FEMA Seeks Residential Properties to Lease for Helene Survivors

To help meet the temporary housing needs of disaster survivors, FEMA is seeking interested, qualified owners or property-management companies to lease their properties directly to FEMA. The deadline for replies to this request for information is Monday, Nov. 25.

What is Direct Lease?

Direct Lease is a form of Direct Temporary Housing Assistance that allows FEMA to lease existing, ready-to-occupy residential properties for survivors of Tropical Storm Helene whose temporary housing needs cannot be met with other forms of assistance. FEMA will pay the property management company/vendor the cost of rent, while the survivor is responsible for utility costs and other expenses not covered in the lease.

Does location matter?

FEMA is seeking potential property management companies that do business in the Eastern Tennessee counties of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington. Ideally, the properties would be within a 30- to 60-minute drive of the affected areas or a distance that does not place an undue hardship on the survivor. FEMA encourages all interested property management companies to consider participating.

What conditions do properties have to meet?

• All property management companies must register to do business with FEMA on the government's System for Award Management, or SAM.gov.
• Companies must lease the vacant units exclusively to FEMA for use as temporary housing for eligible survivors for a term expiring no earlier than 18 months, or April 2026, with the possibility of contract extension.
• Properties must be located within the eight identified counties or within a reasonable commuting distance.
• Each property must comply with Housing Quality Standards established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and all utilities, appliances and other furnishings must be functional.
• Each individual unit must provide complete living facilities including provisions for cooking, dining and sanitation within the unit.
• The properties must be located within reasonable access to community and wraparound services such as accessible public transportation, schools, fire and emergency services, and grocery stores.
• The property owner must be current with all payments related to the unit, if applicable.

What other terms or conditions are there?

• Several other terms and conditions apply to any agreement between FEMA and the property management company/vendor selected for Direct Lease. For a complete list of terms and conditions, property requirements and property identification criteria, visit SAM.gov.

Requests for Information

Requests For Information are not requests for quotes. Responses to this notification will be used to determine which properties meet direct lease criteria and provide the timeliest, most cost-effective means of providing direct assistance to eligible disaster survivors. FEMA wants to obtain market information or capabilities for planning purposes.

Requests For Information are not offers. The government cannot accept them to form a binding contract.

Interested property owners or management companies are asked to provide the following information:

• Property name, location, property owner name and phone number
• Number of units (separate bathroom, kitchen and living space) available for FEMA's exclusive use and the number of bedrooms each unit contains
• Status of the property's mortgage payments; property owners must be current with mortgage payments
• Number of vacant units containing a separate bathroom, kitchen and living space
• Number of fully furnished units
• Number of vacant units available for FEMA-exclusive use
• Number of vacant units compliant with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards and/or features in unit(s) that provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities
• Description of repairs and improvements required to make the units habitable
• Description of repairs currently underway, if applicable
• Projected length of time required to make units habitable (from execution of lease agreement)
• Date building was originally constructed (if known)
• Dates the building was used as a rental
• Rental rates during the last year of operation (state whether utilities were included and, if so, which ones)
• Applicable pet restrictions such as type, number or size, and pet deposits
• Number of parking spaces (including accessible and van-accessible) available for each unit, if applicable
• Property owner must provide all building maintenance services, except where the property is leased or contracted from another government entity that already includes maintenance service.

Where do I respond to the Request for Information?

• Interested property owners or management companies must provide responses and comments on or before Monday, Nov. 25, via email to [email protected]. Email subject line should read: RFI #70FBR425I00000003TN.
• More information about this opportunity can be found at SAM.gov.

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