Section 8 Housing

[pride&prejudice]

I was wondering if anyone here owns Section 8 Housing. What are your experiences with it? Long story short, DH and his friend are looking into a house that we would rent out, it is 2 units. They are thinking of making it section 8 housing. I was wondering if there were any pros or cons to this, as none of us have had any experience with this. TIA!


ETA: This is not a debate forum about S8H, I'm jus gathering info and experiences! It is not intended to insult, etc. Thanks!

[BuffaloBlondie]

My dh & I own a house that we rent out. It is a double & the tenant upstairs is on Section 8. We have no complaints. Actually, it is kind of nice that we always get her rent check on the first of the month. We never have to worry about chasing her down or her check bouncing. We do have to have a home inspection every year to make sure that our house is up to code. We have only ever had to fix one thing - a light switch in the bathroom. We are very lucky b/c she has been in the house for 15 years, takes excellent care of it & treats it like her own home. She was one of the reasons why we bought the house in the first place- we knew she wasn't going anywhere so we didn't have to deal with different tennants every month.

[LandR02]

I've never owned housing that I've rented out for Section 8, but I have had the experience of living next to a Section 8 situation. My neighbor had his condo on the rental market for several months - when he realized that he was losing lots of $$, he chose to rent it out as Section 8 housing.

It may just be the specific experience I had, but the resident was severely mentally ill, and there were a number of problems. It appeared as though I had become part of his paranoid delusion - whether I was entering my home or leaving, he would consistently peer out his blinds at me or follow me out into the parking lot. He made several borderline antisemitic comments to me, as well. The neighbors above him had several problems with complaints about the "noise" they made, which reached a standoff when he stormed into their apartment while he was in the nude.

Typically, I'm very sensitive to these issues (I hold a doctorate in a mental health field), but it was very frightening for me, and this all resulted in huge headaches for the owner of that particular unit. I called him in tears on at least 2 occasions, and I know that he had to juggle numerous calls among his tenant's social workers, church advisors, etc.

Again, I may have just had an unfortunate experience, but I thought I might share my perspective.

[jennylou]

Screen the same way for Sec 8 tenants as you would for any other. The local Sec 8 office should have a file on the tenant (so long as they aren't new to the system) where other landlords can make notes about the tenant.

My experience? I love my sec 8 gal. She's a single mom in her 20's with a child...eh, I think she's about 5 now. She's been in a singe family home that we own for over two years. Any time that we've ever had to stop over her place has been immaculate. She's my favorite tenant. And, best of all...the rent is always on time. :)

[CurlyT]

I rent out 2 of my FL homes to section 8 gals. You just have to fill out some paperowork, the section 8 people check the house out, you get your check each from from section 8 and the rest from the tenant and that's it.

I did have one experience when my tenant change case workers and the new case worker didn't think that the house was worth what we were charging for rent, but got another one in right away so no more problems here.

My management company does all the screening for us, but you could do it as well.

;)

[pride&prejudice]

Thank all of you for your replies!

We do have to have a home inspection every year to make sure that our house is up to code.
Is this something that you set up or that they just call you and say, "Hey its that time of the year to have an inspection?" Does it cost anything? Glad to hear that your tenant is like that, I guess it makes things much easier. :)

Again, I may have just had an unfortunate experience, but I thought I might share my perspective.
No, thanks you! I'm glad that you did. It actually kind of makes me think that we will have to consider both parties, becuase the house we are looking at is two seperate units. So that would mean two personalities, plus taking into consideration the people around. We have friends that live down the street from this house so we wouldn't want to have them scared.


Screen the same way for Sec 8 tenants as you would for any other. The local Sec 8 office should have a file on the tenant (so long as they aren't new to the system) where other landlords can make notes about the tenant.
Thanks! That is definitely good to know. Since you do rent out, DH had a question, is it hard to get S8H? I mean is it tough, or if we filled out the paperwork and had the inspection, then its pretty much it? He was curious since he's been hearing different stories.


I rent out 2 of my FL homes to section 8 gals. You just have to fill out some paperowork, the section 8 people check the house out, you get your check each from from section 8 and the rest from the tenant and that's it.

Thanks! I was curious, how much more than what you receive from S8H do you charge? We found out what each of the units could get on S8H, but DH was saying that we could charge about $100-200 more than that and pick the check up from the tenant. I was wondering if there was a norm?

I did have one experience when my tenant change case workers and the new case worker didn't think that the house was worth what we were charging for rent, but got another one in right away so no more problems here.
Wow. :eek: Glad it worked out.


Thanks for you replies. Hopefully this will put DH a little at easy with all of his questions.:)

[jennylou]

Is this something that you set up or that they just call you and say, "Hey its that time of the year to have an inspection?" Does it cost anything? Glad to hear that your tenant is like that, I guess it makes things much easier.

