Streamlining Section 8

Housing authorities play a crucial role in determining whether Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher families can afford a unit’s asking rent. Their assessment involves multiple factors, including the family’s adjusted monthly income, the Voucher Payment Standard (VPS), tenant paid utilities, and comparable rents for the area in which the property is located. To meet the requirements set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it’s required that the family’s share of rent does not exceed 40% of their adjusted monthly income. If this 40% threshold is breached, the unit’s asking rent is deemed unaffordable for that family and the housing authority cannot approve the tenant to move in. The housing authority negotiates with the property owner or manager to offer a rent that the family can afford. At this juncture, the property owner faces two options: accept the lower asking rent to accommodate the family and thereby devalue the property or reject the lower rent offer, continue screening for applicants that can afford the asking rent and therefore lose the valuable time spent completing the Request For Tenancy Approval (RFTA) and waiting for an inspection.

RentWiseLA’s innovative Affordability Calculator tool is designed to preemptively determine if a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher family can afford the asking rent, even before the RFTA process begins. This proactive approach can save property owners and managers significant time and money, ensuring that the rent is affordable before investing time to complete the RFTA.. To use the Affordability Calculator you must use the family’s adjustable monthly income obtained directly from the housing authority. You may either;

1. send an email to the appropriate housing authority with the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher family’s head of household copied on the email requesting the adjustable Monthly income, or
2. send our authorization to release information form to the appropriate housing authority, complete with the signature of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher family’s head of household to request the adjustable monthly income.

It should take the housing authority 1-2 days to respond to your request. Once you have the adjusted monthly income complete the questions on the Affordability Calculator and submit. The results will tell you the maximum rent the family can afford based on their income.