Rent Bank: emergency grant for rent arrears in New Brunswick

The Rent Bank is for a temporary, unplanned crisis that threatens your housing, not an ongoing shortfall. The grant cannot exceed two months' rent for your unit, to a maximum of $2,750, and you do not repay it, though the Province notes it counts as a taxable benefit. To qualify you must be a New Brunswick resident who rents or is looking to rent, 19 or older (or younger and emancipated or in the YES Program), and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, refugee claimant, or otherwise have legal status. Your household income must be under $50,500 a year without children, or under $85,000 with children. You cannot have received Rent Bank help in the last 12 months, or more than two months' rent from it in the last 24 months, and it does not cover arrears for tenants already in public housing, the Rural and Indigenous Housing Program, or a rent supplement. You apply online through Service New Brunswick, and you will need to show the crisis was temporary, that you paid your rent reliably before it, and that your income going forward can cover your costs. If you need help right now, dial 2-1-1 any time.

If a normally reliable tenant hits a one-time crisis and falls behind, the Rent Bank can pay an eligible tenant's overdue rent so you are made whole and the tenancy continues, often faster and cheaper than an eviction. Your tenant applies through Service New Brunswick, and you may be asked to confirm the arrears.