They always send us a letter. The tenant also gets a letter so if you have a dirty tenant, they usually clean the place up a bit. The inspection is free. They will list any findings. Some will be landlord responsibility, some will be tenant responsibility. Things like screens all have to be in good shape when they move in, so if there are holes on a reinspection, the tenant has to have them replaced.

Thanks! That is definitely good to know. Since you do rent out, DH had a question, is it hard to get S8H? I mean is it tough, or if we filled out the paperwork and had the inspection, then its pretty much it? He was curious since he's been hearing different stories.


We put an Ad in the paper that listed the address and an open house date and time. We put that we accepted Sec 8. We had three applicants within the first hour and the first one qualified. The inspection isn't too tough. No peeling paint, no broken windows, electric must all work, you have to have those special 'trip' (I'm blanking on the name right now!) outlets around any water sources (so bathroom/kitchen). It's really pretty standard stuff. It doesn't have to be brand new, it just has to be safe.

No, thanks you! I'm glad that you did. It actually kind of makes me think that we will have to consider both parties, becuase the house we are looking at is two seperate units. So that would mean two personalities, plus taking into consideration the people around. We have friends that live down the street from this house so we wouldn't want to have them scared.


That's a nice thought and all, but it could get you in deep trouble. Even if you don't think you are discriminating it could appear to someone on the outside looking in that you are. Set yourself some guidelines and stick to them. We typically (b/c of the neighborhood) say no evictions (though if something sits for too long we will change our guidelines to no recent evictions), there is a source of income adequate to pay the bills (for sec 8 they may be full pay or partial pay, but remember those utility bills!) and that they can get gas and electric established in their names. We also don't accept hardened criminals (things like dealing drugs we look down upon), minor things we will accept. We have a written set of guidelines and as we change them (in tune with the current market) we make sure to date these guidelines.

Thanks! I was curious, how much more than what you receive from S8H do you charge? We found out what each of the units could get on S8H, but DH was saying that we could charge about $100-200 more than that and pick the check up from the tenant. I was wondering if there was a norm?

Sec 8 will tell you what they will allow you to rent the unit from. They will then tell you what portion (if any) will be the tenants responsibility. You are not allowed to charge anything more than what they tell you, it is considered fraud and if caught they will prosecute.

[BuffaloBlondie]

It's me again...I just wanted to try and answer your questions:

The person representing Section 8 always sends us a letter with a date (usually a month before) saying that they are going to do an inspection. If we need to reschedule they have always been good about it. They only come once a year & are not really tough. We are in Buffalo, NY so it may vary from state. It is always free & we don't even show up. Our tenant shows him the apt. As I said before we have only had to fix one thing in five years. The house that we own is super old & in the city so I am sure there are a lot of things that the inspector could find, but I guess it doesn't matter.

As far as rent, we charge $400 per month. Section 8 pays around $350 & she picks up the rest. Every October we get a letter asking us to verify the rent & up it if we want.

I don't think it is hard to get Section 8 housing- I can't remember how we came about it. When we bought the property she was already there. The renter really does all the work.

Good Luck!!

[Scooter]

So that would mean two personalities, plus taking into consideration the people around. We have friends that live down the street from this house so we wouldn't want to have them scared.I haven't had experience as a landlord int his situation, but I've worked with *many* people who've had section 8 housing. Most people are just regular families or single parents, most are trying hard to just live regular lives and work and get off of govt subsidies. Most are not mentally ill. The story above is a terrible one, but isn't the usual situation. No matter whether you're choosing to rent Section 8 or not, it would still be a possibility to get into that situation. Section 8 is hard to get onto, I know in my area the waiting list hasn't even been open for years. It's not like jsut anyone can apply at any time and get the housing, so it's likely there's a renting history (like jennylou said) and you can go off of that.

[lml41981]

you have to have those special 'trip' (I'm blanking on the name right now!) outlets around any water sources (so bathroom/kitchen). It's really pretty standard stuff.
GFI - Ground Fault Interruptors.

[CurlyT]

P&P ;)

I have to run and look that info up for a more accurate number. Our management company takes care of everything and sends us a check for the difference the tenant pays. I believe what we charge for both houses in total is about $920. The tenant pays a good $300 of that.

:D

[kimbyj]

I've never owned housing that I've rented out for Section 8, but I have had the experience of living next to a Section 8 situation. My neighbor had his condo on the rental market for several months - when he realized that he was losing lots of $$, he chose to rent it out as Section 8 housing.

It may just be the specific experience I had, but the resident was severely mentally ill, and there were a number of problems. It appeared as though I had become part of his paranoid delusion - whether I was entering my home or leaving, he would consistently peer out his blinds at me or follow me out into the parking lot. He made several borderline antisemitic comments to me, as well. The neighbors above him had several problems with complaints about the "noise" they made, which reached a standoff when he stormed into their apartment while he was in the nude.

