Do all landlords accept Section 8 (Charlotte: renters, mortgage, house)

[DanielChang]

Are landlords obligated to accept Section 8 voucher in North Carolina? I'm hearing conflicting reports--some say that it's a voluntary program and not all landlords participate--others say that landlord's can't discriminate against people holding vouchers.

[NC~Mom]

I don't think they have to participate...I may be wrong.
The rules are pretty strict about the condidtions of the house/apt. and I know a lot of Landlords that wouldn't even qualify.

[anifani821]

This is for Charlotte - I had looked up some info the other day

Section 8 Voucher Program | Charlotte Housing Authority

hope that helps!

[spankys bbq]

Property owners do not have to accept a Section 8 voucher. I've been in the property business for a while now and I know that for a fact.

Many property owner who have accepted vouchers now refuse to do so for several reasons. My personal favorite is that the actual tenant isn't responsible for any damages (or at least we couldn't get any money from them for $3500 worth of damage) and the voucher would not be sent until the house was back in compliance.

It is not discrimination to turn down someone on Section 8. It is, however, discrimination to do so based on race, creed, etc.

There have been many a property owner who shelled out a bunch of money on repairs for gov.-paid tenants. More and more of them are refusing to take part in the program. Others refuse to take part in the program because the house will be subjected to a pre-occupancy inspection and would cost too much to make it compliant.


Simple answer, no, the owner is not required to participate in the Section 8 program.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by spankys bbq

Property owners do not have to accept a Section 8 voucher. I've been in the property business for a while now and I know that for a fact.

Many property owner who have accepted vouchers now refuse to do so for several reasons. My personal favorite is that the actual tenant isn't responsible for any damages (or at least we couldn't get any money from them for $3500 worth of damage) and the voucher would not be sent until the house was back in compliance.

It is not discrimination to turn down someone on Section 8. It is, however, discrimination to do so based on race, creed, etc.

There have been many a property owner who shelled out a bunch of money on repairs for gov.-paid tenants. More and more of them are refusing to take part in the program. Others refuse to take part in the program because the house will be subjected to a pre-occupancy inspection and would cost too much to make it compliant.


Simple answer, no, the owner is not required to participate in the Section 8 program.

Sad but true, a few rotten apples spoil things for the whole bunch.

[spankys bbq]

Looking back, I got a little carried away on what should have been a simple answer. lol

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by spankys bbq

Looking back, I got a little carried away on what should have been a simple answer. lol

Spanky - gotta disagree - you didn't get carried away. I have been very interested in find out more about how Section 8 housing is handled, both on the voucher recipient side and on the landlord side.

Your post was very informative. I personally appreciated it and found it very helpful.

And frankly, it answered a question that I have been trying to find an answer to - why I see properties get trashed. If the renters are not held responsible, then that answers that question. No vested interest in taking care of the property. So please do not regret your post - as I truly appreciate it and wish people would post more info about Sec. 8 housing, the pros and cons.

So I thank you for taking the time.

[spankys bbq]

Section 8 can be a great program if it is overhauled along with the welfare system. Both have similarities in that people take advantage of them for long periods of time.

I'll admit that I am mostly the reason the company quit taking S8 renters. I went to a house to fix a broken window and saw that there were beer cans all over the house and yard and there was a brand new SUV in the driveway. The people there were getting as much gov assistance as there is. S8, welfare, WIC, etc. We wound up not renewing the lease after it was up and the mess was one of the owrst I've ever seen.

But the car was always spotless.

As you said, no vested interest and there is no reason at all to care about the property.

It's really a shame because there are people out there that have been put in really bad situations through little or no fault of their own that NEED the help and can't get it because of some people that have found a way to take advantage of the system.

[jennifer28168]

I have recently lost my job and i so can not find one. I've looked and looked, had interview after interviews and nothing. So now i want to go back to school. Anyway, my question is that i've been living in my home for over a year. I really love it here and don't want to move. Would it be rude of me to ask my landlord to participate in this section 8 thing? or to see if he could lower my rent? Please any advise would be great!

[MrConfigT]

Jennifer, I would start out by explaining your situation and seeing if you can renegotiate the terms of your lease and lower your rent. I had a land lord in college that was really helpful in situations like yours and as long as his base mortgage was covered he didn't mind lowering the rent a little for me.

But every land lord is different.