Targeted Financial Assistance (TFA) is the part of Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program that pays the landlord directly. It is applied for by the owner, not the tenant, and the money goes to the owner. This guide covers TFA from the landlord's side only: who qualifies, what you file, what the City pays, and what you agree to in return. If you would rather hand the paperwork off, our back-rent recovery service runs the filing for you.
What's on this page
What does Targeted Financial Assistance pay a landlord?
The City's Eviction Diversion Program page describes TFA as a one-time payment to a landlord that covers past-due amounts and two additional months of rent. In the City's words, the award is equal to the arrears plus two months' rent.
The two forward months come with a condition. The City's program FAQ says they are included so long as your tenant will keep living in the unit for at least two more months. TFA can also fund a "graceful exit" agreed in mediation, covering the arrears and up to two more months while your tenant stays before moving out.
TFA only exists inside the Eviction Diversion Program, which Phila. Code § 9-811 requires before most evictions. The program has been permanent since 2024 (Bill No. 240245, approved June 12, 2024). So the same application that satisfies the pre-filing rule is the one that can get you paid.
Which landlords and tenancies qualify for TFA?
The City's FAQ lists the eligibility requirements:
- Your tenant's arrears are $3,500 or less, as shown on a ledger or rent roll.
- Your tenant's income is less than 80% of Area Median Income.
- You have not started an eviction filing for the same tenant and unit within one year of the application date.
- If there are issues other than non-payment, you and your tenant have signed a written agreement resolving them, which you can reach through mediation or direct negotiation during the program.
You also have to take part in the program in good faith, and the application asks for proof of an active rental license. The City's Landlord Gateway notes that a tax clearance certificate is required to apply for several financial assistance opportunities, including the Eviction Diversion Program, so check your City tax account before you start.
Two more points from the FAQ: a landlord can receive TFA only once for the same tenant and unit, and TFA can still pay arrears after your tenant has moved out, as long as the tenant can be reached to sign the tenant affidavit.
How do you apply for TFA as the owner?
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Send the Notice of Diversion Rights
Use the City's current 2022 Notice of Diversion Rights, send it no more than 30 days before you apply, and keep proof that shows what you sent, to whom, and when.
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Confirm your tenant's contact details
The program reaches your tenant by text and email using the details you give, and accurate contact information is part of good faith.
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Apply online and select "Yes" to TFA
You apply through the Eviction Diversion Program portal. The FAQ says you must select "Yes" to accepting TFA to be considered; if the option is not offered, the application does not meet the eligibility criteria.
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Answer every correction request
An application must be approved within 30 days of submission, or it expires and you reapply. Once it is approved, your tenant completes the tenant form and affidavit.
What documents does the City ask landlords for?
Every Eviction Diversion application needs an active Rental License, proof you sent the Notice of Diversion Rights, and a ledger. The ledger must show the property address, your name, your tenant's name, and the dates of payments and balances, starting from the last time the balance was zero. Its balance due must equal the arrears on your application. The City publishes a ledger template and the affidavits on its resources page.
For TFA, the FAQ adds:
- The signed landlord affidavit.
- Bank verification showing the account holder's name, account number and routing number, such as a voided check or bank statement.
- An IRS Form W-9 that matches the bank account holder's name.
- Proof of ownership, or authority to act for the owner. A property manager or agent provides a management agreement, articles of incorporation or attorney authorization.
Upload each document as its own file, with all of its pages together.
What can the TFA payment cover, and what can it not?
The arrears portion can only be applied to rent and other approved expenses your tenant owed on the date of the application. The forward months can only pay rent for the same unit for the months after the last month of arrears on your ledger.
According to the FAQ, some other charges can count toward arrears if the lease supports them: late fees up to 10% of the monthly rent for each late month, certain utilities, parking, pet, rental insurance and returned-payment fees, and damage or legal fees under specific conditions. The City pays arrears as the City defines them. Fees you pay a third party to help with the application are not covered; see the City's list of ineligible expenses. Check the City's current FAQ and its Policies & Procedures for the full list before you build your ledger.
How long does it take a landlord to get paid?
The City says a landlord can expect payment within about two weeks after the City has approved all required documents, including any agreement reached in mediation. Late or resubmitted documents push that back. The last day to submit TFA materials is 60 days after application approval, and PHDC completes final review within 75 days of approval.
You can follow an application at any time on the City's status page with the application number from your notifications. Do not file in court while you wait: the FAQ says a court filing against the tenant disqualifies a pending TFA application.
What do you agree to when you accept TFA?
You sign the landlord affidavit, and the City asks you to read it carefully. Among other terms, you agree that everything your tenant owed you on the date of the application is paid off, that the forward months are credited to your tenant's account, and that you will not begin eviction proceedings until after the two-month TFA Protection Period. That bar covers every lease violation and the end of the lease term, not only unpaid rent.
The protection period starts after the forward months the City paid, and you cannot file until the first day of the month after it ends. If a landlord files during it, the program can ask for the money back and for the case to be withdrawn. If your tenant paid toward the arrears before the award, you credit those payments back.
Should you file for TFA yourself or use a service?
The program itself is free. If you use our service, our fee is success-based: 33% of the funds the City pays. No recovery, no fee. You can also apply directly with the City yourself at no cost.
The filing is where applications stall: it needs a ledger that matches the arrears to the dollar, proof of notice in a form the City accepts, every document in its own upload, and replies inside the five-day window the City treats as timely. If that is time you would rather not spend, our service to get your tenant's back rent paid by the City runs it from notice to payment. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
See if your unpaid rent qualifies.
Tell us about the rental and the balance owed. We'll tell you straight whether the City will likely pay, usually within one business day. You owe nothing unless the City pays.
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