Most Philadelphia landlords never learn that the City will cover a delinquent tenant's back rent. The money is there, through the Targeted Financial Assistance (TFA) track inside the Eviction Diversion Program. The hard part isn't the money; it's the application. Here's exactly how recovery works, what you collect, the timeline, and what it costs. If you'd rather hand the filing off, we can get your tenant's back rent paid by the City for you.
What's on this page
What you can collect
Through the Eviction Diversion Program, a landlord can elect the TFA track. The City then pays:
- The tenant's past-due rent, up to a $3,500 recovery cap, and
- Two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months.
The payment comes to you by direct deposit. It's an assistance payment: not a loan, no repayment, no application fee for the program itself.
How recovery works, step by step
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Confirm the tenancy fits
It starts with a free case review: the rental, the tenant, and the balance owed. That tells you whether the City will likely pay.
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Open eviction diversion and elect TFA
The case is opened in the Eviction Diversion Program and the Targeted Financial Assistance track is elected. That's the route where the City pays, rather than you negotiating a private payment plan.
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Submit the documents through the City portal
The application runs through the City's online portal and needs specific documents (including the rent ledger) in a specific order. A single missing item quietly stalls the case.
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You are paid by direct deposit
Approved funds (back rent up to the cap, plus two months of future rent if the tenant is staying) are paid to you by direct deposit.
The timeline and the two-month Protection Period
The City says to expect payment within about two weeks after the City has approved all required documents; missing documents or an unresolved mediation push that back. Across real cases, the median has run about 1.5 months to payment.
Two things follow payment that every landlord should plan around:
- The two future months are prepaid by the City, as long as the tenant is staying. The last month of arrears on your approved ledger sets the window: if the ledger runs through June, the City pays for July and August.
- A two-month TFA Protection Period then applies. From the City's final TFA approval until it ends you cannot file for eviction, for any lease violation, not only unpaid rent. In the June example, September and October are the Protection Period and the earliest you can file is November 1. If the tenant stops paying again after it ends, the eviction path reopens.
What it costs
The program itself costs the landlord nothing. It's not a loan, there's no repayment, and there's no application fee. 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.
Why landlords use a service
The money isn't the hard part. The application is. It runs through the City's portal, needs specific documents in a specific order, and quietly stalls the moment anything is missing. The City's site gives you an application number but no single consolidated view of your cases. We run the whole filing and consolidate every application into one view, so nothing slips.
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.
Start my free case review → Call (215) 402-6882Common questions
Will the City really pay my tenant's back rent?
Yes. Through the Eviction Diversion Program's Targeted Financial Assistance track, the City pays past-due rent (up to a $3,500 cap) plus two months of future rent if the tenant is staying. You receive it by direct deposit. It's not a loan and there's no application fee.
How is the money paid?
By direct deposit into your bank account. The City says to expect it within about two weeks after the City has approved all required documents; across real cases the median has been about 1.5 months.
Will my tenant have to move out?
Often not. With the back rent cleared and two months paid ahead, many tenancies reset and the tenant stays. When a case isn't resolved, diversion tends to channel even hard cases toward a negotiated, mutual outcome.
What do I need to start?
Your name, contact information, the property address, and the approximate balance owed. We review it for free and tell you whether the City will likely pay.