Does the relocation act apply to tenants as well as property owners?

What the Law Says

The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (URA) establishes minimum standards for relocation assistance and real property acquisition in federal and federally assisted programs. Its definitions section explicitly includes tenants as protected individuals.

The URA applies broadly to any person displaced from their home, business, or farm as a result of acquisition, rehabilitation, or demolition carried out under a federal or federally assisted program. This includes both owners and tenants — regardless of lease type or duration — as long as the displacement is caused by qualifying government action.

The law ensures that displaced persons receive fair treatment, including advisory services, moving expense reimbursement, and replacement housing payments where applicable.

Statutory Text

"Displaced person" means any person who, on or after January 2, 1971, moves from real property, or moves his personal property from real property, as a direct result of acquisition, rehabilitation, or demolition of such real property, or as a direct result of the written order of a government official pursuant to statutory authority, for the purpose of carrying out a program authorized by federal law.

— 42 U.S.C. § 4601 — Definitions

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