Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental subsidies for tenants who choose units in the private market. The voucher program also has provisions that outline tenant and owner responsibility. PHAs can disapprove owners who refuse to evict tenants for drug-related or violent criminal activity, or for activity that threatens the health safety or right of peaceful enjoyment of the premises of tenants, PHA employees or owner employees, or the residences of neighbors (see Section 8 ( o)(6)( C))

Roles – the tenant, the landlord, the housing agency and HUD

Once a PHA approves an eligible family’s housing unit, the family and the landlord sign a lease and, at the same time, the landlord and the PHA sign a housing assistance payments contract that runs for the same term as the lease. This means that everyone — tenant, landlord and PHA — has obligations and responsibilities under the voucher program.

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Tenant’s Obligations

When a family selects a housing unit, and the PHA approves the unit and lease, the family signs a lease with the landlord for at least one year. The tenant may be required to pay a security deposit to the landlord.

When the family is settled in a new home, the family is expected to comply with the lease and the program requirements, pay its share of rent on time, maintains the unit in good condition and notify the PHA of any changes in income or family composition.

Landlord’s Obligations

The role of the landlord in the voucher program is to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to a tenant at a reasonable rent. The dwelling unit must pass the program’s housing quality standards and be maintained up to those standards as long as the owner receives housing assistance payments.

In addition, the landlord is expected to provide the services agreed to as part of the lease signed with the tenant and the contract signed with the PHA.

Housing Authority’s Obligations

The PHA administers the voucher program locally. The PHA provides a family with the housing assistance that enables the family to seek out suitable housing and the PHA enters into a contract with the landlord to provide housing assistance payments on behalf of the family.

If the landlord fails to meet the owner’s obligations under the lease, the PHA has the right to terminate assistance payments. The PHA must reexamine the family’s income and composition at least annually and must inspect each unit at least annually to ensure that it meets minimum housing quality standards.