistance, please visit the “Report Fraud” page of https://ilrpp.ihda.org/Application/ReportFraud and provide as much detail as possible so that IHDA can promptly investigate the matter. Alternatively, persons can file a complaint online with the Office of the Executive Inspector General.

• If you have been the victim of fraud or have reason to believe someone is providing fraudulent information in an attempt to obtain emergency rental assistance, please contact your local law enforcement jurisdiction or the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
• You should also visit the “Report Fraud” page of www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org and provide as much detail as possible so that IHDA can promptly investigate the matter.
• More guidance on reporting fraud, waste, or abuse is available at the Treasury Office of Inspector General.