Section 8 Tenant Demand in Different Areas of Los Angeles

[A Bee]

Esteemed fellow BP readers,

I am considering between purchasing either a 4 unit apartment building in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles or a 6 unit apartment building in the Mid City neighborhood of Los Angeles.  My business plan is to rent out the units to Section 8 tenants as both the areas in which the apartment buildings are located have higher Section 8 rents compared to market rents for those areas.  

In order to understand better each investment opportunity though I wanted to reach out to and see if any readers had an idea or experience as to where I could go or who I may speak to or where I may research to get an idea of the Section 8 tenant rental demand in the two areas I am considering.  Basically, to help answer the question, how much rental demand is there from Section 8 tenants in these areas (or other areas in Los Angeles)

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance :)

A

[Francis A.]

@A Bee

Regarding investing in Watts. If that is indeed in your future, One of the first things I would suggest you to do is to introduce yourself to the 15th District Council Office of Los Angeles. This office represents the Watts area. In theory, they should welcome investors like you with open arms for thinking of investing in their area of jurisdiction.

The person to seek out first would be the Watts Field Deputy. He is listed under the -

Watts Office. 10221 Compton Avenue, - section. 

The Field Deputy is literally your expert on the ground for Watts. I'm sure any advice he will have will be worth your while. His name and number are listed on this pdf.

http://cityfone.lacity.org/verity/department_direc...

All the best in your investing future!