How to Qualify for HUD Rental Housing

Public housing options range from apartment complexes to single family homes.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers rental housing to low-income families, as well as elderly and disabled individuals. Through the program, these disadvantaged households get subsidized rent, allowing them to live in a what HUD describes as "decent and safe rental housing" for a fraction of what it would cost in the private market. HUD estimates that 1.2 million households live in these public housing units. Local housing agencies handle the application and approval process for those interested in the public housing program.

Instructions

1. Contact your local housing agency or visit huduser.org to learn the income limits for your area. To qualify for lower-income rental programs, you must make at or below 80 percent of the median income for your county or metropolitan area. To qualify for very low-income programs, you must make at or below 50 percent of the median income level.

2. Gather the documents and information you need to prove your family size and income. To verify your family size, you will need names, genders, birthdays and familial relationship information for all individuals who will live in the unit. To verify your income, you must provide contact information for your banks and employers and an estimation of your income for the next 12 months. HUD will use this information to verify your stated income and compare it to the median income level for families of the same size to determine eligibility.

3. Gather the contact information for current former landlords. The housing agency will contact your old landlords to learn whether or not you were a good tenant. If you have not been a good tenant in the past for your landlords, you may be denied access to the rental program, even if your income level qualifies, because HUD and the local housing agencies reserve the right to deny admission to applicants who maintain practices and habits that could undermine the positive environment they are trying to foster in the housing complex..

4. Apply for the program following the guidelines of your local housing agency.

5. Open your home to a representative from the housing agency, if requested. The representative wants to see how well you keep up your current home and interview you and your family members before offering public housing options.

6. Give the representative documentation that proves the information on your application. This may include the birth certificates for your family members, tax returns proving your income and paycheck stubs to prove current income.

7. Receive written notification about your qualification. If you qualify, your name will be added to the waiting list. When it gets to the top, the housing agency will contact you for information about entering the rent assistance program.

Tips & Warnings

• The need for rent assistance is larger than the available help through HUD in most areas, so even if you qualify, you will have to wait before you can get into the program. If you think you qualify, apply before you are in desperate need for housing.

• Once you are in the program, you can stay in it as long as you comply with the terms of the lease. If your income changes and there is affordable housing in the private market available, the housing agency may ask you to leave the program to make room for another needy family.

• Only your spouse, children or other dependents who have you as their legal guardian are considered when determining family size, even if others currently live with you in your home.

• If you qualify for the program, read your lease carefully with your housing agency representative to ensure you understand it. Breaking any clause in the lease could terminate your ability to receive housing assistance.

References

• Department of Housing and Urban Development: Rental Assistance
• HUD.gov: Public Housing Programs

Resources

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• HUD User.org: 2010 Income Limits