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How to rent a vacant unit to a Housing Choice Voucher holder

DoorKeeping team

4 min read

You screen a voucher holder the same way you screen anyone else, then the housing agency (PHA) approves the unit before assistance starts. The family sends the agency a request to approve the tenancy plus the lease with HUD's tenancy addendum, the agency inspects the unit and checks that the rent is reasonable, and then you and the agency sign a HAP contract. The agency cannot pay you until that contract is signed, and it must be signed within 60 days of the lease start (24 CFR 982.305).

The steps from application to first payment

  1. The family finds your listing and applies. You screen them under your written standards, the same as other applicants.
  2. If you agree to rent, the family asks the PHA to approve the tenancy. Under 24 CFR 982.302 the request goes with a copy of the lease, and the lease must include HUD's tenancy addendum. Each PHA sets its own form and procedure, so ask which one yours uses.
  3. The PHA inspects the unit. Under 24 CFR 982.305 it must pass the housing quality inspection, and PHAs with up to 1,250 budgeted units must inspect and notify you and the family within 15 days of the request.
  4. The PHA checks that the rent is reasonable and approves the lease. The lease also needs the lead-based paint disclosure.
  5. You and the PHA sign the HAP contract. The PHA uses best efforts to sign it before the lease term begins, and it must be signed no later than 60 calendar days after the term begins.
  6. Assistance payments begin. The PHA may not pay you anything until the HAP contract is signed.

What the 60 day rule means for your vacancy

Under 24 CFR 982.305(c), if the HAP contract is signed within the 60 days, the PHA pays assistance for the period before it was signed. After 60 days the contract is void and no payments may be made, unless extenuating circumstances caused the delay and HUD agrees to an extension.

Example a made-up lease starts March 1 at $1,700 a month, and the voucher covers $1,200 of it. The inspection fails on a missing smoke alarm, the repair is made on March 20 and the HAP contract is signed on March 28. The PHA pays the $1,200 for March and the tenant owes their $500 share. If the signing slipped past April 30, the contract would be void and the PHA would pay nothing for those months.

Keep your vacancy cost in mind. Every day the unit waits for an inspection is a day of lost rent, so fix known problems before you list.

Who screens the tenant

24 CFR 982.307 says the owner is responsible for screening and selecting the family. The PHA has no liability or responsibility to you for the family's behavior or suitability, and it must tell you so by the time it approves the tenancy.

  • You may screen on tenancy history: rent and utility payments, care of the unit, respect for neighbors' peaceful enjoyment, drug related or other threatening criminal activity, and compliance with other lease terms.
  • The PHA must give you at least the family's current and prior address from its records and the name and address, if known, of the current and prior landlords.
  • It may share more, such as tenancy history, under a written policy that gives the same types of information to all families and all owners.

Apply the same criteria to everyone. In states and cities with source of income laws, refusing someone because they hold a voucher is not allowed, and you may have to measure income against the tenant's share of the rent. Our source of income guide compares California, Washington and Oregon. New York's Executive Law section 296(5) also bars refusing to rent because of lawful source of income. Check your own state and city.

Write the listing so voucher holders can apply

  • Do not write "no Section 8" or "no vouchers" in an ad. Where a source of income law applies it is unlawful, and it screens out applicants before you have looked at them.
  • Give the rent, the deposit and your standard criteria, so a voucher holder can see whether the unit fits before they ask.
  • Fix known inspection problems before you list, so the unit can pass quickly.
  • Use the same application and the same fees for everyone. See the fair housing listing wording guide.

How DoorKeeping fits

Keep the housing assistance payment and the tenant's share as separate lines in the property's books, so the rent roll shows both. Rent stays in your own bank: the PHA and the tenant each pay you directly, each with a memo so you can tell them apart. The lease with the tenancy addendum and the lead paint disclosure sits in your documents, ready to send for e-signature after your approval.

Sources

  1. 24 CFR 982.302, Issuance of a voucher; request for tenancy approval, read Oct 30, 2026
  2. 24 CFR 982.305, PHA approval of assisted tenancy, read Oct 30, 2026
  3. 24 CFR 982.307, Tenant screening, read Oct 30, 2026
  4. New York Executive Law section 296, subdivision 5, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Do I have to accept a Housing Choice Voucher?
Federal law does not require it, but many states and cities bar refusing a renter because of lawful source of income, including New York and the states in our source of income guide. Check your state and city.
Who pays me under a voucher?
The housing agency pays its share directly to you once the HAP contract is signed, and the tenant pays their share. The agency cannot pay before the HAP contract is signed.
Can I screen a voucher holder?
Yes. 24 CFR 982.307 says the owner is responsible for screening and selecting the family, using tenancy history and the same standards you use for other applicants.
How long does the housing agency have to inspect my unit?
Agencies with up to 1,250 budgeted units must inspect and notify you within 15 days of the request, and larger agencies must act within a reasonable time, aiming for 15 days.

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