If you are 60 or older and have just received an eviction notice, help for seniors facing eviction is available today through three channels: free legal representation funded by the Older Americans Act, emergency rental assistance coordinated by your local Area Agency on Aging, and HUD-certified housing counselors who can help you sort paperwork and programs. Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 and a local Legal Aid office the same day you get the notice, because the deadline to file a written response in court can be as short as five to ten court days, and missing it lets the landlord win by default.
What to Do the Day the Notice Arrives
An eviction notice is not an eviction order. Only a court can order you to leave, and until that happens a landlord cannot change your locks, cut off utilities, or move your belongings out. What the notice does is start a clock.
Read it for two things: the reason the landlord gives for the eviction, and the deadline for your response. If unpaid rent is the reason, note the exact dollar amount claimed. If a lease violation is the reason, identify the specific behavior alleged. Then pull together your lease, rent receipts, bank statements showing payments, and any texts, letters, or emails between you and the landlord. That paper trail is your evidence.
To fight the case in court, you file a document called an Answer. It tells the judge your side and preserves your right to a hearing. Miss the filing deadline and the court can enter a default judgment, after which a sheriff can begin the removal process. Filing an Answer usually requires a court fee, but most courts will waive it based on low income or receipt of public benefits. Ask the clerk for a fee waiver form, or ask a legal aid attorney to help you complete one.
Free Legal Help for People 60 and Older
The most underused resource for seniors in eviction cases is the legal assistance program funded under Title III of the Older Americans Act. It provides free civil legal services to anyone 60 or older, and Congress specifically prohibited means testing, so you do not have to prove your income to qualify.1Congress.gov. Older Americans Act: Overview and Funding Covered issues include evictions, financial exploitation, and benefits disputes. Services are delivered locally through Area Agencies on Aging, which operate in every county in the country.
The fastest way to reach your local Area Agency on Aging is the Eldercare Locator, a national hotline run by USAging at 800-677-1116.2USAging. Eldercare Locator Say you are facing eviction. They will connect you to legal help, rental aid, and other services in your area.
Legal Aid organizations are the other core option. Roughly 130 nonprofit legal aid providers funded by the Legal Services Corporation operate across every state and U.S. territory.3Legal Services Corporation. I Need Legal Help Their attorneys specialize in housing law and can represent you in court at no charge. Income eligibility is generally capped at 125 percent of the federal poverty level, though some offices set more flexible thresholds.4Legal Services Corporation. Seniors – The Justice Gap Report To find your nearest office, enter your zip code at LawHelp.org.
Your state or local bar association may also run a pro bono program that matches low-income tenants with volunteer private attorneys. Call the bar association directly and say you are a senior facing eviction.
HUD’s Eviction Protection Grant Program funds selected legal services organizations to represent low-income tenants for free.5HUD USER. Eviction Protection Grant Program Coverage depends on whether a grantee happens to operate where you live. Your Legal Aid office or Area Agency on Aging can tell you if one serves your community.
Emergency Money to Cover Back Rent
When the eviction is driven by unpaid rent, financial help can resolve the case before it ever reaches trial. Start with your Area Agency on Aging, reachable through the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116. These agencies coordinate rental assistance, utility aid, food help, and transportation for older adults in their region.1Congress.gov. Older Americans Act: Overview and Funding2USAging. Eldercare Locator
National charities also make emergency rent payments. The Salvation Army runs emergency assistance programs for people experiencing housing instability, including seniors on fixed incomes.6The Salvation Army. Utility Rent Assistance Catholic Charities offers similar help through local dioceses. Both often pair financial aid with case management, connecting you to ongoing support.
One program that is no longer available: the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program that distributed funds during the pandemic. The ERA2 period of performance ended September 30, 2025, and grantees can no longer provide financial assistance to renters.7U.S. Department of the Treasury. Emergency Rental Assistance Program Some states and cities have replaced it with programs of their own, so ask your Area Agency on Aging or a housing counselor what is currently open in your area.
Before your first appointment, gather your lease, proof of income (Social Security statements, pension documents), a government-issued ID, and the eviction notice itself. Having those ready shortens the intake considerably.
HUD Housing Counselors and Court Diversion
HUD sponsors a nationwide network of housing counseling agencies.8U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Counseling Counselors are not attorneys, but they are trained on landlord-tenant disputes, rental assistance applications, and household budgeting. They can explain your rights, organize your paperwork, and flag programs you would not find on your own. To locate a HUD-approved agency, call 800-569-4287 or search by zip code through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s counselor finder.9U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nationally HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
Some courts run eviction mediation or diversion programs that bring legal, financial, and social services together to settle disputes outside a formal trial.10National Center for State Courts. Why Eviction Diversion Availability varies. Ask your housing counselor or legal aid attorney whether your local court has one.
