PROPERTY OWNERS AND LANDLORDS

What is a Housing Choice Voucher?

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is financed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide rent subsidies in the form of housing assistance payments (HAP) to private Landlords on behalf of low-income individuals and families.

Benefits of the Voucher Program

The HCV Program offers financial assistance for rental housing to eligible low-income individuals and families. The intent of the HCV Program is to lessen the burden on the family’s budget for housing costs, allowing them greater choice in selecting a rental unit. By partnering with property owners of private market rental housing in the Spokane area, the program provides participants with the ability to locate and rent any type of housing, in any area of the county.

What is the relationship between the Landlord, Tenant & SHA?

The HCV Program relies on a set of legally-binding agreements between three parties: the Spokane Housing Authority, the HCV Participant (tenant), and an independent owner of rental property (landlord).

• The Voucher is the agreement between Spokane Housing Authority and the tenant.
• The Lease Agreement is between the tenant and the independent owner of rental property (landlord).
• The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract is the agreement between the Spokane Housing Authority and the independent owner of the rental property (landlord).
• HCV families pay at least 30% of their adjusted gross income as rent to the landlord. The balance of the rent (up to a certain established amount) is paid to the owner by the Spokane Housing Authority.

Passing the HQS Inspection

The Housing Quality Standards (HQS) is the federally mandated inspection requirements designed for all types of housing throughout the nation. HQS was developed to ensure that housing assisted through the HCV program is “affordable, decent, safe and sanitary.”

Units are inspected at initial move-in; bi-annually and as needed or requested by property owner or program participant.

Click on the link below to view a checklist of basic HQS inspection items so you can ensure your unit(s) are in compliance with HQS standards and ready for inspection.

HQS_Inspection_Checklist.2020.FORM.HAP

Rent Reasonableness Test

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) rent reasonableness standard is designed to ensure that rents being paid are reasonable in relation to rents being charged for comparable unassisted units in the same market. SHA will determine whether the contract rent you are requesting is reasonable using a comparison of rents, location, size, amenities, quality, etc. The HUD regulation governing rent reasonableness is 24 CFR 982.507.

Landlord Payment Processing

• Typically, SHA will process payments to landlords two times per month:
  • 1st business day of the month
  • On or near the 15th of the month.
• The preferred method of payment to our landlords is direct deposit. To sign up for a direct deposit or change your direct deposit information, please fill out the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Direct Payment – Authorization Agreement and mail the form to Spokane Housing Authority, Attn: Finance Department, 25 W. Nora Ave. Spokane, WA 99205. The deadline for submitting bank account changes to the Finance Department is 7 days before the end of the month to ensure proper routing of the payment.
• Landlord account statements are available through SHA’s Landlord Portal. You may request access to the RentCafe Landlord Portal by registering on the portal site or by emailing [email protected].
  If you are an owner of several properties, there is the ability to access each property from one login registration. To add additional properties, on your RentCafe Landlord Dashboard, select ‘Register with Another Agency’ and you can enter additional registration codes.

List your Rental with HCV

If you would like to make your rental available to an HCV participant, please contact our Landlord Liaison at [email protected] and/or go to AffordableHousing.com.

Contract Rent Increases

After the initial occupancy period, the owner may request a rent adjustment.

• Rent increases require at least 60 days’ notice to both the Housing Authority and the HCV participant.
• All rent increase requests are subject to a rent reasonableness analysis.
• If the rent increase is approved by SHA, the owner will be notified in writing. The notice will also include how any increase affects the tenant and/or SHA portion of the rent payment.

Report Housing Fraud

SHA is dedicated to investigating allegations of suspected fraud in our HCV program.

• Examples of fraudulent activities that are considered program violations:
  • Knowingly withholding or not reporting income or assets of the family household including but not limited to wages, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Child Support, etc.
  • Transferring income or assets to obtain/retain eligibility under false pretenses.
  • Using false identification cards or false Social Security Numbers.
  • Using false documents such as birth certificates or marriage licenses.
  • Falsifying the number of household members or allowing unauthorized people to stay in an assisted unit.
  • Obtaining duplicate assistance or subletting all or part of the unit.
  • Landlords charging additional rent from assisted tenants.
  • Tenants entering into outside agreements with landlords/making payments under the table.

• How to Report Fraud

  To report suspected fraud, you may choose any of the following:

  • Call SHA’s Fraud Activity Hotline at 509-328-2953, extension 6;
  • Our online form; or
  • Mail a written letter to SHA at 25 W Nora Avenue, Spokane, WA 99205.

• What information do I need?

  To open an investigation, please provide as much identifying information as possible regarding the details of your allegation. The more you can provide, the better chance we have of making a determination of whether a violation has been committed. Below are some examples of the information we will need:

  • First and last name
  • Address
  • Police/Court reports
  • Other documentation such as photos, written correspondence, etc.
  • Any other pertinent information to support the allegation.

  SHA will not be able to open an investigation without at least one verifiable item of information, such as the name of an employer or the name of an unauthorized household member. All calls are confidential and you may choose to remain anonymous.

  All suspected criminal activity should be reported to the local police department.