Delaware Rent Relief Program: What Closed and How Renters Get Help Now

The end of DEHAP and the Housing Stability Program

DEHAP was Delaware's large pandemic program for renters. DSHA ran it with federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds and paid landlords and utilities directly. In its December 2022 announcement, DSHA said DEHAP had paid out more than $122 million in rent and utility help to close to 22,000 Delawareans, and that it would stop accepting new applications at 8 a.m. on January 2, 2023, to make the remaining money last.

What was left became the Housing Stability Program (HSP), which launched in August 2024 for tenants who already had a court-scheduled eviction. DSHA's final funding notice says HSP paid nearly $7.1 million to 1,419 households, closed its portal on May 7, 2025, and was set to end by May 30, 2025, as the federal funds expired. The Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance page confirms the last federal ERA period ended on September 30, 2025.

You may also see "DEMAP" in older articles. That was the Delaware Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program for homeowners, not renters. If you own your home, our Delaware mortgage relief guide covers what is available now.

Delaware rent relief program alternatives today

Help now comes from several places, and the right first call depends on where you are in the process.

The state's Emergency Assistance program at the State Service Centers can sometimes help with rent in a crisis. Our Delaware hardship program guide explains how it works, along with TANF and General Assistance, so we don't repeat it here.

Delaware 211 and county agencies

Delaware 211 is the statewide line for housing and other help. You can call 2-1-1 or chat online Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or text your zip code to 898-211. The Justice of the Peace Court also points tenants to 211 for its free legal representation program, so one call can cover both rent help and a lawyer referral.

Local agencies with rent or emergency programs include:

• First State Community Action Agency. Based in Georgetown and serving the state, it lists emergency services, case management, and the State Rental Assistance Program among its services. Call 302-856-7761 or visit firststatecaa.org.
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington. Its basic needs program helps with emergencies in Delaware when funds allow.
• The Salvation Army and churches. Some corps in Wilmington, Dover, and Sussex County help with part of a month's rent. See our Salvation Army rental assistance guide.

If an electric or gas bill is the reason rent fell behind, our Delaware utility relief guide covers LIHEAP and shutoff rules.

Waiting lists, vouchers, and SRAP

For ongoing help with rent, Delaware has an unusual advantage: one application. Delaware's five public housing authorities, DSHA plus the Dover, New Castle County, Newark, and Wilmington housing authorities, share a centralized waiting list for Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing. The lists reopened on February 3, 2025.

The catch is that you must keep your application current. In January 2026, DSHA warned that applicants who had not updated in over a year had to confirm their information by February 10, 2026, or be withdrawn from all five lists. If you think you were dropped, log in at AffordableHousing.com or call 855-301-5920.

How DSHA's own programs work

DSHA's subsidized rental programs page says its vouchers and public housing are mostly in Kent and Sussex Counties. It administers 902 Housing Choice Vouchers, households with income up to 80% of area median income may qualify, and Kent and Sussex residents get priority. Most DSHA participants, other than older adults and people with disabilities, join a Moving to Work self-sufficiency program with a seven-year limit on the subsidy. DSHA's Housing Admissions Office is at 302-739-6940.

State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP)

SRAP is state-funded rent help, but you cannot apply for it directly. DSHA accepts SRAP households only by referral from the Department of Health and Social Services or the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. It serves people leaving nursing homes or long-term care, people at risk of entering a state institution, young people leaving foster care, and families for whom housing is the barrier to reunification. Income must be at or below 50% of state median income, and participants pay 28% of their monthly income toward rent. DHSS clients can ask their case manager or call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-800-223-9074.

Rent demands and late fees under Delaware law

Delaware's rules are in the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, Title 25 of the Delaware Code. Chapter 55 covers rent and the landlord's remedies.

