We recover your tenant's back rent, deposited to your bank.
Philadelphia landlords: if your tenant is behind, we prepare and manage your claim under the City's Eviction Diversion Program to recover back rent. If approved, the City pays the past-due balance plus two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months. No upfront cost; our fee comes only out of what is recovered.
Independent, private filing service. We are not a government agency and are not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia. You can apply to the City's program yourself at no cost.
Figures reflect real Philadelphia diversion filings managed to date. Approved amounts vary with rent level; filed cases historically skewed toward lower-rent units, so higher-rent units recover materially more.
Who qualifies
You're owed months of rent, and you assume you have to eat the loss.
Most landlords never learn that the City's program can cover a delinquent tenant's back rent. The funding exists; the application is the hard part. It runs through the City's portal and stalls the moment a document is missing. That's the part we do for you.
You're owed months of rent
A tenant falls behind, the balance grows, and an eviction feels like the only option, an expensive one that still leaves you unpaid.
The program exists, but it's buried
Philadelphia's Targeted Financial Assistance (TFA) can pay the back rent, but few landlords know it covers them, not just tenants.
The paperwork kills it
The City's site issues an application number but gives you no single view of your cases. One missing document and the file stalls.
How the filing works
Three steps, and we run every one.
It runs through the City's Eviction Diversion Program. We open the case, choose the assistance track, and manage the claim through to the City's decision. Here's all it takes.
We open your diversion case
We file your Eviction Diversion Program case and elect the TFA track at the start. That's the path that triggers payment instead of mediation.
We run the application end to end
We assemble every document the City portal wants, in order, and submit your rent ledger, so the file never stalls and you never chase paperwork.
Approved funds arrive by direct deposit
Once approved, the City pays the past-due rent plus two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months. Payment is received within about two weeks after the City has approved all the required documents.
Diversion → payment → protection period.
Here's the path, start to finish. We manage every step so it doesn't stall.
Open diversion
A diversion case is opened and the required “notice of diversion rights” goes to the tenant. The ~30-day good-faith clock begins.
Choose the TFA track
At the start of diversion we will select Targeted Financial Assistance (TFA) instead of mediation. That's the path under which the City can pay the rent.
Direct deposit once paid
Once approved, the City pays back rent (up to the $3,500 cap) plus two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months. You receive it by direct deposit.
Two-month TFA Protection Period
After TFA pays the two future months, a two-month TFA Protection Period follows during which you cannot file for eviction. This is the time for your tenant to get back on track.
How long it takes
How long does this take?
The City pays two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months, then a two-month TFA Protection Period follows when you cannot file for eviction. Here's the sequence at a glance. We’ll notify you when the Protection Period is over, and if your tenant isn’t paying rent again, we can restart the eviction process.
Illustrative example. Exact pay dates can shift; the ledger-month → two-paid-months → two-month TFA Protection Period sequence is the mechanic.
It's simple to qualify. It's cumbersome to complete.
The hold-up is never the money. It's the documents and the portal. We handle that part. Here's who does what:
What the City handles
- Issues the program and the funds
- Reviews the application and ledger
- Pays back rent + two months of future rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months
- Sets the two-month TFA Protection Period after payment
What we handle
- Open diversion and elect the TFA track on time
- Assemble every required document, in order
- Submit and shepherd the file so it never stalls
- Consolidate every application into one view for you
How much the City pays
Past-due rent, plus two months of future rent, with no upfront cost.
Owed more than $3,500? You can still be considered if you agree to waive the amount over $3,500.
On top of the back rent, the City pays two months of upcoming rent, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months: a real runway to reset the tenancy.
It's not a loan and there's no repayment. Our 33% success-based fee applies only to funds the City pays, which reach you by direct deposit.
The most misunderstood number
The $3,500 is the City's limit on the arrears you claim.
This trips up almost every landlord, so let's be exact about it.
If you’re owed more
Owed more than $3,500? You can still be considered if you agree to waive the amount over $3,500. Show the amount you forgive on the ledger you upload with your application.
What $3,500 is
It's the maximum back rent the program will recover. The arrears on your application must be $3,500 or less; you may agree to waive the amount over $3,500 and show it as forgiven on your ledger. You still receive the two future months on top, provided the tenant stays in the unit for those two months.
What it costs you
No upfront cost. No recovery, no fee.
Not a loan
There's nothing to pay back. The funds are an assistance payment, not credit against future rent.
No application fee
The City charges nothing to apply. Our fee is 33% of the funds the City pays, and nothing if the claim is not paid. The barrier was never the cost. It was the paperwork.
The tenant stays current
With back rent cleared and two months paid ahead, the tenancy resets, often without anyone moving out.
Questions landlords ask about back rent
Can I apply if my tenant is more than $3,500 behind?
Owed more than $3,500? You can still be considered if you agree to waive the amount over $3,500. To be considered for Targeted Financial Assistance, the arrears on your application must be $3,500 or less and match your ledger, so the amount you forgive is shown on that ledger.
Do I need a rental license to apply?
Yes. The City asks landlords applying to the Eviction Diversion Program for an active Rental License from the City of Philadelphia, along with proof the tenant was sent the Notice of Diversion Rights and a ledger of what the tenant owes. If your license has lapsed, our licensing service can get it current first.
Can I still apply if I've already filed for eviction against this tenant?
Not if you filed against the same tenant and unit in the past year. To be considered for Targeted Financial Assistance, you must not have started an eviction filing against the same tenant and unit within one year of your Eviction Diversion Program application, and a court filing against the tenant disqualifies a pending or future TFA application.
Does my tenant apply, or do I?
You do. The City's Eviction Diversion Program is started by the landlord's application; tenants cannot apply. After your application is approved, your tenant is asked to complete a tenant form and sign a tenant affidavit.
Can I apply to the City's program myself instead of hiring you?
Yes. You can apply for the City's Eviction Diversion Program / Targeted Financial Assistance directly with the City yourself at no cost. Our success-based fee (33% of the funds the City pays) is for preparing and managing the filing on your behalf.
Read the guide
Want the detail first? Our landlord guides walk through the City's program step by step.
- How to Recover Back Rent in Philadelphia: The TFA Guide for Landlords. How the City's Targeted Financial Assistance track works for landlords: the process, the timeline, the two-month TFA Protection Period, and what it costs.
- The Philadelphia Eviction Diversion Program, Explained for Landlords. The mandatory pre-eviction step every Philadelphia landlord must take, and the assistance track inside it where the City can pay.
Talk to a human
Request your free case review.
Tell us about your rental and the balance owed, or which license you need. We'll tell you whether the City will likely pay, and handle the entire filing if it's a fit. The review is free, with no obligation.
What happens next
- We review your details, usually within one business day.
- We tell you straight whether the City will likely pay.
- If it's a fit, we open diversion and elect the TFA track.
- We run the portal application so it never stalls.
- Approved funds reach you by direct deposit.
Owed more than $3,500? You can still be considered if you agree to waive the amount over $3,500. See what you can collect.
First, are you the landlord or the tenant?
We're hired by property owners. One click, and we'll show you the right thing.
Rental Assistance Philadelphia is a private filing service hired by owners. We are not the City and we do not represent tenants.
✓ Landlord / property manager