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To Apply for Section
8 Rental Assistance
To
participate in the Section 8 program for rental assistance you must
be income
eligible (see income limits for family size).
If
you are income
eligible you must contact our office to fill out a
pre-application, which will place your name on the appropriate waiting
list.
To
fill out the pre-application you will need to have names, address,
birth dates, social security numbers, income, contact person, and
amount
of rent you are currently paying.
The
pre-application is time stamped and dated and your name is placed
on the appropriate waiting list. Your name is selected from the
waiting list by date and time that is stamped on your pre-application
when filled out and given to the Housing Authority.
It
is important that you keep the Housing Authority updated on your
address, family size, and income once you have filled out the
pre-application. You must come into the office to update
information, updating will not be taken over the phone.
When
your name comes up on the waiting list the Housing Authority will
mail you an appointment letter. If you cannot keep this
appointment you must contact the Housing Authority to reschedule the
appointment. Failure to do so will terminate your name from the
waiting list.
Interview
Process
When
the assistance is available and a letter is sent to you for an
interview, you will need to bring in verification such as Social
Security Cards, birth certificates, income verification, rent receipts
or statement of address, tax papers, medical expenses, divorce papers,
asset verification, and if applicable Veterans verification (DD214).
You
will have one week after your interview to turn in required
documentation to the Housing Authority, if you cannot get the
information within the specified time please call the Housing Authority
or you will be terminated from the waiting list.
When
the Housing Authority receives all of the required verifications and
the applicant qualifies, the Housing Authority will send a briefing
letter. Again it is very important that if changes occur you must
keep the Housing Authority informed of the changes.
Briefing Process
All eligible clients will be sent a letter of the date and time that we
will hold a briefing. The Housing Authority personnel will go
over the rules and regulations for clients to participate in the
Section 8 rental assistance program.
The coordinator will go over the HUD rules and regulations on the
back
of the voucher. This includes your rights against discrimination
covered under the Fair Housing
Laws.
Also clients will be informed of the Housing Authority policies and
procedures of the Section 8 rental assistance program. There are
several documents that must be signed by the adult members that will
participate in the program such as:
- The lead paint
poisoning disclosure
- The Section 8
certification
Clients will be given instructions on how to become leased with the
Housing Authority.
Once the client finds a suitable unit the landlord must fill out the
Request for Tenancy Approval (HUD form). When this form is given
to the Housing Authority, a housing inspection
will be scheduled.
If the inspection passes, the Housing Authority will prepare a contract
to be signed by the landlord.
If the inspection does not pass, a copy of the inspection report will
be sent to the owner and the tenant.
The report states the discrepancies that must be repaired.
Repairs must be completed within 30 days or by the expiration date on
the voucher before a contract for rental assistance can be signed.
Leasing Process
No payments will be made for a unit until the contract has been signed.
The Housing Authority will not be responsible for any portion of the
rent until a contract has been signed.
The owner (especially if new) will need to come in to the Housing
Authority office to sign the contract. The term of the contract
is usually for a one-year period. After the first year, the
rental assistance is based on a month-to-month term.
The Housing Authorities portion of the rental assistance payments will
be mailed directly to the landlord or owner.
If the contract is dated for a date past the first day of the month,
the rent will be pro-rated for a check to be sent out on the first part
of the following month. Example: The owner signs a contract
dated for the fourteenth day of September. The Housing
Authorities portion is $200.00 per month. The first part of
October the landlord will be sent a check for the $200.00 (monthly
portion) plus the prorated portion ($200/30 days equals $6.67 per day X
the number of days left in the month 16days) $106.72.
After the initial signing of the contract, unless information changes,
the Housing Authority will continue to mail the owner the check for
that amount on or about the first day of every month.
If the tenant’s information changes they must report the change within
ten days of the change. The change must be made in writing by filling
out the Reporting Changes Form provided from the Housing Authority.
After review of the change, the Housing Authority will send a letter to
the owner and to the tenant regarding information about the change.
Once a client has a signed contract the tenant may be eligible as a
participant in the Family
Self Sufficiency program.
Recertification Process
Once a year, about one hundred twenty days before the end of the
recertification date, the Housing Authority will send a letter to the
tenant to come in to the office.
The information needed for recertification will be stated on the letter
such as current income, rent receipts, utility bills, tax forms, etc.
If the tenant has all the needed information, the recertification
appointment will take approximately 15 minutes.
An annual housing inspection will be scheduled. If you cannot
keep this appointment you must call to reschedule before the
appointment time. We will charge $15.00 for a no show if the
scheduled inspection cannot be performed.
Again if the inspection does not pass, a copy of the inspection report
will be mailed to the owner and the tenant stating the discrepancies
that must be repaired within 30 days.
Move Process
After the first year of a completed contract, the tenant may be able to
lease up in any county they want to move to.
Moving to another county is called a portability move.
The tenant must give a written 30-day notice to the landlord and a copy
to the Housing Authority before moving out of the present unit.
The Housing Authority must perform a recertification on the tenant
before moving.
The tenant’s rent and utilities must be current before the Housing
Authority will approve a move.
If staying in the same county the tenant must have a Request for
Tenancy Approval filled out. The process starts over again.
If moving to a different county, the client will need to inform the
Housing Authority of the name, address and phone number of the Housing
Authority in which they wish to move to. Portability move papers
will be filled out and forwarded to the receiving Housing Authority.
Termination of
Assistance
If clients do not follow the rules and regulations or the procedures
for the Housing Authority they will be terminated from the rental
assistance program!
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