Renting to Section 8 family in Palmdale, CA (Lancaster: apartment, renter)

[yogkc]

I am trying to rent the house in Palmdale, CA. I am getting many inquires from Section 8 families.

I am just being cautious when renting out. I just want to know what are the advantages and disadvantages when letting Section 8 people rent the house.

Hope to hear from the people who are renting to Section 8 families.

Thanks in Advance

[Ultrarunner]

The advantage is that a portion of the monthly rent will be sent directly to you from the Housing Authority each month... there is usually a delay of up to 6 weeks for the first check to go out... after that, you can expect the Housing Assistance Payment portion on or shortly after the first of the month.

The HAP can vary anywhere from a few dollars to the entire rent amount, depending on the family's situation determined by the Housing Authority's Eligibility Department.

The disadvantages include having an additional layer of bureaucracy to deal with. HUD has rules and regulations in addition to that of the city, county and State.

Here are 5 on my observations to get you started:

First, your unit will have to pass the HUD HQS inspection. HQS stands for Housing Quality Standards. You can obtain a list of requirements... some are as simple as each room having a window screen in good condition, a unit fire extinguisher, a water heater with a PTR valve, multiple smoke detectors... etc.

Second, the rent you request must fall under the predetermined Fair Market Rent for your area adjusted for the utility allowances for the HUD schedule.

Third, you will still need to collect the security deposit and the tenant's portion of the monthly rent.

Fourth, at least once a year, your unit will be inspected for HQS compliance. You will be required to correct any deficiencies, even if Tenant caused. After any listed problems are corrected, you can request tenant reimbursement for tenant caused problems.

Fifth, do not, under any circumstances accept under the table rent from the family. You are only allowed to receive the contract amount. Any under the table rent is considered fraud.

I have rented to Section 8 families for 25 years with varying success. The program continues to evolve to the point where many of the safeguards for owners no longer exist. The biggest one is HUD no longer guarantees up to 2 months of rent for tenant caused damages...

[yogkc]

Ultrarunner, Many thanks for your prompt response.

I am new on this. I am trying to collect as much info before renting out the place. After reading your post, I do not see any problems with it.

What will happen if I don't want to extend the contract after a year and the there are damages to the property? Who will be the responsible party?

Thanks Again

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by yogkc

Ultrarunner, Many thanks for your prompt response.

I am new on this. I am trying to collect as much info before renting out the place. After reading your post, I do not see any problems with it.

What will happen if I don't want to extend the contract after a year and the there are damages to the property? Who will be the responsible party?

Thanks Again

Qualify prospective Tenants for Section 8 the same as non Section 8. The only difference is the income requirement is offset by the Housing Voucher.

I still require references and no bad credit. I do not have a problem if someone has no credit... but, people have to make an effort to have Bad Credit.

Housing holds the owner entirely responsible for the unit's condition. The owner may attempt to collect for any Tenant caused damages or unpaid rent from the Security Deposit and the Tenant Directly. The Housing Authority has no damage responsibility to the owner.

In my city we have "Just Cause" eviction and it doesn't mean just because I want you to move. There is a list of 10 approved reasons that allow the owner not to renew or continue the tenancy.

From other posts on City-Data, the city of Palmdale is considering more stringent rules for rental property... It would be best to check with your city for the most up to date info...

[yogkc]

Thanks again for the response. I do feel safe now. I am going to rent out the place to Section 8 Family.

[olalde77]

I have a home in Lancaster CA that I want to make available for section 8. If anyone has the telephone number and address for me to begin the application/inspection process, I would be grateful. I've tried a couple different numbers the city provided, but they aren't valid numbers.

Thanks.

[proudmomma2306]

section 8 is part of what contributed to the downfall of the antelope valley. so good job, please allow more trash to take over more neighborhoods.

[palmdaleresident]

Originally Posted by yogkc

I am trying to rent the house in Palmdale, CA. I am getting many inquires from Section 8 families.

I am just being cautious when renting out. I just want to know what are the advantages and disadvantages when letting Section 8 people rent the house.

Hope to hear from the people who are renting to Section 8 families.

Thanks in Advance

Great!

Too many section 8 houses are the downfall of the AV. Trash on the sides of the house... yards that look terrible... dead cars.... booming music.... police cars.... lovely. I'm sure you don't live there and just want to rent your house out. I understand. The checks will look good in your mailbox I'm sure.


GL

[VickyVicky]

From what I was told and correct me if Im wrong you have to sign on to accept Section 8? And once your Section 8 you cant opt out until you sell? Your stuck renting to Section 8. Is this true? Does someone know how the program works?

[Out_of_Palmdale]

From what I was told and correct me if Im wrong you have to sign on to accept Section 8? And once your Section 8 you cant opt out until you sell? Your stuck renting to Section 8. Is this true? Does someone know how the program works?

When a prospective Section 8 renter comes to view the apartment or house for rent, they need to bring their housing voucher with them. If they want to rent your place, you (the landlord) complete the voucher and the tenant hands it in to their Section 8 worker. Then, you (the landlord) wait weeks for the Section 8 inspector to get around to inspecting the place. The Section 8 voucher holder CAN move in to the property while waiting for the inspector BUT they must pay the entire rent UNTIL the property passes Section 8 inspection, at which point the Section 8 housing benefit kicks in. The tenant pays a portion of the rent based on income and Section 8 picks up the balance.

The landlord can opt out of Section 8 any time they want to. Just give a 30 or 60 day notice to the tenant as applicable and voila - the landlord gets the place back. If the tenant doesn't want to move, the landlord evicts as usual. The leases are annual leases which means the property gets inspected every year. An annual lease also means that there must be extenuating circumstances as to why the landlord needs the tenant to move (eg. Landlord wants to live in the property, tenant pays rent late, etc) If the tenant breaks the landlord's rules, that's grounds to terminate the lease in any case. It's easier now to get out of a Section 8 lease than before. Before, the landlord had to give a 90 day notice. Now, Section 8 allows landlords to work with their own rental agreements (in LA County) which means most landlords go month-to-month. If a Section 8 tenant violates any of the landlord's rules consistently, the landlord can serve notice to terminate tenancy. If a Section 8 renter is using or selling drugs, call the police and get 'em busted. That way, not only will you get the loser out of the property but the loser will also lose their benefits as well. As in, no more freebie voucher. Section 8 is working to clean up the image and will not tolerate drug use or gangbanging, etc. That's grounds for the tenant to lose Section 8 benefits completely and for the landlord to regain possession.

You can sell your place anytime you want to. If a buyer is looking for a rental, the Section 8 lease just transfers from old to new owner. The tenants stay and everything goes on as before. If the buyer wants to live in the property, the Section 8 tenants must be served proper notice by law.