Rent relief gained national attention last week, when the federal eviction moratorium lapsed before a new protection was enacted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread. As of June, state and local rental assistance programs had distributed only around $3 billion of the more than $47 billion in federal funding allocated for emergency rental assistance (ERA). Although distribution has significantly sped up compared with previous months, the current pace means relief will not reach (PDF) millions of renters in need soon enough.

These distribution data were key to understanding ERA programs’ progress, but they were missing important information to understand programs’ impacts and challenges—such as whether the programs distributing aid quickly are reaching households most at risk of eviction. There has been little insight into why certain ERA programs have been distributing assistance faster than others or what can be done to help lagging programs.

Lessons from behavioral science, the study of how people make decisions, can improve ERA programs to encourage renters to apply and to ensure assistance quickly gets into the hands of the people who need it most.

Both renters and landlords face structural barriers to accessing emergency rental assistance. An Urban Institute analysis found that, among rental units owned by independent mom-and-pop landlords, more than half of renters and 40 percent of landlords are unaware that federal assistance is available. The analysis also found that misinformation, lack of awareness of available resources, and uncertainty that landlords or tenants will receive assistance were the leading reasons why people aren’t taking up rental assistance.

Other barriers include the technological and digital divide. COVID-19 has pushed many activities online, and the same is true for ERA applications.

Housing advocates have expressed that online ERA applications are often inaccessible because many of their clients lack smartphones or computers. This barrier, in addition to the applications being overly complicated and in English by default, has slowed completion rates.

Below are ways local program administrators can use behavioral science to speed rental relief delivery as federal eviction protections start to run out:

    • Increase ease of application through existing programs. 
    • Expand and strengthen personalized outreach efforts. 
    • Track effectiveness.

Read the full article about behavioral science by Jessica Perez and Abby Boshart at Urban Institute.