HUD will not pay rent when the landlord is a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the renting family. The only exception would be if the family includes a person with a disability who needs the unit as a documented reasonable accommodation.
Landlords who have been caught violating program policies may be banned from participation in the program.
The voucher holder will bring the landlord a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) and Lead Paint Certification form to complete and sign.
The voucher holder or the landlord (or landlord’s representative) will submit the two forms to the voucher holder’s PHA caseworker.
The caseworker will review the forms and check the rent amount against the local Fair Market Rent (FMR), and also look at comparable rents in the area. The caseworker will either negotiate the rent amount if the requested amount is higher than the FMR, or will agree to the rent payment. For some PHAs, the housing inspector will review the requested rent amount, after the inspection is completed.
The PHA inspector will contact the landlord to make an appointment for the inspection. For most PHAs, the inspection has to be completed within 15 days after the RTA is received. Some of the larger PHAs might take longer. The voucher holder will be notified of the date of the inspection and the Inspector should ask the voucher holder if they want to be present for the inspection. The landlord or the landlord’s representative should be present during the inspection, but doesn’t necessarily have to be.
The PHA inspector will tell the landlord if the unit passed the inspection or repairs are needed.
The landlord makes a decision to complete the repairs or to not complete the repairs and not rent to the voucher holder. If the landlord decides to complete the repairs, the landlord will need to contact the inspector once the repairs are completed. The inspector will set up a time to come back out and review the repairs.
If the unit passes at that time, the voucher holder can move in on the date agreed upon by the PHA and the landlord. Some PHAs will pay a partial month’s rent if the voucher holder moves in the middle of the month, but some won’t pay until the first or fifteenth of the month. The landlord needs to make sure the PHA will pay a partial month’s rent before the voucher holder moves in on a date other than the first of the month.
After the lease and HAP contract is signed and the voucher holder gets the keys from the landlord, the contract and lease begins.
Ten months later, the landlord will get an appointment notice for the annual inspection. The inspector comes out, inspects the unit and sends a notice to the landlord that the unit passed or not. If the unit doesn't pass the annual inspection, a description of the needed repairs will be sent to the landlord, along with a due date by which the repairs need to be completed. A copy will be sent to the voucher holder.
If the landlord wants to request a raise in rent, they need to notify the PHA caseworker 30 to 60 days in advance of the end of the first year’s lease, depending on the PHA rules.
The voucher holder will go through an annual recertification. The PHA caseworker will verify the voucher holder’s income and the portion of rent paid by the PHA could change for the upcoming twelve months, depending on the voucher holder’s income and income deductions (childcare, medical bills, etc...)
The PHA caseworker will send a notice to the landlord, stating the PHA’s new portion of the rent and the voucher holder’s new rent portion amount to be paid to the landlord. The notice will also include the date the new rent amounts start.