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Crucial
Section 8 Guidelines for Landlord and Tenants
Section 8 Housing Rules
Knowing
your section 8 guidelines is often the quickest and easiest way to a
trouble-free lease. Whether you are a landlord or tenant,
uncover
all the important Section 8 rules for handling your lease agreement
today.
Your
Important Section 8 Guidelines Explained in Plain Speaking English
Screening
Tenants -
You are fully responsible when it comes to choosing your renters so be
sure to carry out your tenant screening and credit checks
carefully. Click
here for our complete guide to running landlord credit checks on your
new tenants.
While
the housing authorities do screen Section 8 tenants beforehand, they
are only concerned with whether someone (who is claiming Section 8
vouchers) meets their income limits and
other requirements.
Rejecting
Tenants
- According to Section 8 housing rules, you are not allowed to refuse
and discriminate someone as
your
tenant just because they are Section 8 tenants. You should
always
screen just like all other tenants and then decide if they are right
for your rental property.
Home
Inspection
- If you decide to rent to section 8 tenants, your rental property
will first have to pass the Section
8 inspection
that is carried out by the
public housing authorities. These inspections are conducted to make
sure that your rental home is in habitable condition and meets the
minimum standards set by the Section 8 housing guidelines.
Rental
Period
- Section 8 rules state that when you sign a new lease
agreement with a Section
8 tenant, your rental period has to be at least 12 months.
Security
Deposit - You can ask
for a security deposit from your
tenant as long as the amount is not more than 1 month of rent payment.
Since the Section 8 housing authorities are not responsible for any
damages caused by your tenants, we will highly recommend that you ask
for a security
deposit to protect yourself.
Pets
- According to Seciton 8 rules, you can choose to accept or refuse pets
on your rental property. If
you do agree to having pets on your rental property, you may want to
charge a slightly higher rent and ask for a pet deposit. Click here for more
details and advice when it comes to having pets in rental properties.
Lease
Agreement -
Once your rental property passes the home inspection, you will be given
a housing
assistance payments contract HAPC and lease agreement. You can either
choose to use that free lease agreement or prepare your own copy. You
will have to return the HAPC and lease agreement to receive your
monthly payments.
According to Section 8 housing guidelines, you will also have to attach
a
document known as the Tenancy
Addendum to your lease agreement. Click
here for the Section 8 rules and documents required for a Section 8
landlord.
Collecting
Rent
- You will receive a mailed in check for part of the rent from the
housing authorities every month. For the remainder of the rent you will
have collect it from your tenant.
Increasing
the Rent
- After the first 12 months of your Section 8 lease, you can apply for
a rent increase by submitting rent increase request form to both your
tenant and the housing authorities 60 days in advance. The amount of
rent increase has been be approved by the housing authorities and it is
limited by the current fair market rents.
Eviction
- According to Section 8 guidelines, you have the right to evict any
Section 8 tenants just like any other
normal renter for non-payment of rent, breaking the lease terms or
illegal use of your rental property. The housing authorities cannot
evict a tenant for you so you will have to file your eviction lawsuit
yourself.
Do you want to learn MORE must-know facts
on being a
Section 8 landlord?
Return from
this Section 8 Guidelines page to our What
is Section 8 Housing
guide
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