• The written demand. Under § 5502(a), after rent is past due and the late-fee waiting period has passed, the landlord can demand payment in writing. The notice must give you at least 7 days to pay before the landlord can file in court.
• Paying stops the case. If you, or anyone paying for you, pays all rent due before the landlord files, the landlord cannot then file for possession based on that unpaid rent. The landlord also may not refuse rent paid by you or on your behalf, which matters when a charity or agency is paying.
• Late fees. Under § 5501(d), a late fee cannot be more than 5% of the monthly rent and cannot be charged within 5 days of the due date. If your landlord has no office or payment location in your county, the due date moves back 3 days.
• Cash receipts. A landlord who takes rent in cash must give you a receipt within 15 days.

Here is how that adds up. On $1,300 rent, the most a landlord can add as a late fee is $65. Keep every receipt and bank record, because they are your proof if a case is filed.

The Justice of the Peace Court diversion program

Delaware eviction cases, called summary possession, are heard in the Justice of the Peace (JP) Court. Since July 1, 2024, every residential case for possession has gone through the court's Residential Eviction Diversion Program, required by 25 Del. C. § 5702A.

• The landlord must take part. The court will not hold the hearing until the landlord participates and files an affidavit of participation at least 5 days before the hearing.
• Tenants should take part. It is voluntary for you, but it is free and often leads to a payment plan or a move-out date that avoids a judgment.
• It happens online. You register on the court's online dispute resolution site and can message your landlord from a phone or computer. After you are served, you have 15 days to register and take part.
• Mediators are available. If you can't agree on your own, you can ask for a trained, neutral mediator. Any mediation conference must finish at least 48 hours before the hearing.

The case keeps moving during diversion, so you still need to be ready for the hearing date on your summons.

From the hearing to the writ of possession

The JP Court's landlord-tenant help page and Chapter 57 of Title 25 set out what happens next.

Bring your lease, every notice, rent receipts, photos of any repair problems, and letters from any agency promising to pay. If the rent dispute was in good faith, § 5716 also lets a tenant stay the judgment by paying the rent due plus costs, or promising to pay within 10 days.

Paying in full to stop an eviction

Delaware added a right of redemption, effective September 1, 2026, in 25 Del. C. § 5716A. If the only reason for the eviction is unpaid rent, you can keep your home by paying all past-due amounts set by the court, meaning the rent due under the lease plus court-awarded costs and fees, at any time before the eviction is carried out.

The court's help page explains how timing works. If you pay before the landlord asks for a writ of possession, the writ cannot be requested. If you pay after the writ is issued, the landlord must tell the court and the constable right away and file a motion to stop the writ. After a judgment, a landlord may require that payment be made by certified check or money order, so ask how to pay before you go.

Your right to a free lawyer

Delaware is one of the few states that gives many tenants a legal right to a lawyer in eviction cases. Chapter 56 of Title 25 covers tenants whose household income over the past 12 months is no more than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. It applies to evictions, terminations of a housing subsidy, and some cases about repairs, retaliation, or illegal lockouts.

There are limits. You are not covered if your landlord owns 3 or fewer rental units and is not represented by a lawyer or authorized agent, or if the legal aid group has a conflict. The program is coordinated through Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, and representation comes from DVLS, the Community Legal Aid Society (CLASI), and Legal Services Corporation of Delaware. The court tells tenants to call 211 to get started.

A step-by-step plan

1. Read the demand letter. Note the date it was given or sent and the amount. It must allow at least 7 days.
2. Call Delaware 211 about local rent funds and your State Service Center about Emergency Assistance.
3. Write to your landlord with what you can pay now and when the rest is coming.
4. If a case is filed, register for diversion within 15 days after you are served.
5. Ask 211 for a right-to-representation referral if your income is under 200% of the poverty line.
6. Go to the hearing with your documents, even if you are negotiating.
7. Keep raising money after a judgment. Paying everything owed before the eviction can stop it.
8. Update your waitlist application on AffordableHousing.com at least once a year.

Related guides

• Delaware hardship program
• Delaware debt relief programs
• Maryland rent relief program
• Rent relief programs

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Program funding and rules change, so confirm details with the agency before you apply. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with DSHA, the Delaware courts, the State of Delaware, or any government agency.