Resident Rental Agreements: Living in Housing Rent Free

Recovery housing residences are permitted to allow residents to live in the house without payment of rent. In these situations, the resident rental agreement must be clear about how long the resident may live in the home without payment.

For example, if the program allows residents to live in the home for free for the first two months, the agreement must clear that the resident will begin payment of rent on a specific date after they move in.

In addition to the resident rental agreement, the program must be able to demonstrate that they are taking steps to assist the resident in making the described rent payments once the rent-free period of time has expired. This needs to be discussed with the resident before they move in, to provide enough time to help them to be able to pay rent when it is due.