Section 8 vouchers Kansas

[Brendon Pishny]

Does anyone have experience with Section 8 vouchers in Kansas. I have a couple rental properties open, and I have had a lot of requests for these. So far we have stayed away from them, but I'm wanting to learn more in case it's an option. What are the necessary requirement and how would a landlord get qualified? Not interested in jumping through a ton of hoops or going through a bunch of inspections.

[Jonathan R.]

I have experience with Section 8 in Kansas but not in Olathe. I have had a good experience. Section 8 pays $629 and the tenant pays only $46. Section 8's portion of the rent is direct deposited into my account each month, it is nice to not have to worry about being paid on time. To get started with Section 8 just Google Section 8 Olathe, KS and it will take you to your local page. You will see a list of their requirements. In short, every screen door needs a screen and they can't be torn, every window needs to go up and down and lock, your stove needs to work, you need a GFI in the kitchen, one smoke detector on every floor etc. You will have an initial inspection once you accept a tenant's voucher and fill it out. I don't care how good you are, you will probably fail the first one. They will come out again to re-inspect in a week. I suggest you make friends with everyone you meet with the Section 8 staff, they will help move you along/tell you what they need from you and what is coming up next. Sometimes the staff in my area was tough to reach by phone, even after leaving a polite message, so I followed up with an email several hours later in the day, also be prepared to drive to the Section 8 office if you need to move something along quicker. This all sounds like a hassle I'm sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I know my money is coming in. Section 8 tenants I think will stay longer because there is such a competition for housing. I get an above market rent in my area, I suggest pricing your unit higher than you think it is worth and seeing if you can get it, you should have no problem finding an interested tenant. I suggest including the trash bill with the rent, because that is a bill you do not want the tenant to skip out on. My listing was posted for 48 hours and we had 254 views and a huge pool to pick from. You post your listing right on their website and start taking phone calls/emails. We went with a 50 year old disabled man on SSD, we wanted to take a shot at a long term tenant. People think Section 8 people will trash your house, I think there is a better chance they won't because they want to stay in the program. Good luck. I certainly say go for it.