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How landlords can apply for RAFT

Landlords have a critical role in the RAFT application process. Learn how to complete a landlord RAFT application.
Complete the landlord RAFT application  Check an application status 

Contacts

Massachusetts 2-1-1

Phone

Informational and referral hotline Call Massachusetts 2-1-1, Informational and referral hotline at 211
Call Massachusetts 2-1-1 at (877) 211-6277

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are free and confidential. Interpreter services are available in multiple languages.

TTY Call Massachusetts 2-1-1, TTY at (508) 370-4890

Online

Live chat Massachusetts 2-1-1 website 

The Details

What is RAFT?

Note: This page is about completing the landlord RAFT application. Learn how tenants can submit RAFT applications.

The Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program provides up to $7,000 per 12-month period to help your tenants with back rent or with "startup costs" for a new unit. Examples of "startup costs" are first and last month’s rent and a security deposit.

To apply for RAFT, both a tenant and a landlord have to complete corresponding applications.  Either you or your tenant can start the process. A Regional Administering Agency (RAA) will review the applications after they are matched in the system.   If the application is approved, the RAA will submit payment directly to you.

Learn more about RAFT and other housing resources by dialing 211, contacting one of the RAAs, or contacting your local Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC). 

You will need:

To complete the landlord RAFT application, you’ll provide: 

  • Individuals: A Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

  • Businesses: Employer Identification Number (EIN)/Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)  

  • Your address & contact information 
  • Details about your preferred method of payment 
  • Proof of identity for property owner (or authorized agent) 
  • W-9 for property owner (or authorized agent) 
  • Proof of property ownership for unit 
  • Authorization of agent, if applicable 
  • Lease, tenancy agreement, tenancy at will agreement, or other proof of housing  

You may also need other documents depending on your situation. 

How to apply

You’ll apply through the Housing Help Hub. If you have trouble, contact your local RAA for help. 

If this is your first time completing a landlord RAFT application, you may want to create a profile. The advantages of making a profile are: 

  • Save your work and resume later 
  • Re-use documents and details for other tenant applications 
  • Check on application statuses for all your in-progress applications 
  • Check on payment statuses for all your approved applications 

To create a profile, you’ll need to verify your identity and provide information about who owns the property and who will receive payment. Important: Make sure your answers match what appears on your W-9.  

Once you’ve finished setting up your profile, you’ll see green checks after each section: Payee, Properties, Payment Methods. Then, you’ll be ready to fill out an application. If you have trouble, consult this guide to using the Housing Help Hub's Landlord Portal.

Fill out the application 

  1. If your tenant has already applied, you’ll get an email with a tenant application code. If you're completing your application before your tenant starts theirs, you can skip to step 2. 
  2. Landlords with profiles can log in to the Housing Help Hub and start a new application for a “tenant in need of assistance.” You can also apply as a guest (without making a profile). 
  3. Fill in information about the tenant, rent, and situation.
  4. Upload documents, such as a lease or tenant at will form.  
  5. Save your Assistance Application Number. You’ll use this to track your application’s progress.  

Important: Both you and your tenant need to submit within 21 days. If you don’t, the application will time out, and you’ll have to start over.  

After you submit your application

  1. Uploading additional documents

    The RAA reviewing your application may ask you for additional documents. Registered landlords will log in and upload them. Guests will need their Assistance Application Number. 

  2. The RAA will review your application

    It usually takes fewer than 30 days to get a response after both you and your tenant have submitted matched RAFT applications. Applications with all required information and documentation will be processed more quickly. 

    After an application is approved, you should receive payment within 14 business days. 

  3. Track the status of your application 

    On the Housing Help Hub's Landlord Portal home page, you’ll find a “Resume/Track Status” button. If you have a profile, you can select the application whose status you want to check. If you don’t, you’ll enter your Assistance Application Number. 

    The possible statuses are: 

    • Not submitted: The application is in progress but has not yet been sent in 
    • Submitted: The application has been submitted but hasn’t been matched. For example, if you start a RAFT application but your tenant hasn’t, you might see that yours has been submitted but hasn’t been matched with your tenant's.
    • Under review: The tenant and landlord applications have been matched. An RAA is making sure the case has all the necessary information and is eligible for payment.
    • Ready for payment: The application has been approved and submitted for payment
    • Paid: Payment has been made to the landlord
    • Closed/Denied/Withdrawn: The application was closed (timed out), denied due to ineligibility, or withdrawn

  4. Track your payment status 

    Landlords who have a profile on the Housing Help Hub can track the status of payments for any applications that have been approved.  

Mediation between you and your tenant 

Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers offer free pre-court (and in-court) mediation between landlords and tenants for lease disputes. Mediation is a confidential, voluntary and non-judgmental process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps people resolve differences based on what is important to them. 

Downloads

Open PDF file, 6.74 MB,  Landlord Portal Reference Guide (English, PDF 6.74 MB)

Contact

Phone
Informational and referral hotline Call Massachusetts 2-1-1, Informational and referral hotline at 211
Call Massachusetts 2-1-1 at (877) 211-6277

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are free and confidential. Interpreter services are available in multiple languages.

TTY Call Massachusetts 2-1-1, TTY at (508) 370-4890
Online
Live chat Massachusetts 2-1-1 website 

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