Renting an apartment with CityFHEPS: from the shopping letter to the keys

Published 10/18/2026 · 8 min read · By Bulwark

CityFHEPS is New York City’s rental assistance program for people living in shelter or at risk of losing their home. It is run by the Department of Social Services (DSS), which includes the Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Once you are approved, the program pays part of your rent directly to your landlord every month, and you pay a share based on your income. This guide follows the process from the first letter to moving in, and explains how to keep the subsidy afterwards.

Who can get CityFHEPS

Your household’s gross income must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, you must be receiving Cash Assistance if you are eligible for it (with no sanction on the case), and you must not qualify for another rental assistance program. On top of that you need a qualifying situation: for example, living in a DHS or HRA shelter and having a household member who works, has a disability, is 60 or older or served in the armed forces; or, in the community, facing eviction in court together with another listed condition. Only DSS decides eligibility. If you are in shelter, ask your case manager or housing specialist. If you are not, apply through a Homebase office.

Step by step

1. Get your two letters

   DSS issues a Shopping Letter and a Household Share Letter. The Shopping Letter is for landlords and brokers: it shows the highest rent CityFHEPS allows for your household and the documents the landlord will need. The Household Share Letter is for you only: it estimates the subsidy and how much rent you will pay. Check the income information on it. The letters mean you are potentially eligible; the final decision comes after a unit is submitted. DSS’s community FAQ says the Shopping Letter is valid for 120 days, and the expiration date is printed on it.

2. Find a unit within the limit

   Finding the unit is your responsibility, with help from your caseworker. The rent must be at or below the limit for your household size in the table below, lower if you pay any utilities yourself, and it must pass a rent reasonableness check against similar units nearby. A rent-stabilized unit also cannot be above its legal rent. You can rent a whole apartment anywhere in New York State; rooms and SRO units must be in the five boroughs.

3. Tell your caseworker right away

   Once a landlord agrees, tell your caseworker or housing specialist. The unit is registered on DSS’s apartment offers website by the landlord or your caseworker, and DSS checks the building for certain violations.

4. The walk-through

   DSS, DHS or your provider inspects the unit, in person or virtually. The landlord must have gas, electricity and water connected first. The checklist includes working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, heat in every room, hot and cold water, a working stove, oven and refrigerator, no peeling paint, leaks or pests, windows that open and lock, and window guards where children 10 or younger will live. Many HPD set-aside and lottery units skip this step.

5. The package

   The landlord provides a lease of at least one year signed by both of you, proof of ownership, a W-9, the Landlord Information Form, the utility form, and the forms for the security voucher, the unit hold incentive and any broker fee. You sign the Program Participant Agreement and provide your contact form and proof of income. Your caseworker or provider submits everything to DSS.

6. Approval and the keys

   DSS reviews the package and sends you an approval notice showing what DSS will pay and what you will pay. There is no lease signing at HRA; your shelter or provider arranges the key exchange, where the landlord receives the first checks and the security voucher. The keys must be for the same unit you saw at the walk-through and that is named on the lease. If you are eligible, furniture funds are added to your EBT card.

The 2026 rent limits

These are the CityFHEPS payment standards for New York City, used for packages submitted on or after March 1, 2026 or with a lease starting April 1, 2026 or later. They are the maximum rents when all utilities are included in the rent.

CityFHEPS pays for one bedroom for every two people. You may rent a larger apartment if its rent is within the limit for your household size, and if you rent a smaller one, the limit for the smaller unit applies. When you pay some utilities yourself, a utility allowance is subtracted from the limit. Larger households and units outside New York City have their own figures on the DSS CityFHEPS documents page.

What you pay

Your share depends on your household’s income and size. As HRA explains it to landlords, the subsidy pays the difference between 30% of the tenant’s income and the rent, and for households on Cash Assistance the shelter allowance from the case is paid to the landlord as well. For a room, your share is $50 or your monthly shelter allowance, whichever is greater. The approval notice has the final amount.

• The landlord cannot ask you for more than your share. The one exception: if your shelter allowance goes down, you make up the difference.
• No security deposit. DSS gives the landlord a security voucher.
• No broker fee. DSS pays the broker directly, up to 15% of the annual rent.
• No side deals. Any extra payment, up front or monthly, is prohibited.
• The subsidy covers rent only, not amenity or service fees a building may charge.
• A DSS payment made in the month the rent is due is not late, and a landlord cannot win a housing court case against you just for late fees.

Keeping CityFHEPS: renewals and changes

• Renew every year. DSS mails the renewal five months before the end of your subsidy year. Submit it with your documents through the ACCESS HRA website or app, by email or by mail. If you miss the deadline you get one warning notice, then a termination notice goes to you and your landlord. A late renewal within a year of the end date may still be accepted.
• At renewal you confirm you still live in the unit, your household size and your income. Household income up to 80% of the Area Median Income still qualifies for renewal.
• CityFHEPS generally allows up to four annual renewals, plus extensions for good cause, five years in total. The limit does not apply if your household includes someone 60 or older or an adult receiving federal disability benefits. Renewals also depend on continued funding.
• If your income drops or your rent goes up during the year, submit a modification request with proof. If the rent rises at lease renewal, send the new signed lease with your renewal.
• You do not need a new lease to keep the subsidy, as long as you stay eligible and renew on time.

Your rights

A landlord or broker in New York City may not refuse you because you pay with CityFHEPS. That is source of income discrimination: it is unlawful under the New York City Human Rights Law and may also violate the State Human Rights Law. Call the NYC Commission on Human Rights at 212-416-0197 if it happens, if anyone asks you for a side deal, or if the unit offered at move-in is not the one you saw at the walk-through. Our source of income guide explains what landlords may and may not do.

Where to get help

• Your case manager or housing specialist, first, if you are in shelter.
• Homebase, if you live in the community or have left shelter. There are more than 20 offices across the five boroughs; use the Homebase locator on nyc.gov or call 311 to find yours. Homebase helps with CityFHEPS applications and modification requests, eviction prevention and applying for other benefits.
• DSS OneNumber, 718-557-1399, the Rental Assistance Call Center, for questions about payments, your rent amount or renewals.
• NYC Commission on Human Rights, 212-416-0197, for discrimination or side-deal requests.

How we help

Bulwark leases and manages buildings for owners who accept CityFHEPS and other vouchers, and there is never a fee to you for a unit we place. If you have a Shopping Letter, tell us your household size and borough on the tenants page so we can match you to a unit within your limit. Caseworkers and housing specialists can send clients to us through the referral form. On the landlord’s side we prepare the package and the unit for the walk-through, so your approval is not held up by missing landlord paperwork. Landlords can read the CityFHEPS landlord guide.