Can a Section 8 Tenant Midnight Break Lease Early?

[Jonathan R.]

Signed second year team in June for another year. Tenant called explaining they have bedbugs and roaches. I agreed when they renewed the lease I would be willing to spray for roaches if they would clean their house top to bottom. Lease says bugs are a tenant’s responsibility (though we do often assist). 

Anyway, I get no phone call till today, it is the tenant notifying me they are moving out.

Honestly, we’re fine if they vacate, seeing they are unwilling to clean their house, but can they just up and leave during a lease on a voucher? Thanks!

[Patti Robertson]

Nope.  You should send the tenant notice immediately and cc the case worker saying that in response to their phone call you are notifying them that they are in a lease until ?/?/? and do not have permission to terminated it. I had a situation one time where a SEC 8 tenant abandoned and when we found out we contacted the case worker who said “She didn’t tell you she was leaving?  She told me you said it was OK.”   In our situation the case worker had already reissued the voucher and the tenant moved.  You need to notify SEC 8 before this happens.  If a tenant abandoned their lease they are supposed to lose their voucher.