San Rafael, CA – Landlords in Marin County are eligible for new financial incentives through a partnership designed to help families and individuals find affordable homes in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Details will be outlined October 5 at an informational event.
There is a list of landlord benefits in the new collaborative housing program.
The County of Marin is collaborating with the Marin Housing Authority in an innovative and user-friendly Landlord Partnership Program that expands the viability of the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The October 5 event, sponsored by the Marin Housing Authority, will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael.
The average two-bedroom apartment rent is more than $2,500 per month. In 2015 more than 2,000 families and individuals used federally funded Section 8 vouchers to rent homes throughout Marin, bringing in more than $29 million in rent payments to the local economy.
However, hundreds more families and individuals, including many military veterans, struggled to find opportunities to use their vouchers in Marin’s dynamic and competitive rental market, contributing to the broader housing crisis. Policy options were presented by staff from the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) in four public workshops between October 2015 and February 2016, leading to the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the new partnership and program in July.
Landlord benefits of the program include:
- Access to a dedicated landlord liaison through a 24-hour hotline. This provides a rapid response for addressing immediate issues, directing access to resources and services, and general assistance with the program.
- Enhanced security deposit beyond the standard tenant payments.
- Access to special loans for property rehabilitation up to $25,000 per unit.
- Loss-mitigation insurance pool for unforeseen expenses.
- Vacancy loss coverage in the event that an unforeseen vacancy should occur.
- Waived building and planning permit fees for some repairs or improvements in the unincorporated area of the county.
“The incentives offered by this new program create a win-win situation benefiting landlords financially while leading to more homes being made available for the Marin workforce and special-needs populations,” said CDA Director Brian Crawford.
The County is spending about $404,000 on the two-year pilot program during the 2016-18 fiscal years.
Find more information at www.marinhousing.org.