Raising section 8 rents

[Alison Decastro]

Hi Guys,

We have a 5-family property that has 2 section 8 tenants (inherited but good people).  Rents have stayed the same for 3+ years.  How can I raise the rents?  By that I mean-how do I get section 8 to pay more?  Rents in the area have been trending up.

[Patti Robertson]

Hi @Alison Decastro & @Reaz H..  As long as tenant has been in the lease for at least 12 months you can ask for a rent increase.  Some HAs have a form to submit, which may be on their website.  Most start the process by you just submitting a request in writing.  Are you familiar with the two step process of approving rents?  They have to be reasonible compared to market rents and affordable, meaning the tenant can only spend 30% of their income on rent + utilities.  Chances are your tenant is already maxed out on the 30%, Reaz, so a rent increase will most likely come from SEC 8.