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))
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.
Effective November 1, 2024, WHA has partnered with Lake County Housing Authority and North Chicago Housing Authority to offer Housing Choice Voucher participants the option to rent units in North Chicago and Lake County, IL as well as Waukegan. This will give our participants more options to find rental units throughout all of Lake County. …
Payment Standards October 2024 WHA fiscal year Payment Standards are 100% of the Fair Market Rates Small Areas. The information regarding the issued voucher and expiration dates are in sections #2 and #3 of the voucher.
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.
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.
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.