Any Massachusetts landlords who have experience with Section 8?

Question

Hi everyone,

I have a 2 family in Milton, MA and one unit will be vacant on 8/1. I have a potential tenant interested who is currently on a full section 8 voucher. She told me she has an 8 yo and a 13 yo daughter and wants to move to Milton for the school district. She's been at her current apartment for 2 years in W. Roxbury and said her landlord would give her a great reference (I have not verified that yet). She's currently going to school but will be switching from "not working" to "working" so she's awaiting her assignment.

For me, this sounds like a great potential long-term tenant as she wants her daughters to grow up in Milton and has family nearby. She sounds great on the phone and talked about how her current apartment wasn't in great condition but she helped her landlord do a lot of work to fix it up (she sounds responsible and proactive). The apartment is also NOT de-leaded, and because it is 3 bdrm with large office, it is prime for a family, so finding a mother with older children is extremely ideal.

She said she would send me a $3k deposit ASAP to secure the lease.

Here are my questions:

1. I called Boston Housing and they said they cannot inspect it until it is vacant which means they won't give me their "offer" on rent until that point. It won't be vacant until mid-July which means I wouldn't be able to finalize this lease until right before move-in date. The rate I'm asking ($3k/mo) is exactly what BH's website says they pay for 3 bedrooms in Milton. The apartment is in great condition. What things do inspectors look for?

2. If she sends me a deposit now and no lease is prepared until end of July, what sort of paperwork would I need to send her? If for whatever reason Section 8 doesn't work out, am I obligated to return the deposit? Taking the apartment off the market this far in advance makes me a little uneasy.

3. If she is going from "not working" to "working" I'm assuming that means she probably won't be continuing with a full voucher. How would I verify what that might look like? She isn't working now so she has zero income.

4. Has anyone had any great stories taking section 8 tenants or terrible stories? I want to hear both sides

Thanks so much!

Jay

Lien Vuong · Answer

You do not need it to be deleaded unless the child is under 6 years of age based on Section 8 housing standards.

I would you speak to the landlord prior to her current one (of course the current one is going to give you great reference bc he's trying to get rid of her).

While she's OK to accept that rate that does NOT mean that BHA has approved the rental amount as well as unit condition. I have had several instances when we have accepted the applicant but then their voucher does not qualify for that price or there's conditions that the inspection made us do that did not make it beneficial to move forward with the tenant. Inspections are for all safety items - i.e, handrails, not chipping paints, secure electrical, screens on all the doors, etc.

Honestly she does sound like a good candidate but I would accept her application pending full approval of the unit from BHA and take her deposit as a hold for the unit. Tell her it is fully refundable if unit does not work out and continue to market it in the marketplace for other regular renters. That way, you get your security and do not lose time in the search process and lose $ because of vacancy.

Avery Heilbron · Answer

Hi @Jay Green it seems like the above posters have done a good job chiming in. I currently rent a 4 bedroom to section 8 tenants and am really happy about it.

People tend to frown upon it, but it's a guaranteed portion of rent even during, evictions, pandemics and acts of God. It is difficult to get a section 8 voucher and can take time to get them and the people who hold them do not want to lose them.

If they make less money does not make them worse people. People who make a lot of money can be problem tenants. My tenants are fantastic. They take the bins out, shovel the driveway, and are very respectful.

As for the inspection some housing authorities will take a cert. of habitability/occupancy that is done by the city. Others need that and their own. Essentially they are looking for railings for stairs, ceiling height, the utilities work, screens for windows, proper outlets etc. They want to make sure the tenants are getting a livable space.

Lien Vuong · Answer

It's not discriminatory if her voucher her program is unwilling to accept your property bc of inspection or rental amount. Just something you're unwilling to compromise with.

Here is the housing laws for you to review for your reference: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/overview-of-fair-housing-law

Doug Bennett · Answer

Jay, I haven’t rented to a Section 8 tenant is many years, so things may have changed. But when I did rent to Section 8, it was never a problem to pass their inspection. If you can get an occupancy permit, then you should have very little problems with your rental being approved. As mentioned by Lien, the things they look for are screens in every window, smoke/carbon monoxide detector, safety issues. When I was renting to Sec 8 applicants, they were units that I had a hard time renting. It was a six-unit building with small units and very limited parking. Sec 8 had so many applicants and not enough apartments, that they were just glad to get these folks into a place. They don't try to make it hard to pass inspection. As a matter of fact, Sec 8 always paid more than the market price because of the potential stigma associated with the program.

So there are some positives. I never had to worry about the rent being paid and the program covered any damages on move out day.  And that was a very good thing because there almost always was damage. That’s not to say all Sec 8 are going to behave this way. The reason it happened so often with this building was that most of the tenants were young single mothers. Inevitably their boyfriends would show up and expect to move in and leech off the Sec 8. The program had a very strict policy on that and one call to them is all it would take. Of course, the angry boyfriend will leave the apartment only after he has destroyed it to the best of his ability.  Sometimes they still had to be facilitated out, but since they had no rights to be there, it was never an issue.

Now after saying all that, keep in mind that the building I was renting was not that desirable and, therefore, I sometimes got undesirable tenants who lived difficult lives. That’s not to say the person you are considering is in the same category, she certainly doesn’t sound like it. I did have a positive experience with a Sec 8 client who I rented a duplex to and she was fine. But by then, I had implemented a strict policy that if I found a boyfriend was staying there more than one night a week, it would be reported to Sec 8. The applicant knows this could mean the termination of their benefits.

If you really want to stack the odds in your favor, what I would do is ask to take a walk through of her current apartment. Explain to her that you would feel much more comfortable after hearing some of the stories about Sec 8. You should also ask for her Sec 8 contact person (almost like a social worker for apartments). I have always talked with that person directly. You can also get answers to your questions about the 3K deposit, which almost certainly came for Sec 8.

After saying all that, my biggest concern would be that when she is off of Sec 8, you would no longer get guaranteed rent payments or guaranteed repair to your rental in the event of damages. Trying to evict someone with small children would be next to impossible in less than six months. With Sec 8, they will continue to pay and (supposedly) help in court evictions if the tenant continued to violate the lease, i.e., live-in boyfriend, major damage.

In October I will have a four-bedroom, three-bath house available and even now I am actually contemplating renting to Sec 8 because of the benefits, which may outweigh the negatives.

Good luck with your decision!

Jay Green · Answer

Hi @Lien Vuong thanks for the reply! That sounds like a great idea, and one I wasn't think about. If I take her deposit what documentation would I need to provide her in return? I want to be careful that I don't appear discriminatory if I return her deposit and sign with someone who would sign a lease immediately and pay market rate.

Any Massachusetts landlords who have experience with Section 8?

Most Popular Reply