Section 8 for tenants without permission .

[Bunmi Olawale]

Is it right for a landlord to be receiving Section 8 on behalf of tenants who are paying regularly and unaware of the section 8 on their names?

[Account Closed]

What does their lease say? Are they paying market rent, plus you are getting money from government?

[Austin Mountain]

How would the tenants not know they are receiving Section 8 benefits?  Tenants are more aware of their Section 8 vouchers than their own children.

  There are times where Section 8 will pay a large portion of the rent and tenants have to pay the remainder of the balance but they are well aware of the benefits they are receiving.  But if you are somehow saying that the tenant is paying full rent and Section 8 is paying full rent for them, then no, you cannot do that.  You are double collecting rent.

[Patti Robertson]

What are you saying @Bunmi Olawale? A tenant cannot possibly be unaware that they are receiving SEC 8. The paperwork to start the entire process is issued to the tenant, not the landlord.  Maybe rephrase your question so we understand better what you are asking.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Patti Robertson I understand perfectly the ideal situation. And that means the tenant actually applying for and being the bonafide beneficiary of the section 8. However, a friend who doesn’t speak English asked me to help pick up the rent slip and I saw section 8 on the slip. This is why I asked the question on this forum, as I write this I have the rent with me but simply shocked at the level of corruption of the landlord. So pardon me if my question sounds illogical.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Anthony Gjolaj This is a paying tenant of a very corrupt landlord who is perpetrating fraud on the system.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Austin Mountain My point exactly! How could someone be listed for something they never applied for?

[Account Closed]

I thought you were the landlord, what is your current profession? Why is this of interest to you?

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Anthony Gjolaj maybe you should read before questioning my identity and profession. Mr. know-all.... Your rudeness stinks!

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Anthony Gjolaj I saw fraud being perpetrated on someone innocent, I thought I can get some clarity from a supposedly enlightening group, and you are spewing ****?

[Jim K.]

@Bunmi Olawale

Hi, Bumni. I've seen this fraud with a UNHCR refugee here. In my former job, I did quite a bit of work with the resettled refugees of my area. In answer to your original question, no, it is not right at all, it's a fraud. But it does happen with immigrants who do not speak English and are reliant on third parties to translate and sign things for them. Your first step is to get in touch with the victim's social worker. If you can't find the social worker or the person doesn't even know who their social worker is, just call the police. Don't ask them if it's right, explain immediately that you believe you might have learned about a case of Section 8 fraud. Good luck.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Jim K. Thank you for your informative response. My friend is Hungarian who is out of town and I just happened to be paying her rent on behalf when I saw this Section 8 stuff and I was alarmed. She’s a legal resident and not a refugee, hardworking and straight up! Never need to get any section 8 help. Thank you again, we will be reporting this landlord.

[Wayne Brooks]

I'd contact the local HUD/section 8 office if I wanted to report it, the police won't get involved. Be aware, it may end up with your friend having to move though, right or wrong. It doesn't sound like he qualifies for section 8 assistance.

[Cristin Andrews]

There is one other possibility - that your friend actually is Section 8 but hasn't shared that with you for one reason or another. Maybe ask them first and if not then proceed with calling the police or social worker.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Wayne Brooks Moving is better than enabling a corrupt and mindless landlord. You can imagine the damage done to this individual’s records and future reference. Am well aware it takes a criminal syndicate to pull this off, it’s just not fair to the person whose record is being tarnished for no reason.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Jim K. Thank you! To think someone will do this to another person’s life and future is simply mindless. You have been very helpful.

[Jim K.]

Originally posted by @Bunmi Olawale:

@Jim K. Thank you! To think someone will do this to another person’s life and future is simply mindless. You have been very helpful.

 Yes, that's the point. If this slumlord gets busted and things go the wrong way for your friend, this will follow her around for the rest of her life here in the States. The way I've seen the scam work, the tenant is just a pawn of the slumlord and has no clue federal assistance fraud is being perpetuated in her name until it's too late. When the authorities intervene, if she's not the person who turned the slumlord in, she looks like an accomplice instead of a victim. Cristin makes a good point above, you need to check with your friend and make sure she knows nothing about this before you proceed. This happens typically to immigrants with minimal English in closed ethnic communities with minimal outside connections.

[Tony Kim]

I guess I'm having difficulty understanding how this could even be possible. There is generally a multi-year waiting list to even get Section 8 benefits. The landlord would have had to have known the tenant for many years prior and secretly signed her up for Section 8 benefits. 

Once notice was received that your section 8 voucher has been granted, the landlord would have had to have intercepted that mail and signed her up. Then he would have had to have somehow convinced that tenant to rent his property and during that process there is generally close communication between the tenant and the HUD office.

I also find it difficult to believe that a resident originally from Hungary has such a poor command of the English language that this type of fraud would be perpetrated on her.

[Pavel U.]

It sounds like they applied for the unit “normally” and after moving in decided to apply for section 8. I’ve had that happen to me. I was blindsided because I didn’t accept section 8 but figures they’ve been there for 4 months and the unit looked good. So I accepted. After they moved out it cost me over $7,000 in repairs. 

[Beth Matherne]

@Bunmi Olawale I can’t imagine a person not knowing they have section 8. We have 2, one lady still has to pay a portion of her rent.

[Bunmi Olawale]

@Beth Matherne If it's possible to upload the rent slip, I'd love to do that. Someone at the Brooklyn office advised taking it up with HUD but cautioned we might be running into the same group that approved the Section 8 without due diligence. I just believe this is a syndicate and it involves an insider at the same HUD. Who signed off on fictitious names and designate someone who never applied for a program as a beneficiary? It's organized scam being run against the government and they took advantage of this person not speaking English as first language.

[Kristina Taylor]

@Bunmi Olawale how is that even a thing? Yes it’s wrong if you are charging the tenant more than their required copayment. Also it’s fraud.

[Jim K.]

Originally posted by @Bunmi Olawale:

@Beth Matherne If it's possible to upload the rent slip, I'd love to do that. Someone at the Brooklyn office advised taking it up with HUD but cautioned we might be running into the same group that approved the Section 8 without due diligence. I just believe this is a syndicate and it involves an insider at the same HUD. Who signed off on fictitious names and designate someone who never applied for a program as a beneficiary? It's organized scam being run against the government and they took advantage of this person not speaking English as first language.

 Call the local TV stations and give them your information, Bunmi,