HUD TA Resource – Landlord Engagement

Posted by Brendan Auman

Private market landlords, property managers, owners, and public housing authorities are responding to the same conditions impacting housing crisis response systems nationwide. As everyone faces new or changing conditions and uncertain futures, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) recipients in partnership with Continuums of Care (CoCs) should prioritize working with landlords and property owners to house people experiencing homelessness. A proactive, affirmative landlord engagement system is one of the most efficient means of increasing the supply of available rental units in your community.
The Landlord Engagement: Reset your community’s critical partnerships document details how to start a landlord engagement system, keys to a dedicated organization(s) which can manage the system, and communication, recruitment, and retention planning and action steps.
ESG and CoC providers should also work within their organizations to improve landlord engagement in the time of COVID-19. This document highlights tips for building and sustaining relationships with landlords, and includes actions and examples for how to incentivize landlord participation in housing programs, perform contactless lease ups, and provide consistent services.
These documents should be utilized by providers and community leaders to build top down consistency across housing programs and their interactions with landlords. They include numerous links to existing tools and examples from other communities to improve and invest in landlord engagement. For more landlord engagement resources, including a spotlight on Miami-Dade County, please view this page.