Landlord Information

Please watch the video to the left. It is only about 7:30 total, and it has a lot of great information, particularly for new landlords participating in a HCV Program. The links below have additional helpful documentation. 

  • First

Rentals

The CSHA does not maintain a list of available units in our office, so we have partnered with Affordable Housing which provides an enhanced program to list rental properties online. Listings are available to potential Housing Choice Voucher tenants seeking apartments, duplexes, single-family homes, or townhomes in the private market. If you have any questions regarding registering, creating, or viewing property listings, please call the Affordable Housing toll free help-line at 1 (866) 466-7328. It is recommended that landlords add photos to their listing(s) for better advertising and faster lease up.

Becoming a HCV Landlord in Five Easy Steps

As a participating landlord/owner with the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, you must maintain the rental unit in compliance with local housing codes as well as Federal Housing Quality Standard (HQS) guidelines. It is the landlord’s/owner’s responsibility to screen and select a tenant, execute the lease, sign the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with the CSHA, collect a security deposit, and collect the family’s portion of the rent.

  1. Landlord/Owner lists a rental unit on the Affordable Housing website.
  2. Tenant chooses unit.
  3. Landlord/Owner and tenant complete Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) Packet, and returns RTA to CSHA with proposed lease.
  4. CHSA approves request and schedules inspection of unit.
  5. HAP contract and lease signed.

Information

The HCV Program is designed to help families with low- to moderate-income rent houses that are decent, safe, and sanitary. The HCV Program provides direct monthly payments to the property manager/landlord/owner on behalf of the family. The HCV Program subsidy covers the difference between 30% of the tenant’s adjusted gross income and the contract rent, up to the payment standard. The established payment standards include utilities.

If the rent plus utilities exceeds the established payment standard per bedroom size, the family will be responsible for the additional cost, BUT they cannot spend more than 40% of their adjusted gross monthly income on housing.

Landlord/Owner Responsibilities

  • It is the landlord’s/owner’s responsibility to screen prospective tenants.
  • Landlords/owners must use their own lease.
  • Inform prospective tenants of the utility responsibilities they are required to pay under the lease.
  • Collect the tenant’s portion of the rent and utility payment (if applicable) on time or take appropriate action with regard to the tenant; the HAP will be made by direct deposit (preferred). The landlord must notify the Housing Authority if the tenant falls behind on their portion of the rent.
  • The landlord/owner will be required to sign a statement of responsibility included in the landlord move-in packet.

Request for Lease Approval

Once the landlord/owner has decided to rent their unit to a CSHA client, the landlord/owner must complete a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) Form and documents in the landlord Move-in Packet. After this is completed, the tenant will submit the completed packet to their Housing Specialist at the Housing Authority for review. The Housing Specialist will contact the prospective landlord/owner, confirm the information on the RTA and set a date and time for the move-in inspection.

Miscellaneous

The lease is between the landlord/owner and the tenant only; the CSHA does NOT enter into the lease. The landlord/owner signs a HAP Contract with the Housing Authority. The landlord/owner can request an interim inspection at any time if they feel the tenant is not maintaining the unit in a decent, safe, and/or sanitary condition. 

Inspections

Move-in Inspections

The Housing Authority will inspect the unit to make sure it is safe, decent, and sanitary. Examples below:

  • Floors: All floor coverings must be clean and in good repair.
  • Walls: All walls must be clean and in good repair.
  • Windows: All windows must have locks, screens, and no broken or cracked glass.
  • Living Room: An operable window with a lock; two electrical outlets, or one outlet and a permanent light fixture.
  • Kitchen: Hot and cold running water; stove and range; refrigerator (if provided) in operating condition; adequate food preparation and storage area.
  • Bathroom: Operable window; two electrical outlets, or one outlet and a permanent light fixture.
  • Bedrooms: Operable window no more than 48 inches from the floor; two electrical outlets, or one outlet and a permanent light fixture; a closet; and a door for the room.
  • Exterior: Sound foundation; stairs, porches, and roofs. Landscape free of trash and debris. No peeling or cracking paint. No infestation.
  • Heating/plumbing: Proper ventilation for heating and cooling, pressure relief valve on hot water heater, adequate plumbing and sewer connections, thermostat.
  • The inspector will make notations of wear and tear. They will also note how old the floor coverings are and when the last time the unit was painted.

Inspection Checklist

The Housing Authority will inspect the following eight areas for HQS compliance:

  • Living Room
  • Kitchen
  • Other rooms used for living
  • Secondary Rooms
  • Building Exterior
  • Heating and Plumbing
  • General Health and Safety
  • Garage and Outbuildings

The Housing Inspector must verify the following conditions:

  • There must be properly operating carbon monoxide detectors on every level.
  • All major utilities (electricity, gas, and water) must be turned on.
  • The cooking stove and oven must be in working condition with working burner control knobs.
  • The refrigerator must be in working condition.
  • The heating unit must be properly installed, in good working order, and vented.
  • The kitchen and bathroom(s) must have hot and cold running water.
  • There must be a shower or bathtub that is in working condition.
  • There must be a flush toilet that works and does not leak.
  • The bathroom(s) must have a window and/or a working ventilation fan.
  • There must be no plumbing leaks or plugged drains.
  • All accessible outside doors and windows must have working locks.
  • No double-keyed, deadbolt locks will be allowed.
  • The roof must not leak.
  • All electrical outlets must have cover plates in good condition with no cracks.
  • There must be no missing, broken or badly cracked windows or window panes.
  • The hot water tank must have a pressure relief valve and a downward discharge pipe.
  • There can be no tears, holes, or loose seams in carpeting or linoleum.
  • Stairs and railing, inside and out, must be secure.
  • There can be no mice, rat, or insect infestations.
  • There must be a properly operating smoke detector on every level of the unit.
  • No cracking, chipping, scaling or loose paint anywhere, inside or outside the unit.
  • No excess debris inside or around the unit, such as an accumulation of boxes, paper, trash, wood, tires, machine or auto parts, batteries, paint cans, or old appliances. Derelict vehicles must be removed from the premises.
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