National Housing Locator System

In the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created a National Housing Locator (NHL) to help first responders find hosuing for disaster victims. 

Based on the NMHC MITS data standard, the NHLcompiles information on vacant rental housing from various Internet sources, including Apartment.com, Rent.com, government data providers and others. 

Property owners who wish to add their units to the NHL can do so by following these steps:

1. Log on to www.socialserve.com, which serves the NHLS and several states, counties and local governments in the Gulf Coast.
   
   
2. Select "Landlord" from the top navigation bar, and then the state and jurisdiction where the available rental property is located.
   
   
3. Complete the online registration form.
   
   
4. A representative from SocialServe.com will contact the property owner or landlord within approximately 24 hours to ensure correct information about unit(s) has been placed in the database.
   
   
5. The new listing(s) will be available through the NHLS approximately 24 hours after data has been entered and approved.

FEMA's Housing Portal

The FEMA Housing Portal consolidates rental resources identified and provided by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), private organizations, and the public, to help individuals and families find available rental units in their area.

To register available units, contact FEMA's Rental Resources Department at 1-888-294-2822.

Property owners calling to register their properties should be prepared to answer a few basic questions related to their rental unit, such as type of dwelling, number of bedrooms and baths, handicapped accessibility, pet policy, monthly rental amount and other items of interest to renters.