Rent help · Florida
Florida Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) · Florida
Help from the federal LIHEAP program in Florida that pays the electric or gas company directly, including past-due bills and reconnection
At a glance
- Kind of help
- Power, gas or water
- What its page says it pays; the agency decides the amount in your case.
- Is it open?
- Its page doesn’t say
- What its page said on November 6, 2026.
- Checked
- November 6, 2026
- Against the program's official page.
Type of help
What help it gives
- Utilities
Source text
LIHEAP funds can be used for: Costs for heating or cooling related usage: electric, gas, propane, wood, coal, or refillable fuels Including taxes Can be used on past due bills Deposits or fees to start-up, connect or restore energy Late fees and disconnection fees … If you are eligible, award payments will be made directly to your utility company on your behalf. A summary of what the program publishes; not a promise of help or advice. Funds, limits and application dates change without notice.
At a glance
Who qualifies
Each answer comes from the program's page. "Not stated — ask" means its page doesn't make it clear: ask before you apply.
Source text
You may be eligible if: You have a household total income of 60% or less of the Florida State Median Income or 150% of Federal Poverty Level OR you receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). You are responsible for paying your home heating or cooling bills, You are a resident of Florida and At least one person in your household is a U.S. Citizen, permanent resident or qualified alien of the U.S. - Income limit Ask for the limit for your household size
- Immigration requirement Citizenship or qualified-alien status, per the source
- Accepts ITIN? Not stated — ask
- Spanish materials Not stated — ask
- Program status The source does not say whether it is open — ask
- Where it applies All of Florida
What its page says about being open
Its page doesn’t say whether the program is open or has funds. Ask the agency before you count on it. Read on the official page on November 6, 2026.
Step by step
How to use it, step by step
The steps to ask for the help, with what the program’s page says. What its page leaves open is further down, in the questions.
See how to apply-
Ask first whether it is open
Its page does not say whether it is open or still has funds. That is the first thing to ask.
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Find who takes your application
Check the official page for how to apply: with FloridaCommerce or with a local agency in your area. If you can’t find it, call FloridaCommerce and ask.
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Have your papers ready
Have your lease, the notice or past-due bill, and proof of your income ready. Ask what else they need and keep a copy of everything you hand in.
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If you have an eviction case, don’t miss court
Don’t assume that asking for help stops an eviction case. Go to every hearing, tell the judge you applied for help, and look for free legal aid.
Before you call
What to ask
Its page leaves 5 points unclear. Write them down for when you talk to FloridaCommerce.
What its page does not say
- Is it open now, and does it still have funds?
- What is the most it gives, and how is it calculated?
- Is there an income limit for my household?
- Do you accept an ITIN?
- Do you have materials or staff in Spanish?
Worth asking for this kind of help
- How many months of rent, or which bills, does it cover?
- Does it pay the landlord or the utility company, or me?
- How long does an answer take, and how will I know if I’m approved?
- Do I have to pay anything back, or can I apply again next year?
More rent help
Other rent-help programs in Florida
One more program we checked in Florida, with what its page says.
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Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Hillsborough County
Run by Hillsborough County Social Services · Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County help, funded by LIHEAP, to pay the energy bill while funds last
Sources
How we checked this program
We read the program's official pages on November 6, 2026 and copied their text as it appears on them. We add no amounts or requirements those pages do not state, and a program is listed as open or closed only when its page says so.
We check every program again. If more than 180 days pass without a check, the page says so.
Talk to a housing counselor
A HUD-approved housing counselor helps for free or at low cost with your budget, back rent and your options if you face eviction.
Find a counselor (HUD)Guides to paying rent and asking for help
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Renting
Emergency rental assistance: how it works and what to bring
How to get help with back rent or utility bills: who offers it today, what papers to bring, how long it takes and what to do if you have an eviction case.
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Help and programs
LIHEAP: help paying for power, gas and heat
What LIHEAP is, who qualifies, how to apply in your state, crisis help when a shutoff is coming and free weatherization (WAP) to lower your bills.
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Renting
What to do if you get an eviction notice
Notice, lawsuit and the judge's order: what you can do at each moment, where free legal help is and what federal law says about the 30-day notice.