What Could Ruin Your Section 8 Housing Voucher Application?

Everything from the immigration status and criminal history of everyone in the household, to the desired housing location is taken into consideration for the final decision.

There aren’t many trustworthy online resources in order to help with the application process. A slight oversight can derail the chances of success on your application. We’ll try to cover the main issues in this article.

The Application Process

Unfortunately, there’s a large demand for government subsidized housing, especially now in the environment that we live in today. The first step involves enlisting yourself in a waiting list. There are a few things you’ll need for this:

• A valid email address
• A reliable mailing address
• Patience and flexibility

Keep in mind that there’s no need to pay any money up-front to apply, be wary of third party services that promise an expedited application process for a stiff fee.

A doctor’s note proving a disability or health issue of one of the members in the household may help expedite the wait time as well. Make sure to set up alerts that will notify you as soon as a placement opens up on the list.

Helpful Advice

You don’t have to sit idle while on the waitlist. Many housing authority experts and attorneys recommend people to properly document all communication with the housing authority and archive any email correspondence as well.

Make sure to be prompt when responding to any notices from the housing authority as well either through the phone, email, or mail. Keep the authority updates on any changes incurring in the household including marriage, divorce, or adoption.

The Approval Process

Even after your application has been approved, it’s no time to let up and ease on the proceedings. If you have any questions or concerns regarding documentation be sure to bring it up with the housing authority. There are walk-in days which you can take advantage of for a face-to-face consultation.

Be punctual with any paperwork you need to turn in, this could cause serious delays otherwise. Be sure to attend the housing authority briefing which is a necessary step before receiving the housing voucher.

Once you ultimately receive the housing voucher, check with the housing authority beforehand on the limit of bedrooms and rent amount for the apartment in question. Keep in mind that the security deposit and the utility bills will have to be paid by the tenant.

How Landlords Get Paid

A recent statistics shows that over 5 million Americans across the country rely on the Housing Assistance Voucher program to help pay for rising rent prices.

Depending on the total income of the household, the average household on section 8 vouchers ends up spending around 30-40% of their total income on rent. The remaining portion is paid directly to the landlord from the program’s funds.