A rent bill, a power bill and a housing waitlist need different actions. Start with any notice that has a deadline. Then contact the office that handles your immediate problem. Programs depend on where you live and whether help is available.
Editor: Xavier Carrate · Guide updated:
Source check dates are listed individually below. They are not the source publication dates.
What this guide helps you do
Where it applies
Cannot pay rent or energy bills? Start here
Your next action
Prepare an application, respond to requests and identify your next action.
Who decides
This guide explains a process. The responsible agency decides eligibility, amounts and deadlines for your case.
Choose one step at a time or read all 6.
Start here
Find your most urgent bill or notice. Write down the amount, the deadline and the phone number printed on it.
Who this guide is for
People who rent their home or need help paying household heating, cooling or electricity bills in the United States.
Have these ready if available
Your lease or other housing paperwork, if available.
Recent bills and any shutoff, rent or court notices.
Recent household income records and benefit letters.
A working contact number and a place to keep application receipts.
Your steps
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Changing language keeps this guide, your current step and reading view. Check marks are not carried over. No documents or personal answers are transferred.
You can move on without marking a box. Your marks stay only in this open page and disappear when it reloads. A check mark does not submit an application.
Check what must happen soonest
Read each notice for a response or court date. If eviction is threatened, use the LSC legal aid finder to contact a local organization. Tell them the date immediately. For a shutoff notice, call the utility and ask which assistance or payment options it offers. Do not miss a court response deadline or hearing while you wait for financial help. Ask legal aid or the court what you must do next.
Use USAGov’s emergency rent page or call 211 to find local programs. Say: ‘I need help with rent due on this date. Which programs are accepting applications?’ Ask about eligibility, required documents and whether the landlord must participate. Availability is local; a referral is not an approval.
Use USAGov’s energy help page to find your LIHEAP office. Ask about heating, cooling or an energy crisis. Explain any scheduled shutoff. Ask what the program covers and whether applications are open. It may not cover every charge on your bill.
Use HUD’s housing agency directory to contact a local Public Housing Agency, or PHA. Ask about Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing and open waiting lists. These programs can involve long waits. Keep looking for immediate help while you apply for longer-term support.
Ask for the exact document list before sending private information. Use the agency’s application channel. Keep a copy and a confirmation number. If a document is missing, ask which alternatives are accepted and when you must provide it. Record any agreement with the landlord or utility in writing.
Ask: ‘Was my application received? Is anything missing? When should I check again?’ Put the next contact date beside the case number. Keep a PHA informed if your address or phone changes. Ask a legal aid worker how any rent-assistance application affects your particular eviction case.
After you apply
Keep the decision, payment agreement and receipts together. Confirm who receives an approved payment and whether any balance remains. If help is unavailable, ask for another local referral rather than assuming that every program has the same rules.
If you get stuck
Tell the office exactly what blocked you: a closed application, a missing document, a language barrier or an unanswered call. Ask for another application method or a housing counselor. If you have nowhere safe to stay tonight, use HUD’s homelessness resources or ask 211 about emergency shelter.
If something gets in the way
I do not have a lease or another document
Name the missing document when you contact the local program. Ask which alternatives it accepts and whether you can begin while obtaining it. A rent program, LIHEAP office and housing agency may require different evidence; one office’s answer does not apply to all three.
First identify the sender: court, landlord, utility or assistance office. Mark every deadline and ask the relevant office what action is required. For court or eviction papers, contact legal aid promptly; a benefits application does not automatically cancel a hearing or shutoff date.
Ask the program whether applications are closed or only appointments are full, and what other application methods it offers. Tell the energy office and utility about an imminent shutoff. If the program is unavailable, ask 211 about another local option; a referral does not guarantee funding.
Tell each assistance office about the change and ask which records it needs. On a housing waitlist, keep contact details and household size current. If you already use a voucher, check with the PHA before adding a household member or planning a move; approval requirements depend on the change.
Use your case number to ask whether the application arrived, is incomplete or is on a waiting list. Confirm the next contact date. Separately, ask the landlord or utility whether any promised assistance has arrived and what remains due; waiting for an agency does not erase the bill.
Label each confirmation “rent”, “LIHEAP” or “PHA”, with the date and case number. Ask whether it confirms a full application or only a request for contact or a waitlist place. These are separate processes; one submission does not apply to every program.
Record the agency’s official phone number and how it sends requests. Check your mail and chosen contact channel. Keep the utility’s shutoff date and any court date on your own list even while an assistance office reviews the case.
Ask the office whether it needs an interview, document appointment or housing briefing. Write down the location or call details and what to bring. If you cannot attend, contact that office to request another arrangement; do not assume that rescheduling has been accepted.
Ask which items are still missing and their deadlines. For rent help, ask whether the landlord must supply information; for energy help, confirm the account and bill requested. Use the office’s approved channel and keep proof of what you supplied.
If you receive voucher assistance, follow the PHA’s recertification and change-reporting instructions. For LIHEAP or temporary rent help, ask whether a new application is needed for another period and when applications open. A past award does not guarantee future help or available funds.
Ask for the reason in writing and whether there is a review process, with its deadline. Distinguish ineligibility from a closed program or lack of funds. Keep seeking other local help; if eviction is involved, give the notice to legal aid and keep the court deadlines separate.
Do not rely on that. Housing Choice Vouchers usually involve a local application and a waiting list. Ask local emergency rent programs about the bill that is due now.
Does LIHEAP automatically stop a shutoff?
Do not assume that applying changes a shutoff date. Ask the utility and LIHEAP office what happens in your case. Disconnection protections vary by state and provider.
Can I ask about several programs?
Yes. Ask each program what other assistance you must report and whether it can help with your remaining cost. Give accurate information about applications or payments from other programs.
