Section 8 Landlord Process Information

What do I do?

If you have a unit that you want to rent to Voucher holders, you may list it with us or leave information sheets in our lobby.
 
To list your rental unit use GOsection8.com .

How can I tell if my unit is eligible?

Any type of housing may be rented - apartments, houses, mobile homes, etc - as long as the unit is located within the HAMC jurisdiction, meets basic health and safety standards, and the rent is reasonable for the size, type, and location of unit.

What happens next?

Section 8 clients interested in your unit will contact you.   The property owner/landlord (you) takes an application, checks references and background as with any other prospective tenant.

If you decide this tenant is acceptable, you complete a Request for Tenancy Approval/Request for Inspection packet.  The tenant brings those forms back to us, we send the information to our inspection contractor, and they contact you to set up an Initial Inspection. If you allow a participant to move in prior to an inspection passing your unit, the tenant is responsible for the rent until we can begin the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract. 
 
Once the unit passes, you sign the Lease Agreement with the Tenant and the HAP Contract with this office.  The subsidized portion of the rent comes directly to you around the first of each month.
 
Important: You should treat the Section 8 assisted tenant as you would any other tenant.  They are required to abide by your Lease and their obligations under the program.

About Payments…

Before payments can be paid to a landlord on behalf of a tenant:

• Proof of ownership must be received; proof that the rental unit is assessed as a rental property by the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office; and a copy of a management agreement if a third party is to act on behalf of the owner must be received.
• The selected unit must be inspected AND pass the inspection before the family is allowed to move in or receive assistance.
• A copy of the signed Lease Agreement between Landlord and Tenant must be submitted to the Housing office.
• A Housing Assistance Payments Contract (HAP Contract) must be signed by the Landlord and the HAMC.  This contract runs concurrently with the Lease Agreement.

It may take 30 – 60 days before you receive your first assistance payment from us.

More Information about paperwork

You may request a Landlord Handbook from our office or download it here.  This booklet contains more detailed information about the Voucher process as well as many samples of the forms/paperwork that you will primarily deal with: Request for Tenancy Approval packet, HAP Contract, Lease Addendum (to be attached to your copy of the Lease), and the Voucher (which belongs to the participant, but you may request to see it as verification that they are eligible for assistance in HAMC jurisdiction).

Other Questions 

Please consult the Voucher, Landlord and Miscellaneous pages of our FAQ section on our website for more information.

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