HB2877 Summary: COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance

• Establishes the COVID-19 Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act to implement federal Coronavirus Relief Fund assistance for renters, administered by eligible state agencies with funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

• Requires state agencies to provide rental assistance based on stated need (including rent arrears and future payments), create processes for direct tenant payments when landlords refuse participation, and prioritize households in disproportionately impacted COVID-19 areas, with housing instability history, or significant rental arrears.

• Mandates public accessibility of program information in English and Spanish on state agency websites, including application forms, eligibility requirements, procedures for notifying and remedying defective applications, and communication methods for applicants.

• Requires state agencies to provide clear notifications about application determinations and allows acceptance of alternative rent documentation (demand letters, ledgers, termination notices) rather than requiring fully executed leases or immigration status verification.

• Seals residential eviction court files filed during the March 9, 2020 to March 31, 2022 COVID-19 emergency period, with civil penalties of $2,000 or twice actual damages (whichever is greater) for commercial dissemination of sealed records; also temporarily stays judicial foreclosure sales and new foreclosure filings until specified dates.