Resources for housing specialists

We search on your client’s behalf. When you refer a client, Mena Realty registers them as our client, looks for apartments that fit their program, budget and needs, and keeps you updated through approval and move-in.

Housing specialists and caseworkers are some of Mena Realty’s most important partners. We know how much paperwork and waiting a placement takes, and we work to keep your clients’ cases moving. This guide explains how to refer a client and what happens next.

How to refer a client

Refer a client in two steps

Fill out our Professional Contact Form once and check Housing Specialist as your role, so we have your contact information on file.
Email each referral to office@menarealty.com with your client’s details. The button below opens an email with the details we need.

Step 1: Professional Contact Form Step 2: Email a referral

With your client’s permission, include the program, the approved rent, household size, bedroom size, preferred areas, accessibility needs and the expiration date of any shopping letter. Please do not email Social Security numbers or other ID numbers.

What happens next

When your referral email arrives, Mena Realty contacts your client, registers them as our client and starts the search.
We schedule viewings and keep you informed of apartments your client is considering.
Once your client chooses an apartment, we help prepare the application and the program packet with the owner.
We coordinate the program’s inspection and approval steps with the owner and with you.

Build in time for City approval. For HRA programs, the City reviews the apartment and the owner before move-in, and that review can take several weeks. Our guide to NYC rental assistance programs explains the steps.

How to keep a case moving

Keep your client’s shopping letter and program documents current, and tell us right away if anything changes.
Send requested documents the same day when you can. Most delays come from a missing paper.
Share a direct phone number or email so the owner, the program and Mena Realty can reach you quickly.
Let us know if your client’s contact information changes.

Privacy and fair housing

Share only the information we need, and only with your client’s permission. We keep client information confidential.
In New York City, refusing a renter because they use a rental assistance program is illegal. If an owner or agent turns your client away for that reason, the NYC Commission on Human Rights accepts complaints.

How Mena Realty helps

Mena Realty Homes Corp. is a licensed real estate brokerage in the Bronx, working with brokers, agents, housing specialists and caseworkers across the five boroughs since 2001. Our team speaks English and Spanish.

We register your client as our client and search for apartments that fit their program and needs.
We prepare the packet with the owner and coordinate inspections and approvals.
We keep you updated, so you are not chasing owners for answers.

Ready to refer a client?

Fill out the Professional Contact Form once, then email each referral.

Professional Contact Form Email a referral

Common questions

Which programs do you work with?

Mena Realty works with renters using many rental assistance programs, including CityFHEPS, FHEPS, Section 8, HASA and SOTA.

Does my client pay you?

We explain our terms to your client in writing before they commit. Ask us how fees work for your client’s program.

Can you help a client whose shopping letter is about to expire?

Tell us the date when you refer them, so we can plan the search around it. Programs can sometimes extend a shopping letter, so ask the program early.

Official sources

Have a question?

PROS: (347) 434-8155 · Mon–Fri 10–5

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