I have a house, I only WANT section 8 persons to apply...

[Charlie Moore]

Let’s see WHO can help me and answer this UNIQUE question!!!!

- I have my third rental.. I want it to be SECTION 8.

How can I go about this? Is it discriminatory... to ONLY allow section 8 to apply?

[Randy E.]

Originally posted by @Charlie Moore:

Let’s see WHO can help me and answer this UNIQUE question!!!!

- I have my third rental.. I want it to be SECTION 8.

How can I go about this? Is it discriminatory... to ONLY allow section 8 to apply?

 List your rental on the GoSection8.com website.  Each city has it's own listing section.  

If you list your rental on that site and nowhere else, almost all of the people who contact you will be Section 8 voucher holders.  There is no law that says you must advertise the listing everywhere.

Charlie, be aware that Section 8 is not "automatic", hands-off, guaranteed rent as some unknowing landlords assume.  As a landlord, you should conduct a vigorous vetting process.  Check the tenant's creditials.  Credit-score won't be as important, but you should still view it.  It's one thing to have a score around 610 because of prior debt.  It's another to be 510 with a list of newly unpaid debt.

As part of the vetting process, pay attention to prior evictions of the applicants.  It is best to rent to someone who has never been evicted via the court system.  You may choose to take a chance on someone with an eviction from many years ago, but you would be foolish to approve someone with an eviction within the last 3 years.

Also, although many landlords assume Section 8 pays 100% of a tenant's rent, that is not always true.  Many tenants are responsible for a portion of their rent.  Sometimes Section 8 pays 90% and the tenant is personally responsible for paying the landlord 10%.  Sometimes, the split is 50/50.  Sometimes, the tenant pays most of the rent.  For this reason, it is imperative that during the vetting process, you verify the applicant's employment status. 

Lastly, as a landlord renting to a Section 8 tenant, you should definitely visit your property on a regular basis.  Be it monthly, every 3 months, or every 6 months.  I would not do it any less frequently than every 6 months, and actually every 2 months might be best for someone like you just starting out with the program.  You must keep up with repairs, especially as the 12th month renewal period approaches.  A Section 8 inspector will inspect your property and if it fails the inspection your payments will cease but the tenant will remain -- it will be your responsibility to evict the tenant.  But you can avoid that by simply maintaining your rental.  And you will have a more difficult time maintaining it if you fail to visit on a regular basis.

Section 8 is not a automatic win (or loss, for that matter) for landlords.  The landlords who approach it the right way can find smooth success.  Those that don't approach it the right way, will likely suffer.