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I got a letter from the Santa Clara County housing authority today, and some new guidelines are being implemented next year. Fortunately, they don't affect me, but I really feel for some Section 8 tenants who will have to most likely move to a smaller apartment. If they are in a complex where they can just move into a smaller unit, that will not be so bad. But, what about people who have to look for a completely different address?
The new rule says that for families of 2, who used to be allowed a 2 bedroom unit, will only be allowed a 1 bedroom unit.
For larger families, the rules don't change - they were allowed 2 bedrooms, and will continue to be able to stay in a 2 bedroom.
So far, as a household of 1, I am allowed a 1 bedroom apartment, which is what I now have. I pray they don't ever say I have to downsize to a studio again. It's so nice to have more space. But, mostly, I really, really, never want to move again in my life - at least, not until they haul me to assisted living or my final resting place.
I just really feel for those tenants who will have to move. They will most likely be given the option of paying out of pocket for the difference between a 1 and 2 bedroom apartment, and staying put if they can afford to do that - but that's not likely. This is Silicon Valley, the county where the Apple campus is, and Google. Housing is so expensive here now because of the demand, I can't imagine anyone who qualifies for Section 8 being able to afford to pay the difference even between a 1 and 2 bedroom apartment.
This also explains why the county housing authority had to make this change - it's just too expensive to subsidize rents in this market.
Just crazy. And moving is so expensive. There must be some really scared, stressed out people out there tonight, in my county, who got this letter.
Addressing the HUD rules is simple. Close off 1 bedroom in the 2 bedroom apartment. Take the door off, frame it up with two studs and drywall over. Voila - one bedroom unit. I just opened a bedroom that has not seen a human for 10 years.
Here bedroom size is the minimum... no restrictions on renting a 4 bedroom house with a 1 bedroom Voucher
The determining factor is the rent for the 4 bedroom house mush fall within the 1 bedroom allowance.
This would not be the first time the bedroom formula has been tweaked...
At one time it was common for a parent with a son and daughter to have a 3 bedroom Voucher...
Housing made changes going forward in some areas where this family would now be eligible for a 2 bedroom Voucher... the boy and girl would each have their own bedroom and the parent would have the living room...
Another change kicked around would be a one bedroom... the kids would share a bedroom and the parent the living room... the old 2 per bedroom plus 1 formula
Some have called this harsh but with suitable housing in short supply it could be the future because it stretches HUD funds... plus mirrors many here in the SF Bay Area without assistance.
Growing up one of my best friends in Oakland was a family of 7.... Mom and Dad, 4 kids and Granny... this family of 7 lived in a two bedroom home with a basement of 1100 square feet... Dad worked for the phone company... no Section 8... the kids all turned out well... teachers and a nurse... very close.
The reason I mention this example is because across the street from them was a very large 3 bedroom home that went Section 8 for 3 people... a mom with a son and daughter in 1550 square feet.
OK, let's bring some balance to this discussion. I have had 8 Section 8 tenants for 10 years. Most all of them have been 60 plus year old ladies with no income other than SSI, USDA and private charity. they pay $25 for a $758/mo apartment. They don't play rap music, deal drugs, have nasty thuglets running all over the place, boyfriends shooting each other or broken down cars in the yard.
Do they kvetch about bugs and hot water? Yes. But they are a lot easier tenants than the college boys who put a keg on the roof and shoot fireworks off the porch at passing cars, but who applied with their best sport coat on and a nice deposit. Or the pretty lass who called me three times in the missdle of the night to let her in because she left her keys somewhere.
Are there sec 8 tenants that end up being great tenants? Yes, but it's very rare.
Because Section 8 vouchers are distributed on the basis of income and not through any system that could be regarded as merit-based, i.e. Section 8 makes no distinction between the working poor - say, the Kramdens - and the underclass bum who never worked a day in his or her life.
Also, a large swath of the urban underclass is highly networked - they are often recognizable by their high-frequency use of Obamaphones and/or iPhones - and when an open Section 8 wait list (or pretty much any handout) is announced, the news goes viral within the underclass and they all sign up quickly. (Another reason the underclass is overrepresented among Section 8 recipients.)
Depends on the jurisdiction. Here, a tenant can't get on the waiting list for a voucher, unless old, disabled or minor children. And then a 2 1/2 year wait. So if they get kicked off the program for serious violations then they are up the creek without a paddle. Other places, the local housing authority doesn't care what they do.
So, it depends. In general, they are better than a lot of low lifes you can end up with.
Where I live, you can't even sign up for the waiting list. You have to wait until the expected wait time gets down to 12 months - this can take up to five years. Then there is a one-week period during which you can sign up for a LOTTERY which selects lucky winners - of a spot on the Section 8 waiting list.
The lucky winners can expect to wait about five more years before they get a Section 8 voucher; the losers have to wait another five years for their next opportunity to sign up for a lottery.
Does Not Matter if the tenant is Section 8 or Not .... MATTER IF you do Your homework Before you rent to Anyone! Do Background Checks, Do Credit Checks.... Do Everything you would do with some one Not on Section 8. Only thing Section 8 does is help pay the rent. What Section 8 Will Not pay is 1st months rent Nor any Deposits. That the tenants responsibility. So IF Landlords Do their homework they shouldn't have any problems with the tenant.
I have terrible and unfixable credit, and it has never affected my ability to pay rent on time.
Your Mileage May Vary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson513
Tip for the landlords.
One cannot discriminate in favor of the aged (the very best tenants) unless one has a senior certified building or against people who have children (the worst Section 8 tenants).
Tip:
Establish a creditworthiness criteria: You must have either (i) Fico Score of 730 or (ii) no adverse credit item in the last 5 years.
