I'm renting out a few apartments and I have someone interested. They're asking if we accept Section 8. I know Section 8 is basically the government paying off the bulk of the rent. What I'd like to know is what I may have to watch out for...
What can or can I not do with Section 8 tenants? Who do I have to keep in touch with? Where will I have to go should problems arise? Is it possible for Section 8 renters to screw me over without me lifting a finger? How can I make sure I don't get tenants who might abuse the system?
Much appreciated to those who respond.
2006-11-23 12:26:46 · 11 answers · asked by MM 4 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
Personally, I wouldn't do it!
I used to be on the homeowners board of directors in a condominium complex. We had several units that were rentals, and several of these were to Section 8 tenants. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE TENANTS WAS A PROBLEM TENANT!
You probably know that owners take better care of a property than renters, because the owners have a vested, personal, financial interest in it.
Well, section 8 renters take much worse care of their property than do general renters because, unlike regular renters, these people are not paying the rent themselves. They have ZERO vested interest in the property! They tend to sink to the lowest common denominator of human behavior, and they trash the property, they make terrible neighbors, and they make the landlord's life a nightmare.
I am serious here -- stay away from the Section 8 tenants!
~ ♥ ~
2006-11-23 12:38:40 · answer #1 · answered by I ♥ AUG 6 · 2⤊ 10⤋
Renting To Section 8
2016-09-30 08:59:51 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually with section 8, the state pays most of the rent. You dont have to worry about not receiving payment from them. As for the tenant, there is always the possibly of getting screwed. If that should happen, i would assume you would go after them for payment just as you would for any other tenant. Im also assuming that there is a contact number for whoever manages section 8 in your state. You call them and report that the tenant has refused to pay their portion and they probably take it from there. ie.. loss of section 8, eviction, etc etc.
2006-11-23 12:35:47 · answer #3 · answered by Danelle 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Our experience renting with Section 8 was so bad..that we will NEVER do it again. I'm not going to go into all the dreadful details on here because i'm NOT against Section 8, just make sure you do a thorough background check on all the people that would be living in your apartment. Make sure YOU have a lease and make sure that the tenants and their case workers understand it. There are additional guidelines that the tenants have to follow as well. You would be dealing with the tenants like any other tenant, however should problems arise then you would get in touch with their case worker. You would actually meet and speak with the case worker before allowing them to move in. I'm sure that a majority of Section 8 tenants don't screw with the system.....however you actually wouldn't know if they were until after they moved in...thats where our situation went terribly terribly wrong. If you have anymore questions send me an email.
2006-11-23 12:55:49 · answer #4 · answered by Miloree 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
I had 6 rentals and 2 of them were section 8. I would not do this again for the following reasons.
In general, the section 8 tenants showed less respect for the property because they were in no sense of the word - responsible - for it. I owned it, the government paid for it, and they just did not care.
The pro side of things was that the government (thanks to my tax dollars) paid a little bit more for the rental than the current street value, based on the # of bedrooms. Once you have the payment terms set up, they (government) always paid on time. When I had a situation where the tenant paid part of the rent and the government paid the other, the tenant was always late - but that could happen with a non-section 8 tenant too.
There are extra inspections to get your unit section 8 certified. If you run into problems you contact the housing unit in your area. Each person who is entitled to section 8 housing has a coordinator, like a social worker, and that person (government worker) would be your contact. Government worker, oxymoron, eh? :)
If you decide to go with it, do your regular interviews, etc. Set your expectations before signing anything ie, "It is the tenants full responsibility to notify me if the sink starts leaking, do you undersand that?"
They really can't screw you over without lifting a finger, they have a set lease and as I said, the government money was always timely.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
2006-11-23 13:45:50 · answer #5 · answered by pumbakitty 2 · 3⤊ 4⤋
I was once on section 8. It was great not to have to pay the rent. No maintenance to worry about. But now I own. Its a lot better having my own place knowing im taking care of it. I was a good tenant.which is rare for some people on section 8. quite a few are not. You shouldnt have any more difficulty than with someone else as long as they are decent people. You will have to decide that when you interview them. You will have to have the property inspected and fixed as necessary to qualify for receiving section8 payments. which is something others may not be required to do if not renting to section8. Laws my differ in your location. Check with Department of Human Services.
2006-11-23 12:43:01 · answer #6 · answered by friendly advice from maine 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
If you accept Section 8, the government basically pays a portion of the rent, they pay the rest. There's an extra layer to the eviction process if they don't pay the rest, and the total of what's allowed often isn't what you can get from regular tenants. Many Section 8 tenants offer to pay more than what the government will allow them to pay, but be advised that it isn't legal to ask for or accept more than what you tell the government the unit costs.
I think rather than making sure they aren't going to abuse you and the system, you might be wiser to assume that they are.
2006-11-23 14:18:27 · answer #7 · answered by open4one 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development is a great information source for Section 8 holders and the landlords.
Your local Public Housing Authority can also help you.
Check out this link:http://www.hud.gov/groups/landlords.cfm
The "Housing Choice Voucher Program regulations" link should help you as well.
2006-11-23 13:02:33 · answer #8 · answered by Celeste 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
renting section 8 tenants: https://bitly.im/c4/renting-to-section-8-tenants
2015-05-01 19:53:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do your interviews, credit checks etc. as you normally would. Your Dept. of Social & health services can give you the info you are asking for.
2006-11-23 12:30:27 · answer #10 · answered by Tweet 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