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Relocation Assistance Program

About Relocation Assistance

The Relocation Assistance Program helps provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for Cincinnati’s citizens by providing assistance to people displaced due to building and health code violations, or other emergency situations, such as fires.

In some cases, families required to vacate because children have elevated blood lead levels may also be eligible to receive assistance.

The Program will assist citizens to relocate from blighted properties by ensuring timely financial assistance and referrals to secure housing.

The purpose of the Relocation Assistance Program payments are to minimize the hardship of tenants displaced by City of Cincinnati Code Enforcement activities and to provide assistance in renting suitable standard replacement units. When the City of Cincinnati issues Vacate Orders on a housing unit due to Code Enforcement; eligible tenants may receive a Relocation Assistance Payment of up to $600 for rent or a security deposit and a Moving Assistance Payment of up to $150 to assist with moving expenses.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Tenants

To be eligible for relocation assistance, tenants must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Lawful tenants in receipt of a written notice to vacate, issued by the City of Cincinnati, provided those tenants have occupied the housing unit at least 60 days immediately preceding the notice to vacate; or
  2. Lawful tenants who are in receipt of a written statement from the Cincinnati Health Department attesting that their current housing unit is substandard due to high lead content; and, is occupied by a child 6 years of age or under, regardless of the length of occupancy.

Tenants vacated from housing units with current Vacate Orders that were issued before the tenants’ occupancy are eligible for relocation assistance if they meet the other eligibility requirements. In addition, the City of Cincinnati may file criminal charges against the landlord through the City of Cincinnati Law Department Community Prosecution Section.

Ineligible Tenants

The following types of tenants are not eligible to receive relocation assistance:

  1. Tenants who receive a notice to vacate after the landlord has filed eviction proceedings in Court, unless the tenant filed a complaint with the City alleging substandard housing prior to the filing of the eviction proceedings.
  2. Tenants in Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority units.
  3. Tenants who transfer to a unit under the same Management Agency.
  4. Tenants vacated due to overcrowding.
  5. Tenants who have lived in their dwelling less than 60 days.

Upon request, ineligible claimants will be given written notice of reasons for rejection of their claim.

Program Guidelines

Relocation Assistance Payments

  1. Relocation Assistance Payments can only be used for rent or security deposits.
  2. Relocation Assistance Payments are based upon family size. The maximum amount of assistance shall not exceed $600.
    • 1 to 2 persons: $450
    • 3 to 4 persons: $500
    • 5+ persons: $600
  3. Tenants who rent furnished housing units by the week are eligible for a Relocation Assistance Payment of $75 and a Moving Assistance Payment of $50.
  4. The Community Development Relocation Services office does not intervene in issues of security deposit refund between landlord and tenant. Referrals are made to the Cincinnati Legal Aid Society.

Moving Assistance Payments

Moving Assistance Payments shall not exceed $150 for all family sizes.

Applications

A displaced tenant has 30 days from the date of their displacement to apply for relocation assistance. The tenant then has five months from the date of their application to move to a Decent Safe & Sanitary (D.S. &S.) rental unit and file a claim for payment. Extensions must be approved in advance by the Relocation Supervisor and shall not exceed an additional 30-day period.

Relocation Assistance Payments will not be issued unless the replacement housing unit is determined to meet the City of Cincinnati’s Decent, Safe, and Sanitary (D.S. &S) building code standards by City housing inspectors.

Exceptions to the Program Guidelines and Eligibility Requirements may be made during unusual "disaster" situations, as determined by the Community Development Relocation Services Program and the Community Development Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Division.

Case Documentation

H.U.D. Handbook 1378 Rev. Relocation Policies and Procedures will be followed for case documentation.

Method Of Payment

The Community Development’s Relocation Services Program will process claims. Relocation Assistance Payments will be made by joint check to the landlord and tenant. Moving Assistance Payments will be made solely to the tenant upon the presentation of documentation acceptable to the City.

More Information

For additional information, please call 513-352-5291.