Section 8 Landlord Information

How Does the Subsidy Work?

The Housing Authority reviews the eligibility of the tenant based on their income and family composition. The Housing Authority does not pre-screen or select tenants for the rental unit. The landlord is responsible for screening tenants and must follow federal, State, and local Equal Opportunity Laws.

The tenant with a Voucher has from 60-120 days to find suitable housing. The dwelling unit they choose will have to pass an inspection in accordance with the Housing Quality Standards (HQS) set forth in HUD guidelines.

All applicants are required to attend a Briefing. The purpose of the Briefing is to:

Issue your Housing Choice Voucher
Provide you with all of the information you need in order to be successful in your search and to maintain good standing while you are on the program.

You’ve Selected a Tenant, What’s Next?

Once you have selected a tenant, you must complete their Request for Lease Approval (RFLA) form and submit it to our office. When the RFLA has been received, we will call you to schedule an inspection of the property. If the unit passes inspection and the rent is approved, you and the tenant will sign the Lease that you must provide. The language must be consistent and agree with HUD rules, (regulations and guidelines) and you sign a concurrent one-year Contract with the Housing Authority.

The unit inspections are conducted by Housing Authority Inspectors and approved before the subsidy can begin. All participating units must be documented as being decent, safe, sanitary and free of any lead base paint in the unit.

If the unit does not pass inspection, we will allow up to thirty (30) days for correction of the repair items. A re-check inspection will be necessary to confirm that the corrections have been made. Tenants have only 120 days to find housing before they risk losing their Housing Choice Voucher, so repairs must be made in a timely manner. Please review the Housing Quality Standards Checklist on page 7.

Initial Contract Rent

The initial Contract Rent must be “rent reasonable” and the tenant’s total payment cannot exceed more than 40% of their monthly adjusted income for the initial term of the contract.

Rent reasonable means that the total rent cannot be more than rent for similar units in the same general area or neighborhood. Criteria used to determine the rent include:

Utility inclusions to be paid by the owner, inclusion of appliances.
The overall unit condition, age, and square footage.
Any improvements made to the unit and a comparison of similar rental units within that general area.
A comparison of similar rental units within that general area.

Please note that subsidized rents may not be more than non-subsidized rents for similar unit.

Security Deposits

You are encouraged to collect a security deposit. However, the Housing Authority will prohibit security deposits that are in excess of private market practice or in excess of amounts you charge to unassisted tenants. Security deposits must be held in compliance with State and local laws regarding interest payments and disposition of deposits. It is the tenant’s responsibility to pay the full security deposit.

Effective Date of Lease/Beginning of Subsidy

The effective date of the Lease and Contract will be determined after all Housing Quality Standards violations have been corrected and the tenant has terminated any previous Contract or Lease.

If the Tenant is subsidized at another unit in an existing Lease and Contract, the tenant must return the keys to their previous unit to establish a termination date for that Lease and Contract.

If the tenant takes possession of your unit before the authorized start date, the tenant will be responsible for the full market rent until the effective date of the new Lease.

Rent Increases

You may request an annual rent increase. Rent increases are not automatic and must be requested in writing with documentation justifying the increase. The annual inspection must be current with no outstanding HQS violations. These are the requirements for rent increases:

It must be reasonable and be approved by the Housing Authority. A written 60-day notice of the increase must be served to the family and a copy to the Housing Authority.
When the rent increase has been approved, the Housing Authority will send you and the tenant a notice of change in rent with the effective date.

If you are not sure about the rules and procedures, please contact your SHA representative to get the correct information. No one should be evicted or lose their assistance unnecessarily. If you are aware of someone who is violating program rules, please contact the Section 8 Coordinator.