DES MOINES – Iowans can help disaster victims in need of housing by informing state and federal officials of available rental properties. The Iowa Housing Task Force is asking landlords and Realtors in Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Johnson, Linn, Louisa, Wapello and neighboring counties to register their available rental units to help link families with homes.

Landlords and Realtors with available rental properties are encouraged to fax rental property information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 515-253-2598 or call the FEMA Helpline: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Landlords and Realtors calling to register their properties should be prepared to answer a few basic questions related to the rental unit, such as type of dwelling, number of bedrooms, handicapped accessibility, pet policy, monthly rental amount, deposit amount and other items of interest to renters. Landlords have the right to request applicants to pass a credit or background check.

FEMA applicants looking for housing who have Internet access can search "rental properties", visit a Disaster Recovery Center, or call the FEMA Helpline listed above.
Applicants will be given information about available housing and are responsible for contacting landlords or Realtors directly to find out if the rental property will meet their needs.