What is the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program?
Section 8 is a free-choice approach to assisted housing. The family may choose any type dwelling unit as long as it meets certain requirements for rent limits, rent reasonableness and Housing Quality Standards (HQS). The landlord retains private property rights, including management, tenant selection and maintenance. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) determines the rules and regulations for the Section 8 Program.

You as the owner/landlord, determine whether to require a Security Deposit and the amount of the deposit. If you do collect a deposit, the amount collected may not be in excess of private market practice, or in excess of amounts charged by you to unassisted tenants.

How to Become a Participating Landlord
When a family has been determined eligible for assistance, they will receive a Voucher (Form HUD-52646). Then they begin their search for a suitable unit. You may post your vacant unit with MHA by submitting in writing your name, bedroom size, address and accessibility for disabled persons to us at: (708)345-7315

We also recommend you post your vacancy in the local papers and advertise "Section 8 accepted". MHA will not steer families to specific owners or rental units, but we do furnish families with a listing of owners with available units.

Step 1 – A family contacts you with a Voucher for Section 8 Rental Assistance inhaled. Ask to see the Voucher and check the expiration date, (found in upper right hand corner). If the date is current the applicant is eligible for assistance.

Step 2 - Owner/landlord screens the family for suitability as a renter.The MHA only verifies family income and composition. The MHA knows that the owner has proved a family for tenancy when we receive the Request for Tenancy Approval (Form HUD-52517) and the lease.The owner/landlord may submit your own lease to MHA or you may use MHA's Dwelling Lease Form.  Whichever, HUD requires certain language in any lease signed by a Section 8 Rental Assistance participant. Therefore, MHA must approve the lease.

The following items HUD requires in a lease:

Step 3 - After owner/landlord approves the family, the family and landlord fill out the Request for Tenancy Approval (Form HUD-52517) the family should have in hand. It must be completed in entirety and signed. The Request for Tenancy Approval and the lease (if applicable) must be returned to MHA immediately. We will review the signed Request for Tenancy Approval and determine if the rent is affordable based on the family's income and if the rent is reasonable when compared to units in the private market (Rent Reasonableness). In some instances a landlord may be asked to provide documents showing the rent is comparable to other unassisted units.

HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent (FMR) yearly.

    The family portion of rent is calculated as…

minus any applicable utility allowance plus any amount that Gross Rent exceeds the applicable payment standard.

The family portion of rent plus any applicable utility allowance equals total tenant Payment. The family cannot rent a unit if their Total Tenant Payment exceeds 40% of their monthly-adjusted income if rent is above payment standard. If the unit is not determined affordable or the unit does not meet Rent Reasonableness requirements you and the family will be notified in writing.

Step 4 - Once Step 3 has been completed and the unit is determined affordable and meets Rent Reasonableness requirements, owner/landlord and tenant will receive a telephone call notifying of the inspection date and time. The landlord and the tenant must be present at the time of inspection.

During an inspection, the inspector cannot accept packet:

The family must notify the office if:        

LEAD BASE PAINT
The MHA Housing Authority is required to be in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regulations on Notification, Evaluation and Reduction of Lead-Based Paint that became effective September 15, 2000.

The Regulations require a visual assessment must be performed for deteriorated paint in dwelling units built before 1978 and occupied by families with children less than 6 years of age.

Our Housing Inspectors will conduct visual assessments (when required) on your property including common areas, on-site play areas and equipment to determine if deteriorated paint exists during initial, annual and other inspections.

If deteriorated paint above the de minimum levels is found, certain requirements must be followed. Deteriorated paint must be stabilized in accordance with EPA and HUD regulations.

Deteriorated paint means any interior or exterior paint or other coating that is peeling, chipping, chalking or crackling; or any paint or exterior surface or fixture that is otherwise damaged or separated from the substrate.

De minimums levels are:

Stabilization means repairing any physical defect in the substrate of a painted surface that is causing deterioration of the surface before treating the surface. Examples of defective substrate include dry rot, rust, moisture-related defects, crumbling plaster and missing siding or other components that are not securely fastened.

Before applying new paint, all loose paint or other loose material must be removed from the surface to be treated.

Acceptable methods for preparing the surface to be treated include wet scraping, wet sanding and power sanding performed in conjunction with a HEPA filter. Dry sanding or scraping is only permitted for electrical safety reasons.

Paint Stabilization includes the application of a new protective coating or paint. All protective coatings and paint must be applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. If the deteriorated paint area exceeds the de minimums levels set by HUD, safe work practices must be followed and a clearance examination must be performed.

Safe work practices include protecting the family from contamination during stabilization, preparation of work site, specialized cleaning activities and notifying the family that stabilization activities will be undertaken and the results of the clearance examination.

Clearance examinations are conducted to determine that stabilization activities are complete. The clearance process includes a visual assessment and collection and analysis of environmental samples.

If a clearance examination is required, a copy must be provided to MHA at the time of re-inspection. If your property has been inspected by a Certified Lead-Base Paint Inspector and found to be lead-free you may provide a copy of the inspection report to MHA and the above requirements will not apply. 

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY CHECK?
Monthly HAP checks are paid once per month.  Checks are mailed within the first five (5) calendar days of the month. HAP payments will continue as long as the family continues to meet eligibility requirements and the unit continues to meet HQS requirements.  The family is responsible to pay the difference between MHA's payment amount and the total contract rent. The family portion of rent is paid directly to the owner.  Owner may not charge the family in excess of the family's portion of rent.