Section 8 question

Jon,

The Section 8 program
Low income rental assistance.

The Property
We have a duplex that is Section 8 Approved. To get it approved for section 8 use, we had to contact our local housing authority. (For my area, it's " housing authority". A representative from there would come out to the property to do an inspection to see if it would qualify for their program. You would get a "yes it qualifies as is", or "no, it doesn't qualify just yet, you need to fix this". After the property gets qualified (possibly after another inspection), we can go back to the housing authority and say we have a 3br / 1ba located at 123 Main St. The housing authority will post this information along with our contact information to their clients. It's like having someone else pay for an ad in the newspaper for your property.

The tenants
Potential tenants will call and it's still up to you to screen for your tenants. After my apartment has been filled, I will contact the housing authority again to let them know to take my name off the contact list so I no longer get calls about an apartment I just filled. You can also talk to the person at the housing authority about what types of properties their clients are looking for so you can have an idea on what to shop for.

Perks of Section 8
A plus with Section 8 is direct deposit. The portion of the rent that Section 8 pays for is deposited directly into our bank account. The tenant is responsible for any left overs. If the tenant were to miss a payment, it could cause the tenant to be removed from the rental assistance of Section 8 so it's a good motivator for the tenant to behave.

Hope this wall of text helps,
Chris

So in other words to answer your question (for my area at least), is that the same people that approve a property for Section 8 use may have a list of potential tenants.

Hi Jon,

You could go right to the source at your local state office that supports housing for the homeless. Here in Spokane they call it SNAP and have a lottery because there are so many people that need a home. Having been part of SNAP I can say that you could start there and then ask them if there are any other organizations that support similar programs. Hope this was a helpful start Jon

BillG

Jon,

Way to go! Chris and Bill have great advice and I will add to it. Have the local Section 8 ofc. or Housing Authority send you an info packet. It's also been know that you can find buyers through the section 8 office or the website, too. Everything seems to be falling into place for you, which is wonderful to hear. Keep up the good work!

Yes as advised above you go to your local Housing Authority and apply. I have a little advise for you. Take photo of the entire house you are renting to a section 8 or whatever with a camera with a date on which a tenant is occupying the house. I have found that some of these people are very destructive and if you do not have proof that the house was damaged by the tenants then you will be the one to spend on repairs and sometimes could be huge repairs.

But that is very good to have section 8 as your check is assured every month.

Good luck.

Elsie

Thanks guys! I appreciate the responses...as usual, the DG family steps up!

Thanks DG family. Around my area in MI I think that might be the way to go. To go to a big city you have to drive at least 30 minutes. We have farm land around here. All the good jobs (GM) are mostly gone. People here can't afford to much. I think that is a way to go. THANKS!

I was a Section 8 tenant here in NY years ago.
It makes finding a place to live in more affordable for those on hard times.

As far as being approved for Section 8 housing, what it does is make your property more marketable as you will have a wider range of people that can afford it.

Like Elsie said, taking pictures before tenants take up residence is a great idea, section 8 or not.

With Section 8, depending on your jurisdiction, you may qualify to be reimbursed for up to 100% of any repairs for damages caused by a Sec 8 tenant.

One more tip I've heard of before is to take a picture of the daily newspaper as it will reinforce the case that the pictures were taken on the date claimed. This is because most authority figures are aware that time/date stamps on photos can be easily manipulated nowadays.

HTH!

Jon,

Just because a property is Section 8 approved does not mean the property is restricted to Section 8 tenants. Just means that a federal housing subsidy program will help pay some or all of the rent if your tenant happens to be in the Section 8 program.

Advertise the property for rent in your mainstream advertising markets just as you would any rental property. You can add a phrase to your ad copy, such as "Section 8 approved" if you wish.

Section 8 does not pay any more than the prevailing market rent anyway, so don't exclude potential applicants who are not in the Section 8 program.

You can't advertise section 8 or at least you aren't supposed to due to discriminatory reasons. Try going to gosection8.com you can list the properties there and the sec. 8 tenants know to look there.

Hi Jon:

I work with many landlords who only specialize in Sect 8 housing triple deckers around Boston. I find the tenants and get paid 1 months rent.

All I do is post on craigslist (SECTION 8 FRIENDLY!! NEwly renovated..Call Fast!)

There is nothing discriminatory about this. I am not the only agent who does this either and it's worked for me. Just be sure to pre-screen a flood of callers; not all sect 8 tenants are created equal.

Also look for tenants who have a HIGH Govt portion of the rent. You'll also learn which housing authorities are preferred and pay more.

For instance, Landlords love when I find them a BHA (Boston housing authority) voucher that pays 90% or more of the portion in their Chelsea, MA triple decker (BHA pays much more than chelsea housing and the higher the housing portion, the less risk for lossed rent.)

It's a very niched segment of real estate but the guaranteed high rents are worth it!

You can't specifically advertise for Section 8 but you can note that it's Section 8 approved just the same as you would say wheelchair accessible or working couples preferred. It's all in how you word it.