What kind of experiences have landlords had when renting to section 8 tenants?

Answer 1

I am a landlord and I own ten properties consisting of 32 units. Of these 32 units, I rent 14 of the units to Section 8 tenants. I began renting to Section 8 tenants five years ago. During this time period, I've only had to evict one tenant.

What appeals to me most is the fact that I get paid by the third of each month. I get Section 8 payments in the mail on the third and my tenants know I will be at their door on the first to collect their share. Their motivation to pay is that they know that if they are evicted, they will lose Section 8.

Section 8 does inspect the property before the tenants move in and once a year thereafter. I usually have to make some minor repairs, but considering that I get paid on time, with little effort, these minor repairs are of no consequence.

Lets face it - doing business with Section 8 is just good business.

Answer 2

Some Section 8 tenants are responsible, others are not. Some non-Section 8 tenants are destructive pigs, and others, are not. You cannot generalize. It depends on the values and responsibility level, of the INDIVIDUAL(S)! There is no generic formula, for assessing a tenant Section 8, or non-Section 8.

As a former Apartment Manager, we had Section 8, as well as, non-Section 8 tenants. The non-section 8 tenants, were those that were MORE destructive to to the apartment and premises.

One non-Section 8 tenant asked me to relocate her to another apartment, because her bathroom was filthy! She never cleaned it, or her apartment. The bathtub was black and grimy! There was trash all over the floor and furniture.

Some people will screw you, others, won't. It's like life! "You pay your money, you take your chance." It's a roll of the dice!

Don't rule-out people, based on their "standing in life!" Some people are responsible, others not.

You may want to do a home visit on their current premises, if you are concerned about cleanliness or housekeeping skills.

Answer 3

I've heard many bad stories revolving around section 8 tenants. We still have to approve the individual based on their credit, their references and their income, regardless of the fact that section 8 will be assisting them with their rent. We've had no problem by doing this

Answer 4

The duplex I am living in was previosly a section 8 home. When my landlord bought this place it was disgusting. We had been with him for 5 years at another property and he waived the cost of security if we helped clean. ALL apliances had to be replaced. The kitchen was so bad, on both sides of the duplex, that he had to knock it down adn start fresh. The other side had raised fighting dogs and had dog poo and maggots in EVERY room. The people that lived here had shot beebee guns in the house and every wall had holes.

Answer 5

I think it can be a blessing and a pain at the same time. It seems the people who get it are looking for a handout and don't really care about your property and obviously plan to stay poor or they wouldn't get it. My neighbor upstairs is a healthy lady who can work and doesn't she has section 8 and 4 kids. She is able to party every night with her sisters. going out and having drinks is rather expensive so I hate her and I hate how everything she wants is more important than her kids needs. Thats the type of people you get with section 8.

Answer 6

Section 8 can be a pain in the butt if the house that you are renting doesn't meet their requirements/standards . IE : fire saftey (smoke detectors, ect.) , entrances/exits , insulation requirements , how old the house is . If you have updated windows , doors, appliances , ect . But it differs from State to State.
I hope this helps .