FEMA Seeking Single and Multi-family Rental Properties to Support Disaster Survivors

FEMA is currently seeking interested, qualified owners or property-management companies to help meet the housing needs for disaster survivors by leasing their properties directly to FEMA.

What is Direct Lease?

Direct Lease is a form of Temporary Direct Housing assistance that allows FEMA to lease existing, ready-to-occupy residential properties for survivors whose housing needs cannot be met with other forms of temporary housing assistance. FEMA will pay the property management company/vendor the cost of rent, while the survivor is responsible for utility costs and other expenses not covered in the lease.

Does location matter?

Potential property management companies are mainly being sought in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the counties of Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, and Perry within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes drive of the affected areas or a distance that does not place an undue hardship. However, FEMA encourages all interested property management companies to consider participating.
Temporary Direct Housing is approved for four counties: Breathitt, Knott, Letcher and Perry.

What conditions do properties have to meet?

• All property management companies must register to do business with FEMA through the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov.
• Companies must lease the vacant units exclusively to FEMA for use as temporary housing for eligible survivors for a term expiring no earlier than 18 months, with the possibility of contract extension.
• Properties must be located within an area included in a major disaster declaration or within a reasonable commuting distance of communities approved for Direct Housing.
• Each property must comply with Housing Quality Standards established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and all utilities, appliances and other furnishings must be functional.
• Each individual unit must provide complete living facilities, including provisions for cooking, eating and sanitation within the unit.
• The properties must be located within reasonable access to community and wrap-around services, such as accessible public transportation, schools, fire and emergency services and grocery stores.
• The property owner is current with all mortgage payments, if applicable.

What other terms or conditions are there?

• There are several other terms and conditions that will apply to any agreement between FEMA and property management company/vendor selected for Direct Lease. For a complete list of terms and conditions, property requirements and property identification criteria visit: sam.gov.

Requested Information: What information is requested?

Interested property owner or management companies are asked to provide the following information:

• Property name, location, property owner name and phone number.
• Number of units (a separate bathroom, kitchen and living space) available for FEMA’s exclusive use and the number of bedrooms each unit contains.
• Status of the property’s mortgage payments;
• Property owners must be current with property mortgage payments;
• Number of vacant units containing a separate bathroom, kitchen, and living space;
• Number of fully furnished units;
• Number of vacant units available for FEMA-exclusive use;
• Number of vacant units compliant with UFAS and/or features in unit(s) that provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities;
• Description of repairs and improvements required to make the units habitable;
• Description of repairs currently underway, if applicable;
• Projected length of time required to make units habitable (from execution of lease agreement);
• Date building was originally constructed (if known);
• Dates the building was used as a rental;
• Rental rates during the last year of operation (state whether utilities were included and, if so, which ones);
• Applicable pet restrictions, such as type, number, or size, and pet deposits; and
• Number of parking spaces (including accessible and van-accessible) available for each unit, if applicable.
• Property owner must provide all building maintenance services, except where the property is leased or contracted from another government entity that already includes maintenance service.

Where do I respond to the request for information?

• Interested property owner or management companies must provide responses and comments on or before Tuesday, September 6, 2022, FEMA-DR4663KY-DL@fema.dhs.gov. The email subject line should read: RFI 70FBR422I00000004 Response: Direct Lease – DR-4663-KY.
• More information about this opportunity can be found at sam.gov.

What is Multifamily Lease and Repair (MLR)?

MLR is a form of Temporary Direct Housing assistance that allows FEMA to repair and lease or make improvements to existing multi-family rental property for the purpose of providing temporary housing to eligible applicants who are displaced due to the disaster. The properties should be complexes that are able to accommodate a considerable number of people in a single location. Each property must have been previously used as a multi-family housing complex and contain three or more rental units. The site must be repairable within a four-month period or less and cannot be located in a Floodway.

Does location matter?

Potential property owners who own multi-family rental properties are mainly being sought in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the counties of Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, and Perry within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes of the affected areas or a distance that does not place an undue hardship.

Requested Information: What information is requested?

Interested property owners who own properties that potentially qualify for participation in MLR are required to submit the following information for consideration:

• Complex name (if applicable), location, property owner name and phone number.
• Status of the property’s mortgage payments.
• Number of vacant units that contain a separate bathroom, kitchen and living space. Of the vacant units:
  • Number of vacant units available for FEMA exclusive use.
  • Number of units compliant with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and/or features in unit(s) that provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
• Description of repairs and improvements required to make the units habitable.
• Projected length of time required to make units habitable (from execution of lease agreement).
• History of building’s use:
  • Date of construction (if known).
  • Dates building was used for multifamily housing.
  • Rental rates during the last year of operation (state whether utilities were included, and if so, which ones).
• Any applicable pet restrictions, such as type, number, size, and any applicable pet deposits.
• Number of parking spaces (including accessible and van-accessible) available for each unit, if applicable.

Where do I respond to the request for information?

• Interested property owner or management companies must provide responses and comments on or before Tuesday, September 6, 2022, FEMA-DR4663KY-MLR@fema.dhs.gov. The email subject line should read: RFI 70FBR422I00000005 Response: MLR – DR-4663-KY.
• More information about this opportunity can be found at sam.gov.

This request for information is not a request for quotes. Responses to this notification will be used to determine which properties meet direct lease or MLR criteria and provide the timeliest, most cost-effective means of providing direct assistance to eligible disaster survivors. FEMA wants to obtain market information or capabilities for planning purposes.

Responses to this notice for information are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

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Kentucky flood survivors can apply for FEMA assistance online at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA mobile app. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.

FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.