Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was sold on an apt that I wasn't crazy about it was far from everything. Having lived in the city the last 20 years going to the woods was not uplifting also I had no idea there was no public transportation and a walk nearly half mile from the bus stop through the woods. Its really depressing to be off the grid and alone, I told the women at lease signing (my first sec 8 apt) I don't know if i can do this) she gave e the line oh after all you have been though, a year goes fast and you can move to any state in the USA and will not have to worry about rent. That was music to my ears after 2 years in court from a predatory landlord.
I have counted the days for a year and now its here. READ UP if you are new to this what was I thinking NO ONE WANTS SEC 8 unless they need YOU for the first year for a tax break after that, its a process. It doesn't have to be but it is.
You submit your paper work that releases you from your current lease be careful, these LLs come up with all kinds of things. After what I saw in court and what they get away with .........well be prepared. Once we find an apt then what LL is going to HOLD it for months while it gets OKed by HPD and inspected. We have 120 days and that entire time have to go to briefings, why? Are they looking for an excuse for you to losse the voucher? BTW the LL gets protected so it says for the 2 months of bridge time of inspection and a packet of every paper short of a new mortgage. Why would a bldg take sec 8 when so many people have money?
Its scary you are leaving yourselves open to loose the apt you did a year in jail that how i feel to get the voucher then you can/t get out. I was low on 3 lottery programs when they saw it was sec 8 they gave the apts away to other people. Its a small world landlords and court and HPD they all know one another. They can make the inspections go fast or drip drip, drip them along.
Then you have to see the crappy apts people settle for just to find a apt that accepts sec 8. What a way to live, they say its against the law not to refuse a voucher ok, if that was true why would HPD take 4 months to ok it. Why not give us the lease and a voucher to pay the rent Its like going back to kindergarten, I absolutely hate being controlled like this, HPD and HUD are separate but the money is primarily government. Why is it some people can move 2 times in a year no problem and others wind up in court. Its who you know.
HAS ANYONE HAD AN EASY time in NYC with a move? Went from bad to better first tie around? Any suggestions? Why don't they give us a worker was always unavailable when I went down to sec 8.
I suggest you got to the nearest HUD/Section 8 office where you wish to move Request a List of current LL they deal with. Then go down the list till you find an apt & location you can live with.
You're right. It IS difficult to find a place with a Sec 8 voucher, because of the program requirements. In some areas, with some sub-agencies that handle the voucher, they only offer below-market rates, so of course NO LL is going to take those. Plus the unit has to sit vacant for usually one month, since it must be vacant to be inspected, and it takes at least two weeks to get it inspected. Then add in that with Sec 8, you can get some people who bring in extra people who are not on the voucher, and who sometimes make trouble. With all these things, it is understandable that most LLs will not take it.
Lots of landlords won't take Section 8 because the tenants are so entitled and tend to sue the landlord when they don't get everything their own way.
Mostly, though, it is because the housing authority tends to be so difficult to work with.
I'm sure that section 8 tenants feel that they are entitled to a brand new 3 bedroom house with a 3 car garage and a hot tub in a prime neighborhood, but the hard truth is that when you are getting free rent and nobody wants to rent to you, you must take what you can find, even if you must then walk 1/2 a mile to the nearest bus stop.
Lots of Section 8 tenants in my area lose their vouchers because they can't find a place that will accept the voucher. The places that take vouchers are full up and smart Section 8 tenants won't give up their apartment and move to create a vacancy. If you get subsidized rent, you take what you can get.
In my area, sometimes Section 8 will pay slightly MORE than the going rate, for units that pass inspection - but believe me, these are old units, with nothing nice about them. I think that in these old tired tenement towns, Sec 8 is inflating the housing market. We actually have one enormous unit with a huge immigrant family in it, that the housing authority pays us something like 25% OVER market rate for, because they know that unless they overpay, the LL would evict this family - they're that awful and difficult to house.
Assuming that a LL's units are nice modern housing, desirable on the open market, there's no way he's going to rent to Sec 8.
It is difficult is an under statement in areas of high demand with few available units...
I have decades in managing residential units and at one time assisted tenants were the majority...
I have had excellent Section 8 tenants with some going back to the 80's...
The problem is the program has changed from a partnership to provide decent housing to adversarial... especially when HUD stopped accepting damage claims...
I know few accepting new assisted tenants... waiting weeks for approval is a big one and security deposits are hardships for many...
That said... thousands are able to use their Vouchers but it can be more than a full time job... plus expensive when paying application fees if charged...
Vouchers are portable and some have moved great distances to make it work after the first year.
HUD wont reimburse for damages, so the chance of getting tenants to pay you for damages is nil. They generally have no money in savings and poor credit, so a judgement against their credit is useless.
I'm not going to risk it.
I've decided to let my section 8 certificate go. It hasn't saved me that much, maybe $100 month because I do get a decent social security check as I worked my entire life.
I've decided to do van living. So many free camping places here in Arizona and also cheap LTVA's, long term visitor areas.
The $100 less has enabled me to eat better and I was able to save enough for a car repair, but it's just not worth it. The neighbors above me are stompers and bang things around. I often wonder just what they are doing up there because of the crazy noise. They moved here in October and I can probably count on one hand the number of decent nights of sleep I've gotten.
Moving here, my rent was cheaper but utilities doubled. Car insurance was higher because of the area also. It just isn't worth it.
I need to move anyway as the heart doctor I need isn't here. I asked about a potable certificate and they said it would take quite awhile. My lease here is up the end of April and there's no guarantee the other certificate will come through by then.
It's just not worth the headaches.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
