What HUD offices serve Portsmouth, Virginia?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the Virginia Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Portsmouth.
How many renters live in Portsmouth, Virginia?
The City of Portsmouth has 97,029 people living in 40,178 households.
There are 39,127 renters living in 16,491 renter households in this City. Renters make up 40.33 percent of the population living in Portsmouth.
What is the rental market like in Portsmouth, Virginia?
There are an estimated 43,096 housing units in the Portsmouth area. Of these, 18,095 units are rental homes, making up 42 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Portsmouth, Virginia, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Portsmouth?
The rental vacancy rate in Portsmouth is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.
How many rental units are in Portsmouth for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Portsmouth
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 368 | 3,001 | 8,181 | 4,703 | 729 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Portsmouth
A large number of apartments in Portsmouth have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in Portsmouth are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 62 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 33 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in Portsmouth
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,279 to $2,532. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,279 |
| One BR | $1,287 |
| Two BR | $1,493 |
| Three BR | $2,079 |
| Four BR | $2,532 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Portsmouth, Virginia
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Portsmouth?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 260 | 71 percent |
| One BR | 2,141 | 71 percent |
| Two BR | 7,045 | 86 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Portsmouth, Virginia
How many affordable rental units are in Portsmouth?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Portsmouth, Virginia including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 3,258 |
| Public Housing | 563 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 750 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 19 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Portsmouth, Virginia
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth features 1,712 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in Portsmouth, Virginia
There are 2,298 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Portsmouth.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Portsmouth, Virginia
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Portsmouth landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Portsmouth.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Portsmouth, Virginia for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,344 and $1,642.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