Guess who does not have adverse credit items? Tenants over 65. Guess who is guaranteed to have adverse credit items: low income people with children. Problem solved. Don't forget to keep your denied applications and be sure to have your credit policy in the application. After a decade or so of rejecting applicants with children, you may have to prove why. Don't ask me how I know.
If I were a landlord, I'd own "studio" properties - families are unlikely to even apply.
Since I have terrible and unfixable credit, I expect that if I live long enough, one day I will be over 65...with terrible and unfixable credit. So much for your theory.
Even so, my terrible and unfixable credit has not impaired my ability to pay rent on time. So much for your theory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
One thing about credit scores...
It takes effort to have a lousy score with pages of charge offs...
I have rented to those with no or little credit and a "Clean" record...
On the other hand, if someone in their 20's or 30's comes to you with pages of charge offs... why would you want to be added to that list.
At one time some places Section 8 was the only game in town... the families had assigned workers that really did keep tabs on things... I have had workers call me asking if I had an opening because they had an ideal tenant that was in a property that was being sold or another time it was a multi unit building that had a fire...
The idea of Section 8 is quite Noble... that is to assist low income families secure safe and decent housing outside of the projects... some of the old time Housing Workers were really good at this... they wanted to get as many qualified is situations with a roof over their head...
It just is not the same with Out Sourced Contract Inspectors and multiple steps for annual inspections/qualifications and now almost adversarial...
The lack of continuity can be a detriment as when a family "Ports Out" to another Housing Authority and the past Landlord has no way to know when the new lease starts leaving the old Landlord subject to returning rent for when the family was in two places...
In my 35 years there has been a steady shift of responsibility away from the Housing Authority and Tenant and to the owner... which is a 180 to how it began when the Authority contracted for the unit and did the maintenance, placement and evictions...
I once had pages of chargeoffs - one-time catastrophic extended loss of income, never repeated. No adverse credit activity since but terrible and unfixable credit remains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe
I got a letter from the Santa Clara County housing authority today, and some new guidelines are being implemented next year. Fortunately, they don't affect me, but I really feel for some Section 8 tenants who will have to most likely move to a smaller apartment. If they are in a complex where they can just move into a smaller unit, that will not be so bad. But, what about people who have to look for a completely different address?
The new rule says that for families of 2, who used to be allowed a 2 bedroom unit, will only be allowed a 1 bedroom unit.
For larger families, the rules don't change - they were allowed 2 bedrooms, and will continue to be able to stay in a 2 bedroom.
So far, as a household of 1, I am allowed a 1 bedroom apartment, which is what I now have. I pray they don't ever say I have to downsize to a studio again. It's so nice to have more space. But, mostly, I really, really, never want to move again in my life - at least, not until they haul me to assisted living or my final resting place.
I just really feel for those tenants who will have to move. They will most likely be given the option of paying out of pocket for the difference between a 1 and 2 bedroom apartment, and staying put if they can afford to do that - but that's not likely. This is Silicon Valley, the county where the Apple campus is, and Google. Housing is so expensive here now because of the demand, I can't imagine anyone who qualifies for Section 8 being able to afford to pay the difference even between a 1 and 2 bedroom apartment.
This also explains why the county housing authority had to make this change - it's just too expensive to subsidize rents in this market.
Just crazy. And moving is so expensive. There must be some really scared, stressed out people out there tonight, in my county, who got this letter.
So a single parent and one child now have to share the single bedroom? That's odd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
If it only worked that way here...
Here bedroom size is the minimum... no restrictions on renting a 4 bedroom house with a 1 bedroom Voucher
The determining factor is the rent for the 4 bedroom house mush fall within the 1 bedroom allowance.
This would not be the first time the bedroom formula has been tweaked...
At one time it was common for a parent with a son and daughter to have a 3 bedroom Voucher...
Housing made changes going forward in some areas where this family would now be eligible for a 2 bedroom Voucher... the boy and girl would each have their own bedroom and the parent would have the living room...
Another change kicked around would be a one bedroom... the kids would share a bedroom and the parent the living room... the old 2 per bedroom plus 1 formula
Some have called this harsh but with suitable housing in short supply it could be the future because it stretches HUD funds... plus mirrors many here in the SF Bay Area without assistance.
Growing up one of my best friends in Oakland was a family of 7.... Mom and Dad, 4 kids and Granny... this family of 7 lived in a two bedroom home with a basement of 1100 square feet... Dad worked for the phone company... no Section 8... the kids all turned out well... teachers and a nurse... very close.
The reason I mention this example is because across the street from them was a very large 3 bedroom home that went Section 8 for 3 people... a mom with a son and daughter in 1550 square feet.
It does give one reason to pause...
Sounds like a recipe for a lawsuit when boy and girl share a bedroom, boy molests girl, and mommy sues housing authority,
I once had pages of chargeoffs - one-time catastrophic extended loss of income, never repeated. No adverse credit activity since but terrible and unfixable credit remains.
Addressing the HUD rules is simple. Close off 1 bedroom in the 2 bedroom apartment. Take the door off, frame it up with two studs and drywall over. Voila - one bedroom unit. I just opened a bedroom that has not seen a human for 10 years.
Why would d a landlord want to wall off a bedroom and lower the rent to the much lower one bedroom rate? The tenant can't wall off the bedroom himself and stay there because tenants aren't allowed to do that sort of modification and the landlord would still have to agree to accept the lower rent.
Section 8 tenants are begging for places that accept their voucher. If a landlord wants a different tenant that qualifies for a 2 bedroom voucher, the landlord has his choice of many.
No snow is in senior housing? I don't know how a senior would qualify for a 2 bedroom if that requires 4 people. From the taxpayer point of view, I'm fine with not providing lots of extra space for welfare recipients.
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