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I live 2000 miles away so I won't be blowing the tenants cover. I did call the mgmt company with my concerns. She is described as clean and professional with one young child. Doesn't sound bad.
Shoot...being poor is almost the norm these days. Unless they work for the government...those folks are strutting around like King Tut.
How much value do you place in the management company you hired?
We treat Section 8 like any other other applicant except for the income qualification.
Also, be aware the unit is required to meet Housing Quality Standards and continue to meet them throughout the rental. Things like window screens, appliances, fire extinguisher, etc.
The certificate holder has already been pre-qualified as low income... the next steps are unit inspection and rent reasonableness. The unit will not be eligible unless it passes HQS and the rent is within agency guidelines.
Depending on Tenant's income, the tenant's rent portion may be almost nothing or almost everything... it will also be adjusted at least once a year.
I have some Section 8 families that have been with me since the 1980's...
We currently no longer accept new families because Section 8 no longer covers any reimbursement for tenant caused damage or lost rent... a big consideration since families on assistance are judgement proof...
My best advice is to maintain your standards except for your Income requirement if you go Section 8... i.e. no bad credit, references, employment etc.
How much value do you place in the management company you hired?
We treat Section 8 like any other other applicant except for the income qualification.
Also, be aware the unit is required to meet Housing Quality Standards and continue to meet them throughout the rental. Things like window screens, appliances, fire extinguisher, etc.
The certificate holder has already been pre-qualified as low income... the next steps are unit inspection and rent reasonableness. The unit will not be eligible unless it passes HQS and the rent is within agency guidelines.
Depending on Tenant's income, the tenant's rent portion may be almost nothing or almost everything... it will also be adjusted at least once a year.
I have some Section 8 families that have been with me since the 1980's...
We currently no longer accept new families because Section 8 no longer covers any reimbursement for tenant caused damage or lost rent... a big consideration since families on assistance are judgement proof...
My best advice is to maintain your standards except for your Income requirement if you go Section 8... i.e. no bad credit, references, employment etc.
That must be state by state then. I know 1 or 2 S8 LL's who successfully sued S8 tenants for damages.
That must be state by state then. I know 1 or 2 S8 LL's who successfully sued S8 tenants for damages.
The question is if they were able to collect. Of course, anyone can sue anyone...
In the past, Section 8 would guarantee up to two months rent for damage and unpaid rent... I have collected under the old program.
With the introduction of Vouchers, Housing got out of the Security Deposit end to reduce administration and cut losses...
I have two judgements in my file against former Section 8 tenants... doubtful I will ever collect... both no longer work, live of welfare... not really anything to go after.
RUN, don't walk away from that Section 8 tenant!!! As a board member in a condo development I can't tell you the amount of complaints & the number of owners who have MOVED out because of the 1 Section 8 tenant in our complex.
Fortuanately, after YEARS of fighting with the tenant & the landlord who didn't care just as long as they got their rent money, the tenant is moving!!!
Finally, peace will return to our community!!!
How much do you know about the Lehigh area? You do realize that this area is full of crime and drugs right? Head over to the Ft Myers/Cape Coral board and ask these question there.
Lehigh was a neat little place until all the Section 8 voucher holders were 'forced' out there when the govt shut down the Michigan Links housing project.
The question is if they were able to collect. Of course, anyone can sue anyone...
In the past, Section 8 would guarantee up to two months rent for damage and unpaid rent... I have collected under the old program.
With the introduction of Vouchers, Housing got out of the Security Deposit end to reduce administration and cut losses...
I have two judgements in my file against former Section 8 tenants... doubtful I will ever collect... both no longer work, live of welfare... not really anything to go after.
That is why I said "successfully" sued. Section 8 doesn't guarantee that and I don't believe they should. Being on S8 should not alleviate responsibility on the part of the tenant.
That is why I said "successfully" sued. Section 8 doesn't guarantee that and I don't believe they should. Being on S8 should not alleviate responsibility on the part of the tenant.
Subsidized Housing has a long history and really picked up momentum in the 1960's in many parts of the county...
When I first became involved... local Housing Authorities would contract with the building owner and assume full responsibility for the property... everything from placing tenants, maintenance, evictions, etc.
In the late 70's, Section 8 started being implemented in my area... it was a fundamental shift where the Housing Authority limited it's roll to financial... which included security deposit assistance.
The reality is many families that had been required to pay a few dollars security, commensurate with their allocation of rebt and often this was less than 10% of a traditional deposit of 2 months.
With the coming of Vouchers/Portability, Housing made the decision to further reduce it's commitment to only a portion of the rent and annual HQS inspections. Many Landlords felt abandoned... especially those that had rented under one set of rules which provided Security Deposit Guarentee as an enticement to rent...
A typical family in my area paying $90 a month in rent for a $1500 single family home did not have the resources to come up with a $3,000 Security Deposit. Many Landlords stopped taking Section 8 because it didn't make good sense to let someone rent a $400,000 home without 2 months security... or the ability to recover damages.
Of course there are always exceptions... I had a single mother that worked her way up from almost full subsidy to no subsidy... the last year she was on the program, she was paying 98% of the rent and Housing 2%... she utilized the opportunities available and eventually landed a good job with the transit agency... she, however, is not typical in my experience.
I have managed many rentals where Section 8 has become generational... 3 of 4 generations living on assistance... the head of household passes and the certificate goes to one of the children... etc.
Collecting Judgements is difficult enough from tenants not on welfare... to say it isn't does not reflect my experience... I have never lost a court case... I only wish I had half the success in collecting judgements.
There are good and bad with Section 8 tenants, just like there are good and bad with NON-Section 8 tenants. The proportion probably does lean a bit more to the bad side though with Section 8, I will admit that. Same phenomenon as students. Many bad students in high school become great college students when they are paying to be there. Along the same lines, some tenants who don't have to pay don't take any pride in their living space.
Over the 10 years I have been at the property management company I work for, we have had, I believe, 8 or 9 section 8 tenants. Several have rented from us for many years (up to 14). We have one who moved out and now is looking to come back, we would rent to her again in a heartbeat, as she was a perfect tenant. On the other side, we have one who we get notices from the utility company on EVERY month, she is always just barely scraping by, and the HOA sends notices a couple of times a year.
I would say good/bad with section 8 is probably 50%/50%, whereas good/bad with non-section 8 is probably more like 75%/25% or even higher.
However, of the people who have done MAJOR damage ($5000, $8000, $10k and $15k), that we had to take to court to attempt to collect, 100% of them were NOT on section 8. We have never had a section 8 tenant who was that expensive.
There are good and bad with Section 8 tenants, just like there are good and bad with NON-Section 8 tenants. The proportion probably does lean a bit more to the bad side though with Section 8, I will admit that. Same phenomenon as students. Many bad students in high school become great college students when they are paying to be there. Along the same lines, some tenants who don't have to pay don't take any pride in their living space.
Over the 10 years I have been at the property management company I work for, we have had, I believe, 8 or 9 section 8 tenants. Several have rented from us for many years (up to 14). We have one who moved out and now is looking to come back, we would rent to her again in a heartbeat, as she was a perfect tenant. On the other side, we have one who we get notices from the utility company on EVERY month, she is always just barely scraping by, and the HOA sends notices a couple of times a year.
I would say good/bad with section 8 is probably 50%/50%, whereas good/bad with non-section 8 is probably more like 75%/25% or even higher.
However, of the people who have done MAJOR damage ($5000, $8000, $10k and $15k), that we had to take to court to attempt to collect, 100% of them were NOT on section 8. We have never had a section 8 tenant who was that expensive.
Thanks for the facts... I love stats.
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