Restore LA Program Warns of Scams
Amy Fennell • November 13, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Restore La. Program Warns of Scams Asking for Private Information
BATON ROUGE, La. – Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Office of Community Development warns residents of telephone scams in which callers ask flood-impacted families to provide private information like bank account numbers or make a financial deposit to complete their applications for assistance. These calls are fraudulent attempts to obtain personal information.
If program applicants have doubts about the authenticity of a phone call or email, they should immediately contact the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program at (866) 735-2001 or info@restore-la.org. Program staff will then help applicants verify whether the call came from a program representative and report the call if needed.
When calling applicants, Restore Louisiana staff will confirm who they are by referring to the applicant’s survey account number. Applicants are encouraged to compare this number to their own survey account number before giving out any personal information. It is important to note that the program does not ask for any banking information, including account numbers or a deposit, or a social security number by phone.
Likewise, the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program emails applicants only from official program accounts, such as info@restore-la.org. Before responding to any email claiming to be sent from the program, applicants are encouraged to carefully check the sender’s address in order to verify the email’s authenticity.
About the Restore Louisiana Task Force
The Restore Louisiana Task Force comprises 21 individuals from throughout the state who were appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to oversee the rebuilding process after historic flooding in March and August 2016 impacted 51 disaster-declared parishes. The Task Force’s mission is divided into six categories: community planning, economic, health and social services, housing, infrastructure and natural and cultural resources. All task force documents are available at http://restore.la.gov/resources/. For more information, visit restore.la.gov.
Louisiana’s 2026 Regular Session opened this week with several developments that matter directly to REALTORS ®, property managers and housing providers, alongside some broader political shifts worth watching. HB 292: Security Deposit Return Timelines Rep. Delisha Boyd’s HB 292, which addresses procedures for returning residential security deposits, was deferred to next week. This provides additional time for stakeholders to engage with members on practical impacts for lease administration, move out inspections and documentation standards. We’ll continue working to ensure any changes to deposit law are clear, workable and do not expose housing providers to unreasonable liability. Land Use and Development: St. James Parish Decision The Louisiana Supreme Court’s recent St. James Parish decision significantly tightens the standards for overturning local land use decisions, reinforcing that zoning and permitting authority rests with parish and municipal governments as long as their decisions are not arbitrary or capricious. For real estate and development, that means more predictability if projects are aligned with adopted plans and ordinances, but also higher stakes in local elections, planning processes and parish-level negotiations. Governor’s State of the State In his State of the State address, Governor Jeff Landry reiterated his push to phase out the state income tax, expand the LA GATOR and MJ Foster scholarship and workforce programs, and replace vehicle inspection stickers with a QR code system. These programs frame a debate around long-term competitiveness, workforce readiness and household cost of living which are all key drivers of housing demand and migration patterns. Business & Market Trends The business community is focusing the session on insurance, workforce and energy. Commercial and property insurance costs remain a top concern for employers and property owners, and we are monitoring civil justice and insurance reform proposals that could affect market stability and availability. At the same time, Louisiana is seeing more than $100 billion in announced industrial and data center projects, which could reshape local markets, labor conditions and housing needs in multiple regions of the state. Please view the weekly bill tracking report at the link below provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
Learn how Louisiana real estate regulations, disclosure laws, and licensing standards help protect homebuyers and create safer, more transparent transactions.
Nominations are open now through April 24, 2026, for the Louisiana REALTORS® 2025 REALTOR® of the Year & the 2025 Lawrence R. DeMarcay, Jr. Distinguished Service Award. Both awards are aimed to showcase an individual who has volunteered their time in service to the real estate industry. Recipients of the awards will be recognized during the Spring Legislative Conference. (Registration coming soon!) Please see the below links with the selection criteria and consider submitting a nomination today. Contact Donna Teekel at (225) 224-0704 or dteekel@larealtors.org with any questions.