Disability as a Defense to Eviction
Age by itself is not a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act, but disability is, and many conditions that become more common with age qualify.11U.S. Department of Justice. The Fair Housing Act A landlord cannot evict you or refuse to renew your lease because of a disability. The Act also requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations, meaning changes to rules, policies, or practices, when those changes are necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy their home.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 42 – 3604
In practice, a landlord cannot penalize you for behavior caused by a disability if a reasonable accommodation would address the problem. If a medical condition makes it hard to keep your unit in order and the landlord threatens eviction for lease violations, you can request an accommodation, such as permission to bring in a home health aide or extra time to bring the unit into compliance. The law also lets you make physical modifications like grab bars, though in a private rental you generally pay for the change and agree to restore the unit when you leave.
If you believe your eviction is motivated by disability discrimination or a refusal to grant a reasonable accommodation, you can file a complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. The process is free and you do not need a lawyer.
Stronger Protections in Subsidized and Public Housing
If you live in federally subsidized housing, your eviction protections are stronger than those in the private market. Federal regulations require landlords in HUD-subsidized projects to show good cause before ending a tenancy. The only permitted grounds are serious lease violations, failure to meet obligations under state landlord-tenant law, certain criminal activity, or other good cause, and the landlord must follow specific notice procedures.13eCFR. 24 CFR Part 247 – Evictions from Certain Subsidized and HUD-Owned Projects A landlord cannot end your tenancy just because a lease term ran out or because they want to raise the rent beyond program limits.
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders have similar protections. A participating landlord can terminate only for serious or repeated lease violations, violations of law, or other good cause, and must copy the local Public Housing Authority on any termination notice. Losing the unit does not automatically mean losing the voucher. The PHA may help you find a new one.
HUD’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program offers affordable housing for very low-income individuals 62 and older. Residents typically pay 30 percent of adjusted income as rent, with the federal government covering the rest.14U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Descriptions of Multifamily Programs If you are not currently subsidized but your income qualifies, applying is a longer-term route to stability.
The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 adds one more layer. It prohibits age discrimination in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, which reaches public housing authorities and other federally funded housing programs.15eCFR. 24 CFR Part 146 – Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in HUD Programs It does not reach a private landlord who takes no federal money.
Local Just-Cause Laws and Senior Rent Freezes
Many cities and counties have added tenant protections that go beyond federal law. Just cause or good cause eviction ordinances bar landlords from ending a tenancy without a legally valid reason. Under those laws, a landlord cannot simply refuse to renew or issue a no-fault notice. They have to point to a specific ground like nonpayment, a material lease violation, or illegal activity. If your city has one, it is a serious defense.
Some places layer on senior-specific protections. These can include longer notice periods before a landlord can file for eviction, buying you time to line up resources and legal help. A handful of cities operate rent-freeze programs for older adults on fixed incomes. New York City’s Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption, for example, freezes rent for eligible tenants 62 and older so that landlord-imposed increases cannot push them out. Ask your Area Agency on Aging or housing counselor what exists locally.
If You Own Your Home With a Reverse Mortgage
Displacement can also come through foreclosure, not eviction, for seniors who hold a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. A reverse mortgage does not require monthly loan payments, but it does require you to keep up with property taxes, homeowners insurance, and maintenance. Falling behind on any of those can trigger a default and eventually foreclosure.
Federal rules build in time to fix the problem. Servicers must offer loss mitigation options, including repayment plans and free counseling, before seeking FHA permission to foreclose. Borrowers generally have two years to cure a default before the loan moves into foreclosure status, and paying the overdue taxes or reinstating lapsed insurance resolves the default entirely.
If you have fallen behind, call a HUD-approved housing counseling agency right away. These counselors know the reverse mortgage rules and can help you negotiate a repayment plan with the servicer. The earlier you reach out, the more options you have.
Surviving spouses face a separate risk. For reverse mortgages taken out after August 2014, HUD regulations let a non-borrowing spouse stay in the home after the borrower dies, as long as they keep meeting the loan obligations. Loans from before that date lack automatic protection, though HUD created an assignment program to help servicers keep non-borrowing spouses housed. If your spouse held the reverse mortgage and has died, talk to a HUD counselor or legal aid attorney before the servicer contacts you.