How to Qualify Your Property for Section 8 Housing
Section 8 is also referred to as the Housing Choice Voucher Program. It is intended to help eligible low-income families find a decent place to live at a reasonable and affordable rent. Once a family is approved, they must find a location that is willing to accept rent from the program. If you have property or rental units and are willing to accept Section 8 families, it is a simple process to make it available. You must, however, ensure that it meets the necessary requirements to qualify.
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Instructions
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Locate and contact your local Section 8 housing agency by going to the Public Housing Authority Contact Information page on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website (see Resource 1). Inform them that you are making your property available for Section 8 rental. They will list your property for free on a listing of qualified units.
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Go to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website and view the Fair Market Rents that are listed (see Resource 2). Set your rent so that it is 10 percent more or 10 percent less than the Fair Market Rent. FMR is HUDs payment standard that is calculated on an annual basis. It is used by HUD to calculate the maximum monthly subsidy for rental properties. FMRs include both rent and utility costs and are based on other local, comparable but unassisted units that are available for rent. Location, unit size, unit type, quality and age of the unit are all factors that are taken into consideration when determining FMR or reasonable rent amount.
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Review the housing quality standards (HQS) general requirements for 13 key aspects, which are listed in the guidebook (see Reference 2). Make any repairs that are needed to meet those requirements before listing your property as accepting Section 8. Prior to renting your unit after a potential tenant has expressed interest, your local Public Housing Authority will make an appointment with you for an initial inspection. Your property will be checked to confirm that it meets the HQS minimum criteria for acceptability on each of these aspects. If any of these aspects do not meet the housing authority's requirements, you will need to make the necessary improvements before your property can be accepted as an approved Section 8 rental.
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Continue to maintain the property for the duration of time that your property is leased as a Section 8 property. Your Public Housing Authority will schedule annual inspections while you are participating in the program to ensure continued eligibility.
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