All Forum Posts by: Nina V.

Hi All,

The property is located in Howard County, Maryland.

My cash flow is tight and I wanted my property rented as soon as possible. I have two very promising candidates- one is with section 8 and the other does not.

I handed applications to both. Both have credit scores of over 700. My property has to pass section 8 inspection. The section 8 individual sent me her application back first.

I have already called HUD and am waiting for inspection.

My question is- can i send the lease to be signed by the non-section 8 person or do i need to run the entire section 8 process because I received her application first?

I have no problem with Section 8- i simply want a signed lease and tenant in.

Also- i hear stories about how HUD takes a few months to start paying rent (they make you whole eventually). Can I ask the section 8 individual to cover cost which I will reimburse once payment comes in or am i at the mercy of the government?

Thanks!

@Tyler Sterns- I am in MD- Howard County. Is there an attorney you recommend I can contact? I have reached out to two but given it's so close to the holidays, I haven't heard back. 

Hi All,

How are your investment properties structured? Are you holding under your name or in an LLC? We have been advised to move our properties in an LLC. Shall I? Shall I get a county or state specific attorney? I already have a Property LLC established. How much would this cost me? Thanks!

Hi All- a quick update. I did contact an attorney. She is advising me through the process. Dept of Human Rights has started an investigation. We have a strong case- we have multiple emails discussing how this individual would infact make a good tenant and the complainant did not submit her application until another tenant had been accepted. Overall, this is an inconvenience I need to deal with and is definitely a learning experience.

Hi All,

Before I post my question, I'd like to recognize that there will be a few of you out that there I offend. In advance, I apologize. I don't want responses to my questions to ask me to defend why I won't enroll in Section 8. Please accept my decision. Thank you.

Where I own our properties, source of income is a protected class. By law, I am not required to enroll in Section 8 at the same time by law I cannot discriminate against source of income. Landlords renting in such counties who are NOT enrolled in Section 8, how do you walk this fine line? If you receive an application who has the voucher and is well qualified (good credit score and references), are you required to accept this applicant? Is my only way of staying on the right side of law is to enroll in Section 8?

@Cheryle Patterson- Hi- I believe it would be an authorized agent. He posted an ad on Zillow using his email address. The guy was just trying to help us out. I have nothing against section 8. The house was vacant and I wanted a tenant in as soon as possible. I am happy to enroll in section 8 by before this tenant leaves.

The department of human rights called. This is ridiculous. She is seeking damages. And our fault was that my dad picked a wrong word. She has no other complaints. The only thing she is holding on to is the word "scheme". We were already talking to a potential tenant. She did not submit an application so she was never really under serious consideration (even though dad did email her an application the evening she came to see the house). I am so annoyed. She is seeking one month's rent in damages.

Hi All,

In the process of renting our property, we received many applications. One of them was an aggressive lady on section 8. She assured us she has excellent credit score. My dad who was helping with the process, sent her a text saying that we don't participate in the section 8 "scheme" (poor choice of words, he should have thought it through). She filed a complaint against us to the department of human rights saying we discriminated against her and believe the section 8 program is a scheme. We emailed her an application but she didn't submit it due to the text message. What do I do now? Hire an attorney? What are my rights?