All Forum Posts by: Jay Wright

They should have a form for you to fill out. You should go by on landlord walk in day to complete this request. They might even have the form on their website as well.

When screening section 8 tenants the number 1 question should be.... What is the tenant's financial monthly obligation. Also you should find out if the the voucher has a time limit on it. Some of the new vouchers are apart of rapid rehousing. Where the subsidized payments are only for a year. Then the tenant is on their own. You also should find out if the tenant is apart of a housing program. If so then the tenant has to adhere to not only that programs rules but the housing authority's rules as well. For example most housing programs require a monthly home visit. Hopefully she is in this program therefore you can have someone practically monitor your unit monthly without having to pay them.

As previously stated you don't have to accept them because they don't meet a requirement. You could also say your unit does not meet the "HQS" housing quality standards section 8 mandates all it's units to have. Then state you are not willing to make the adjustments the program is requiring because they are unreasonable. You should have no problem from anyone saying this.

Dallas just had that housing lottery right? Think they gave out several hundred vouchers a year or two ago right? @Account Closed I never understand why landlords just do the money that's available and move on to the next unit. The only way a landlord can be successful is by stockpiling subsidized units.

Well Christina the "section 8" game in our area differs from each housing authority jurisdiction . This is because some housing authorities don't have such a high demand for low income housing such as Baltimore and Washington. I don't really know of any websites that can give advice for our specific area. However I can advise you on all of these areas from my own experience. Baltimore City is probably the cheapest buy in however the return isn't so great in some neighborhoods. The rents are quite low in some areas however I've noticed that apartments buildings are rare and should be bided on quickly. The average row home in Baltimore is quite tricky just due to the fact that some streets can be great, but if you go around the corner it's rat infested and terrible. I would suggest to stay away from streets that have multiple vacants and from buying next to a vacant. The housing authority now frowns on those and the inspectors will cite the area as uninhabitable for the prospective tenant. Which can be crazy at times because most of Baltimore city has at least a couple of vacants on the street or in the neighborhood. John Hopkins has a lot of new development and I would try to buy in that area due to being close to the metro and market. Two bedroom houses have been a hit lately as well however the catch with houses is that darn water bill tenants at times fail to pay in a timey fashion. The county is getting a lot of influx of people who are transferring from the city to the county. That is a better bet for a higher rent payout. However of course the cost of the house will be way more. Montgomery County is a good market I see a lot of people using Montgomery village as their number 1 area for low income housing rentals. Prices are a bit rangy but are quite profitable. PG county is a couple years away from having a housing boom in vouchers. Especially around in the suitland, forestville, district heights area. This is because "new vouchers" aka new money which is always good. This is due to the fact that the district is going through a lot of changes and a lot more neighborhoods are becoming unaffordable. So ideally people are moving out of the city and are headed east towards PG county. Let me know if you need more info

the idea of the good gesture is to persuade them to stay. We only offer the gesture after another 3 year lease is signed. If they last throughout the whole term of the lease then I upgrade them into another house that has more perks or give them something they need. Appliances are cheap and if you get the right situation going you can practically get them for free. Giving my tenants something as simple as that and that practically cost me nothing is a win for me and them.

looks like the guys on here chirped in with some great advice. I wouldn't necessarily put security doors on. Usually front doors such as screen or security doors tend to have some type of issue later on. For example glass breaks or door starts to come off the hinge due to negligence. The list could go on; not to mention that it could be a potential fire death trap. We had a landlord that had an issue like that. Remember for section 8 less is more. The bare minimum is the best with upgrades that are hard to damage due to negligence. Also that helps when that pesky annual inspector comes around and tries to give you a "bill" deficiency report. If you need some tips for inspectors let me know.

I would go to the local housing authority to see how they advertise to their tenants. That's the first place I would start. Just sitting in the waiting room would give you leads. Or even calling them to find out how they advertise to their tenants is another start. What city is it located in?

Section 8 can be hit or miss if you are just dealing with the "general public section 8". Meaning they are tenants that aren't attached to programs. I find that tenants with programs are easier to manage. Plus you don't have to advertise because the agency you work with will always send you referrals for free. Plus if you have an issue they would rather save face and solve the issue or give you another tenant because so many people are hesitant to rent to section 8. We don't have any market renters at all we have a portfolio of over 300 in 3 cities

@George Paiva section 8 renters can be no worse than a regular renter. In the screening process I really don't worry about credit as others would. That has been a waste for me because I've learned that if their credit was good they wouldn't be on section 8. I know it sounds crazy not to check but it's a waste. My biggest concern is always what is your current portion and how many people are listed on your voucher. This helps because you can forecast exactly how much of the subsidy covers your mortgage payment. Then you can figure out how much of that tenant's portion is part of your capital. Once you figure that out you can see how much the potential tenant is worth to you. If the portion is large then it's a higher risk if its small then the risk is lower. Next you need to find out how many people are on the voucher. This is so you can figure out if your unit can even accommodate the family legally. Also it helps with any legal proceedings that may have to come later on down the road. Next you need to find out if that tenant is a regular voucher holder or if they are affiliated with a program. If they are a regular tenant then it means the risk is a bit higher because you don't have anyone to complain to if something happens. I like to go after tenants that are in a program because of several reasons. First it's like having a mini property management company without having to pay them. They are required to do home visits once a month and write out home visit reports. Also they are required to report any maintenance issue or damage to the landlord. This is a plus because all you have to do is call the assigned case manager and you know exactly how your property is doing without having to physically see it. Just a few tips there are more but hey let me know if you need some more tips