Landlord Information
Landlord Information
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is the federal government’s primary program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the HCV participant, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs) that receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This means that the participant, landlord and PHA all have obligations and responsibilities under the HCV program. If you’re considering becoming a landlord, please contact the Ark-Tex Council of Governments at 1-800-988-3331.
Resources for Landlords
Landlord Packet
Everything you need to know about the HCV program, plus all the paperwork needed to apply to participate in the program.
Landlord Portal
A one-stop shop for landlords to manage their information related to the HCV program and check the status of payments.
Rent Increase Form
Landlords should complete this form and submit it to ATCOG to request an increase in rent.
Admin Plan
Our policies, rules, and requirements concerning the operations, programs, and services
Myth-Busting for HCV Landlords
False: Landlords can’t charge HCV participants the same rent as their non-HCV tenants
Truth: Landlords can charge the full rent no matter who the tenant is. The housing authority must determine that the proposed rent is reasonable and is not higher than units in that area with similar amenities.
False: HCV participants are problem tenants.
Truth: HCV participants are typically long-term tenants, living in a unit for 7-8 years on average.
There are no documented statistics showing that HCV participants are any more likely to damage units or not pay rent than are non-HCV participants. Landlords use their own screening criteria and should screen HCV participants as they would screen any other tenant to avoid problem tenants.
False: It is almost impossible to evict a HCV participants when they violate the lease.
Truth: HCV participants are bound by the terms of their rental agreements and are subject to eviction as is any non-HCV participant.
False: If you accept one HCV participant, then all of your units must be rented to HCV participants.
Truth: Renting unit(s) to HCV participants does not in itself further obligate you to rent to other HCV participants. For each vacancy, you should follow your established policies for screening prospective tenants.
Benefits of Housing Choice Voucher Program for Landlords
Timely and Dependable Payments
Participating, compliant landlords will receive timely and dependable housing assistance payments (HAP) each month once the HAP contract and lease are signed.
Full Rental Payment
When a HCV participant’s income permanently changes, the portion of rent paid by the PHA and the participant is adjusted to reflect this change. This provides financial protection to landlords in that if a HCV participant’s income decreases, there is a process for the PHA to pay a larger portion of the rent to the landlord so the landlord continues to receive a full rental payment.
Regular Inspections
Some landlords appreciate the routine inspections because they provide an opportunity to check on the condition of the unit. This can result in identifying maintenance needs that may have otherwise gone unnoticed for some time. Landlords that own or manage properties across wide geographies in particular tend to appreciate the value in having a routine, objective inspection of their rental units.
Help Others
You have the opportunity to help low-income elderly, disabled, and veteran households, as well as families with children by providing affordable housing. More than 50 percent of vouchers serve elderly or non-elderly disabled families. About 45 percent of vouchers assist single-parent families.
Unit Inspections
What to Expect
ATCOG conducts unit inspections in accordance with the Housing Quality Standards (HQS) established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to guarantee a basic level of health and safety for all units leased under the Housing Choice Voucher program. The inspector’s primary concern is that the unit is decent, safe and sanitary.
The inspector will walk through each room to confirm standards are being met including, but not limited to:
- Smoke alarms work
- Toilets flush
- Appliances function
- Heating and air conditioning systems work
- Electrical outlets are safe
- Number of bedrooms
Housing Inspection Resources
The inspector will also check the unit for rent reasonableness, assessing the unit size, age of the property, location, and the condition of amenities. Any safety hazards are noted, along with defects or deterioration, such as peeling paint.
HUD has developed a booklet titled A Good Place to Live to help landlords and participants understand HUD’s standards. The EPA has developed a Lead in Your Home brochure to help you protect your family.
Call for more information:
The Ark-Tex Council of Government does business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Law (The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988). It is illegal to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin in the sale or rental of housing or residential lots; in advertising the sale or rental of housing; in the financing of housing; in the provision of real estate brokerage services; in the appraisal of housing; and blockbusting is also illegal. Anyone who feels he or she has been discriminated against may file a complaint of housing discrimination: 1-800-669-9777 (Toll Free), 1-800-927-9275 (TTY), or online at www.hud.gov/fairhousing.