Section 8 Assist
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Section 8: Here’s What Your Landlord Must Provide

With Section 8, you’ll be dealing with a landlord, just as if you were in a regular rental agreement. Your landlord will have certain responsibilities they must abide by, which we’ll reveal in this article.

Every month, you find yourself either falling short of the rent or paying it late. This puts you at odds with your landlord, to the point that you fear you’ll soon be living on the streets if you don’t increase your income.

Could you get a second job to boost your income and make it easier to pay rent? Sure, and you could also do things like work side gigs, ask for extra hours at your current job, and even sell some of your stuff online for cash.

What’s a better long-term solution to paying the rent that’s less stressful or time-consuming than those options above? Getting a Section 8 housing voucher from the government.

Section 8 is an incredibly popular government assistance program for one main reason: It makes rent affordable. Since rent takes the biggest piece of your budget’s pie each month, lowering it could make it easier to fix your finances, which is what a housing voucher can help you do.

Unlike other forms of housing assistance, Section 8 lets you pick where you live. This means that you not only get to choose between apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes, but that you’ll also be dealing with a landlord.

Let’s take a look at what a Section 8 landlord must bring to the table, as well as what you must do as a tenant. We’ll also include your Public Housing Agency (PHA) responsibilities, so you can get a better idea of how a Section 8 partnership functions.

What a Section 8 Landlord Must Do:

  • Enforce the lease.
  • Abide by equal opportunity and fair housing laws when selecting/dealing with tenants.
  • Screen and pick tenants.
  • Collect and provide information needed by the PHA to process the Housing Assistance Payments contract.
  • Charge rent as agreed upon with the PHA, and not any higher.
  • Maintain the unit in accordance with Section 8’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS).
  • Collect monies from the tenant for the security deposit, their portion of the rent, and any damages.
  • Provide utilities and services listed in the lease.
  • Manage the rental.
  • Abstain from collecting side payments, as they are not allowed under Section 8.

What the PHA Must Do:

  • Pay the landlord the voucher amount each month.
  • Regularly ensure that families are eligible for Section 8.
  • Monitor for fraud and Section 8 abuse among landlords and tenants.
  • Tell the landlord if the voucher amount will increase or decrease.
  • Provide customer service to both tenants and landlords.
  • Ensure the property is up to standards via inspections every two years.

What a Section 8 Tenant Must Do:

  • Provide information to the PHA or HUD, as requested.
  • Provide notice 30-60 days in advance if you plan to move or end the lease.
  • Follow the rules as listed in the lease.
  • Pay for utilities not covered by the landlord.
  • Supply appliances not provided by the landlord.
  • Correct property damage caused by residents or guests.

To learn more about Section 8 so you can apply for housing assistance, click here.

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