Small Rental Repair Program

The application period ended June 5, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.

 

The Small Rental Repair Program (SRRP) provides zero interest forgivable loans to owners of rental properties with one to seven units requiring rehabilitation and/or elevation as a result of damages from Hurricane Ida. The program also allows for mitigation activities such as structural and utility retrofits, grading and slope stabilization, and drainage improvements that are designed to make the rental housing more resilient in future storm events. Assistance also may be provided to make housing accessible for individuals living with disabilities.

The loans are made possible with federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding that DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is administering on behalf of the State of New Jersey.

Rental housing assisted with SRRP funds must be rented to low- to moderate-income households at affordable rents for a certain period of time upon completion of the rehabilitation of the unit(s). This program requirement is to increase the supply of affordable rental housing units in areas that were damaged by Hurricane Ida.

Who is eligible?

  • Any public, private, for-profit, or nonprofit entity that owns the property at the time of application or has an option to purchase the property during the time of application.
  • Property owners with seven (7) or fewer rental units.
  • Priority will be given to property owners who owned the property at the time of Hurricane Ida and still own the property at the time of application.
  • Priority will also be given to property owners with 1-4 units.
  • See SRRP Program Policy for additional detail.

What structures are eligible?

  • Rental properties of one (1) to seven (7) units that require rehabilitation as a result of damage from Hurricane Ida. Manufactured homes, RVs and houseboats are NOT eligible structures under the program.
  • Rental properties designated for long-term rental housing. Vacation rental properties are NOT eligible.
  • Rental properties with at least 1 foot of flooding or $8,000 in damages from Hurricane Ida as determined by FEMA or a program damage assessment.
  • Rental properties must be located within one of the disaster-declared counties that were eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance. Those counties are Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren.

When is the application period?

The application period has ended. The application period was April 3, 2023 to June 5, 2023.

What are the rental requirements?

  • Rent units to low- to moderate-income (LMI) households, which are households earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
  • Provide affordable rental rates. Rent and utilities cannot exceed 30% of the renter’s income. DCA will publish affordable rent rates each year.
  • Provide affordable housing for a specified period of time. The number of years the rental property owner is required to provide affordable rental housing will be determined based on the SRRP loan amount.

What is the Uniform Relocation Act Move-In Notice?

SRRP applicants must give a URA Move-In Notice to prospective tenants to advise them of the following before they enter into a lease agreement and/or move into the rental unit:

  • They may be permanently displaced by the project.
  • They may be subject to a rent increase.
  • They may not qualify for relocation assistance as a "displaced person" under the Uniform Relocation Act, and if they do have to move as a result of the project, they will not be reimbursed for any costs or expenses in connection with that move.

See the URA Move-In Notice Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information.

URA Move-In Notice FAQs

Aviso de Ocupación bajo URA Preguntas frecuentes

To learn more about the Uniform Relocation Act and how it applies to DCA disaster recovery programs, please review:

Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition Manual

Manual de Reubicación Uniforme y Adquisición de Bienes Inmuebles

Additional Information

Only applicants with remaining repairs, eligible elevation, or mitigation work may be eligible to receive assistance. Reimbursement of costs for work done prior to submitting an application is not allowed.

Loans are limited to $50,000 per rental unit for rehabilitation. For properties that require elevation, up to an additional $50,000 per unit may be available, resulting in a total maximum assistance of $100,000 per unit, or an overall program cap of $700,000 for a seven-unit structure.

In cases where Ida-impacted rental properties have been substantially damaged and the cost to repair the property is unreasonable, property owners may be eligible for alternative assistance. DCA will work with those property owners to determine what eligible assistance can be provided. 

Housing and legal counseling services are required for rental property owners in the program and their tenants.

Tenants whose landlords participate in the SRRP program are eligible for relocation assistance during the period they are temporarily required to vacate their rental home due to rehabilitation, reconstruction, or elevation construction activities.