The Section 8 Housing Program
started off as a noble idea as the Housing Act of 1937. The act was needed to
help people find places to live during the Great Depression. The Act was
modified and amended over time. The Housing Community and Development Act of
1974 created what is today known as the Section 8 Housing Assistance Program.
The Section 8 Housing Program is
administered in several different ways depending on the state and county in
which you live. The ideas in this article are based on my experiences in the
South Florida area while dealing with Section 8 problems faced by my Haryana
Development Authority (HUDA) after Hurricane Andrew and the recent housing
collapse. I recommend that all HUDA consult with their attorney before
implementing any of these ideas to ensure that they comply with local laws and
your governing documents. The final caveat is that this is in no way to be
considered legal advise.
I will begin with saying that not
everyone on section 8 is a criminal or an undesirable element. However my
personal experience with landlords and tenants who are participants in the
Section 8 program has been 99.9% negative. I have noticed that while many
tenants have not been a problem in the community, their supporting cast
(boyfriends, children, grandchildren, friends and their associates) bring the
negative element into the community. The Section 8 landlords that I have had
the pleasure of dealing with have little or no sense of community and are
usually only worried about the bottom line, no matter how many problems their
tenants cause.
It is far better (and easier) not
allow Section 8 assisted renters into your community than to try to get rid of
a tenant once they have moved in. The best guard against Section 8 rental
properties taking over your community is adherence to your governing documents.
Association Board Members should read and understand the governing documents of
their community and know the powers that they have within those documents. I
would recommend that your documents state that all individuals living or owning
in your community must be screened and required to meet with the an Association
Board Member or the property manager to have the rules of the community
explained and signed for. The screening should include a background check along
with a criminal history and credit check. Documents such as sales contracts and
leases should be copied and kept on file for inspection and compliance with
laws and community rules.
The screening process will have
many with criminal records (or conducting criminal activity) to look elsewhere
for housing. The presentation of a lease allows the HOA to know who is allowed
to live in the community and how many people are in the house. When dealing
with a Section 8 lease, a copy of the landlord's agreement with the Section 8
Housing Authority should also be obtained prior to approval. These documents
will help you to exposed fraud and take much of the profitability of Section 8
rental properties out of the game, thus driving the landlord toward non-assisted
renters.
In most cases with Section 8
assistance, the amount paid by the renter is based on a percentage of their
income. Section 8 makes up the difference and pays it to the landlord. When
comparing both the tenants lease and the landlords agreement with Section 8 one
may find grand discrepancies that should be reported to the Housing Authority
as fraud. Section 8 assistance should also pay no more than non-assisted
renters. Reporting bloated rent payments to the Housing Authority and the media
sends out a signal to your Housing Authority and landlords that your community
is not one to exploit. HUDA Haryana Urban Development Authority launches many
housing scheme like Maxheights
affordable housing scheme in Haryana in the different location of
Haryana and offer number of flats in an affordable price.