Rent and housing help: bills, waiting lists and notices
This dated addition covers the tasks below. Earlier sections retain their own sources and dates.
Choose the task that matches your situation today. Help with rent already owed, a housing waiting list and a court notice require separate follow-up.
Start with this
Put any rent demand, court paper or housing-agency letter in front of you and find its date. If there is no safe place to stay, contact local emergency housing services now.
Who this helps
For renters, housing applicants and households needing a more stable place to live. If you need somewhere tonight, use the emergency housing route while pursuing longer-term applications.
Where this guidance applies
HUD and USA.gov link local services throughout the 50 states and DC. Eligibility, funding, waiting lists, repair rules and court procedures differ by local program and property.
What to prepare
Your address, county and a safe mailing address or contact method.
Rent statement, lease or available proof of your housing arrangement, plus any notice.
Household and income information the agency requests; ask about alternatives for missing records.
Steps to take
Separate urgent and longer-term needs Track a court or shutoff date separately from a rental-assistance application or a voucher waitlist.
Use the local entry point Ask the local program or public housing agency which application and documents apply to your situation.
Confirm the result Save receipts, identify missing steps and check whether help is approved, on a waiting list or unavailable.
Ask for help with rent already owed
Use USA.gov’s emergency rent route or call 211 where available. Ask which program currently serves your county and whether it is accepting applications.
What to prepare
Prepare the rent balance, lease or available housing proof, household income and any notice. Ask what replaces missing documents.
Steps to take
Ask which months and charges can be considered and whether the landlord must complete a separate part.
Keep a submission receipt and confirm how to check missing documents or a decision.
What to check before relying on this: Funding and openings change. Applying does not erase rent owed, guarantee payment or automatically pause eviction.
If that route does not work: Ask for another local referral or a housing counselor; seek legal aid separately if a notice has a deadline.
Apply for public housing or vouchers and follow the waitlist
Find a public housing agency through HUD’s state directory. Ask which public housing and voucher lists are open and whether they use separate applications.
What to prepare
Keep household details, requested income records and each application confirmation number.
Steps to take
Follow the agency’s current application instructions and ask how preferences and later eligibility checks work.
Record how to check status and respond to every update request; ask about other lists if this one is closed.
What to check before relying on this: A waiting-list place is not an issued voucher or a move-in date. Eligibility and availability remain subject to agency checks.
If that route does not work: Use local rent or emergency housing help for an immediate need while longer-term applications continue.
Identify whether you received a landlord’s notice, filed court papers or an eviction order. Tell the legal aid intake service exactly which paper you have.
What to prepare
Keep all pages, envelope and delivery dates, lease, rent receipts and assistance-application records.
Steps to take
Ask for urgent advice from an office serving the court’s county and describe any upcoming hearing or response date.
Use the court’s official contact to confirm procedural instructions and available self-help resources.
What to check before relying on this: Do not assume rent assistance, a complaint or an appointment delays the case. A requested extension is not an approved extension.
If that route does not work: Ask for another urgent legal referral and use emergency housing services if you may have nowhere safe to stay.
Find help with repairs or unsafe housing conditions
Identify who manages the home and whether it is private rental, public housing or another HUD-assisted property. The complaint route depends on that answer.
What to prepare
Keep dated repair requests, replies and safe-to-take photos, plus your lease or tenancy information.
Steps to take
Report the issue through the landlord or manager’s stated process and ask for a written response.
If unresolved, ask the PHA, appropriate HUD complaint channel or local tenant agency which route applies.
What to check before relying on this: Repair deadlines and tenant remedies differ. Get qualified local advice before withholding rent, deducting repairs or ending a lease.
If that route does not work: Seek legal aid if the problem continues; for immediate danger requiring emergency services, call 911.
Ask your local housing assistance program whether it currently helps with a new-home deposit, application fees or moving costs. Name the exact cost you need covered.
What to prepare
Prepare the proposed lease or written quote, move date and amount requested; ask before signing if approval must come first.
Steps to take
Ask whether payments go to you, the landlord or the mover and which costs are excluded.
If you have a voucher, coordinate the move and new unit with your PHA before committing to arrangements.
What to check before relying on this: A voucher does not automatically pay a security deposit. Do not count on reimbursement for costs already paid without checking the program.
If that route does not work: Ask a housing counselor or local assistance office about another program and a workable housing plan if this cost is not covered.
Update details so you do not miss a housing notice
Contact every housing agency or property waiting list where you applied. Ask how to update your mailing address, phone and household information.
What to prepare
Keep application numbers, old and new contact details and copies of the update request.
Steps to take
Use the required portal, form or office channel; ask whether another program must be notified separately.
Confirm the change appears in the record and ask how to check for notices sent before the update.
What to check before relying on this: Postal forwarding alone may not update a housing application. Missed requests can lead to removal from a waiting list.
If that route does not work: If you missed a letter or have no stable address, ask the agency promptly about accepted contact alternatives and any review process.
I need help with this housing problem in this county. This notice has a date. Is your program accepting requests, what can it cover, what documents are required, and what should I do while waiting?
Prepare my next task
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Follow up
Ask who receives any payment, when it is sent and what balance remains.
Update each program’s contact details separately and keep copies of every response.
Common questions
Will applying stop an eviction?
Do not assume so. Get legal help and follow the court or notice instructions. An application is not a court order or confirmation of an extension.
What if I have no lease or stable address?
Explain your arrangement to the program and ask which alternative records and contact methods it accepts. Do not invent a lease or assume every program uses the same rule.
Official and service sources
These sections explain access using the sources below. They do not confirm that a provider has openings, that you qualify, or that a professional has reviewed your case. Professional language and reader review of this edition remain pending.