The Housing Choice Voucher program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments.
Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies(PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.
Landlord Access
If you are a landlord, you can access your account using the below login. Please call us if you have any questions or if you would like to join the program.
Landlords who receive a check from our office and need to change your address.
Please give us as much information as you can: your full name, the name of your Section 8 tenant, the address of the rental unit under contract, and your complete new mailing address and telephone number. This request must be submitted in writing.
Find out what happened to your check.
Direct deposit is now mandatory. Please contact the Housing Authority office for more information.
To request a rent increase.
After the first year of your lease with your tenant, if you have a lease with a tenant who has a Section 8 Voucher, you must submit a request for a rent increase to the Housing Authority, in writing, 60 days prior to the anniversary date of the lease. You will also be responsible for certifying that the requested rent is reasonable and meets the current Fair Market Rent. Send your request to the Housing Authority to the attention of the Section 8 department. Rent increases are not guaranteed and are only permitted once a year.
What kind of rental unit qualifies?
Any existing rental unit may be eligible; single family homes, condominiums, apartments, mobile homes, townhouses, duplexes, etc., located in Wayne and Pike Counties. All rental units must conform to Housing Authority Standards and meet local code requirements.
May an owner sell a property while it is under contract with the Housing Authority?
Yes, an owner may sell the property while it has a tenant under contract. Call the Authority for instructions.
How often does the Housing Authority inspect the units?
The rental units are inspected prior to a contract being signed and at least annually thereafter. Initial inspection of the unit is only conducted once a Request for Tenancy Approval is turned in by the prospective tenant and is approved. If the inspection fails, the landlord will have 30 days to make repairs before a re-inspection will be done. The landlord will be notified of all deficiencies found by the inspector along with the re-inspection date. Please see our Inspection Checklist for more information.
Benefits for a participating landlord.
The Housing Authority portion of the rent is direct deposited into your bank account each month. The program allows you to fill a vacancy in a rental unit with a tenant who, by being on the program, gives you greater assurance of being able to maintain the unit.
What does the landlord need to do?
The landlord must attract a family that has already been determined as eligible and has been issued a Voucher by the Housing Authority. The landlord is responsible to screen the family for suitability as a tenant, just as they would any prospective tenant. If the landlord decides to rent to the family, a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) is completed and submitted to the Housing Authority along with verification of ownership and lease. Eligible families are given the RFTA at the time they are issued a Voucher. The Housing Authority schedules an inspection of the rental unit within 14 days of receiving the RFTA. If the unit meets Housing Quality Standards and the rent amount is approvable by standards set by HUD, the contract and lease are signed by the Housing Authority, the participant, and the landlord. The landlord is expected to collect a security deposit and the family’s share of the rent. The landlord is expected to maintain the property’s overall condition and see that the basic plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling systems, etc. are functioning properly. Should the family violate the terms of the lease or fail to pay the rent, the landlord needs to notify the Housing Authority so that they may take proper action and the landlord would then go through proper eviction procedures.
What does the family need to do?
The participating family is responsible to pay the rent and the utilities for which they are obligated under the lease. They are also responsible to follow all the terms of the lease.
Serious or repeated lease violations can result in the termination of housing assistance under the federal regulations. If the family damages the rental unit beyond normal wear and tear, they are responsible to pay for the damages. The landlord must collect these damage amounts through the local court system.
The rent limits.
The Fair Market Rents are published in the Federal Register each year and are effective each October. The rent amounts include all utilities. If the tenant will be paying all or some of the utilities, the rent amount needs to be reduced by an allowance for tenant paid utilities determine by the Housing Authority.