About the [BETA] Rental Update 2


The Rental Update assessment is a custom screen designed from user feedback for users to track rental payments in Clarity HMIS.


How to find the Rental Update

  • Search for the client whose record you would like to update.
  • From the client profile screen, click on the Programs tab.
  • Click on the edit button next to the enrollment you would like to manage.

  • Click on the Assessment tab located under the project name.


  • Select the Start button next to the Rental Update form to enter data.




Please note: The Rental Update assessment needs to be assigned to your project by a System Administrator or an Agency Manager level user. If the Rental Update is not available for your project please contact HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org.


Directions on Completing a Rental Update

Complete the Rental Update assessment each month your agency pays a client's rent. The Rental Update assessment only needs to be completed for the Head of Household. Please remember to toggle on Rental Deposit Paid by Agency and Irregular Amount Paid by Agency for the months a deposit or irregular payment is paid. Please be careful to toggle these toggles off for months these payments do not apply. 

Continue reading for more details on how to complete the Rental Update form.


Information Date and Effective Date

These fields help agencies distinguish between when rental data is entered into Clarity from the date the data is relevant.

  • Information date = date the information was entered into Clarity
  • Effective date = the month the information is effective.
  • For example, if the rental data for October 1, 2019, is entered on September 30, 2019, the Information date would be 09/30/2019 and the Effective date would be 10/01/2019.

Rental Payment Information

  • Toggle on Rental Deposit Paid by Agency to enter the amount of deposit paid by the agency and the date that deposit was due.
  • Enter the amount the agency will pay toward the client's monthly rent in the Rent - Subsidy Amount.
  • Enter the amount (if any) the client will pay in the Rent - Client Amount.
  • The Rent - Total field will automatically calculate the total of the Rent - Subsidy and Rent- Client Amounts.

Tracking Irregular Payments

  • Toggle on the Irregular Amount Paid by Agency to record an irregular payment.
  • The Include rental payments in form totals toggle will allow you to include both rental subsidy and irregular payments in the auto-calculated fields on this form. If you have the Irregular Amount Paid by Agency toggled on but the Include rental payments in form totals toggled off, auto-calculated form totals will total the irregular payment but not the rental subsidy.
  • Enter the date of the irregular payment in the Irregular Payment Amount.
  • Enter the amount of the irregular payment in the Irregular Payment Amount.
  • The total will calculate only the irregular payment amount if the Include rental payments in form totals is in the off position. If the Include rental payments in form totals is toggled on you will see a Rental Grand Total that will total both the Rental Subsidy and the Irregular Payment.

Tracking Utility Payments

  • Enter the amount your agency pays for the client's water utility in the Utility (Water) Subsidy Allowance field.
  • Enter the amount your agency pays for the client's electric/heat in the Utility (Electric) Subsidy Allowance field.
  • The Total Utility Subsidy Allowance will auto-calculate the amounts entered for water and electricity.

Total Payment by Agency

The Total Payment by Agency field will auto-calculate the agency deposit, rent subsidy, and utility total. If you have added an irregular payment and have the Include rental payments in form totals toggled off the Total Payment by Agency will only include the irregular payment and not include the rental subsidy. If you have the Include rental payments in form totals toggled on your Total Payment by Agency will include both the irregular payment and the rental subsidy.


Client Address

The client address section of the form should be used to enter the address the agency is paying rent for and includes a field for the # of bedrooms available at the residence.



Landlord Information

Enter all relevant landlord information in this section of the report.



Account Details

This section allows you to enter the account names and numbers if your agency is providing utility subsidies.


Please note, this form has been created and updated based on feedback from our users. Please contact HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org if you have suggestions that can improve data collection in Clarity HMIS.

Contact Information

If you need help, or wish to offer suggestions or feedback, please contact the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Support team at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org or by calling 513-263-2790 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).


When contacting HMIS support about a particular client, please do not send personal identifiable information such as social security numbers, medical information, or other data that can be used to identify a client. Instead, use the Clarity Unique ID.