Typically, I'm very sensitive to these issues (I hold a doctorate in a mental health field), but it was very frightening for me, and this all resulted in huge headaches for the owner of that particular unit. I called him in tears on at least 2 occasions, and I know that he had to juggle numerous calls among his tenant's social workers, church advisors, etc.

Again, I may have just had an unfortunate experience, but I thought I might share my perspective.

I am glad this was helpful to the OP but when I read it all I could think was, "What the hell does this have to do with the tenant being on section 8?" The fact that this unfortunate situation happened has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this tenant is on section 8.

As a former public interest attorney and the daughter of landlords I can say that my experiences have been positive with this program. Basically, it forces landlord to provide decent housing (outlined in contract/lease and the annual inspection), it provides on time income to the landlord (except maybe tenant's small portion) and it allows a family in need to have adequate housing. Good luck!

[hmbay]

subscribing...

We have a house we are currently trying to rent or sell. We've had several inquiries about Section 8 rental but didn't know that much about it. I've learned some interesting things.

Also wanted to say as for a Section 8 housing inspection it sounds like they check the same things the city checked before we rented it last year. We had to have an inspection done by the city to have it qualified as rental property with the city. I know a lot of people skip that step but DH is a realtor so we figured we'd better do it all "by the book". If the inspection is similar it is mostly safety issues like someone said--windows must have screens and open, wiring, plumbing etc must work, gfi outlets, smoke alarms in all bedrooms, handrails on stairs etc.

[LandR02]

I am glad this was helpful to the OP but when I read it all I could think was, "What the hell does this have to do with the tenant being on section 8?" The fact that this unfortunate situation happened has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this tenant is on section 8.

As a former public interest attorney and the daughter of landlords I can say that my experiences have been positive with this program. Basically, it forces landlord to provide decent housing (outlined in contract/lease and the annual inspection), it provides on time income to the landlord (except maybe tenant's small portion) and it allows a family in need to have adequate housing. Good luck!

Actually, this had to do with Section 8 because, in reality, the tenant was a Section 8 tenant. If the landlord was able to rent his condo to someone privately, the rent he was asking was far too $$ for someone this severely impaired. It wasn't until he realized that some $$ was better than no $$ that he looked into Section 8.

I am a PhD clinical psychologist and have worked in a community mental health center, treating indigent and uninsured individuals. You can imagine that I am extremely sensitive to the plight of individuals who are low SES, who have disabilities, etc. I take serious offense to your implications otherwise.

Indeed, the mentally ill make up a large percentage of individuals who need government assistance (including Section 8). And the reality is that, as a landlord, if a severely impaired inividual shows up to look at your unit, you can't discriminate on the basis of disability. So what do you do? That was the dilemma my neighbor found himself in, and the headaches that followed were enormous.

[kimbyj]

Actually, this had to do with Section 8 because, in reality, the tenant was a Section 8 tenant. If the landlord was able to rent his condo to someone privately, the rent he was asking was far too $$ for someone this severely impaired. It wasn't until he realized that some $$ was better than no $$ that he looked into Section 8.

I am a PhD clinical psychologist and have worked in a community mental health center, treating indigent and uninsured individuals. You can imagine that I am extremely sensitive to the plight of individuals who are low SES, who have disabilities, etc. I take serious offense to your implications otherwise.

Indeed, the mentally ill make up a large percentage of individuals who need government assistance (including Section 8). And the reality is that, as a landlord, if a severely impaired inividual shows up to look at your unit, you can't discriminate on the basis of disability. So what do you do? That was the dilemma my neighbor found himself in, and the headaches that followed were enormous.

I have no idea what implications you are so offended by. I made no implications. I was quite direct in saying what I did.

Section 8 is an income based program (Or really a lack there of). Not all people on Section 8 are disabled either mentally or physically.

A landlord who advertises a rental property has the right to screen all applicants using the same criteria as long as he/she does not discriminate against any protected classes of people. Screening can therefore include a numbers of factors (previous history, employment status, credit etc.). Perhaps your neighbor failed to do a thorough check. Again, my point is that the tenancy was not hard because of Section 8 - it was the tenant - who could have been anyone section 8 or not.

[pride&prejudice]

I want to do individual replies, but don't quite have the time. I just wanted to quickly thank everyone for their replies! :) It's kind of answered all the lingering questions that we've had, and I'm glad to know most of this stuff before we actually get S8H. It's been crazy around here, so hopefully I'll be back soon.

[keska]

Another place to look for information from landlords is the craigslist housing forum. I saw a thread on this just the other day. Several landlords discussed problems they had with Section 8 tenants. Personally, I think good screening is the key.