Logistics

An Unofficial understanding of the Logistics of processing a new tenant under the Jefferson Parish Section 8 housing program as administered by the new contractor implemented on 10-1-18. 

* The current phone number for the Jefferson Housing Program goes to a call center.  Any answers given from the call center will be those that apply to national section 8 standards and not necessarily reflect those of the Jefferson Housing Program.  Currently there are no provisions for talking to someone locally, they must return the call.  However you may send an email that routes to the local office or visit in person.

* When you advertise a unit for rent and you accept the program by signing someone's section 8 voucher. If you accept a deposit you are commited to rent the unit shown to that person and cannot offer the unit for rent to anyone else regardless of the delay.  Should the housing program not approve the landlords offering due to financial reasons, inspection deficiency or otherwise the deposit must be returned in full. 

* The voucher may take a week or so for housing to process after the tenant submits the paperwork to housing.  The only way to check on the status is to go to the local office or inquire via email. 

* Once the tenant's signed voucher has been delivered to the local housing office an inspection of the property will be scheduled. You can wait for a call from them or after a couple of days you can call and select the inspections department and ask to schedule the inspection.  The inspections department can't help you until they have the paperwork. This takes a couple of days.  

* Once the inspection has passed you may give the keys to your new tenant.  You must have a separate dated line item on the lease for the tenant to sign for the keys. At this point even though no rent has been paid, they are a legal resident. Be sure to deliver a copy of the lease to the local housing office or mail / fax a copy to them.

* You cannot charge any rent until the housing program has established what is to be paid. You are at their mercy. A week or so later AFTER you have a signed lease and the lease has been submitted to the housing program, they will assign the amounts they will pay and the amount of co-pay the tenant pays directly to the landlord. 

! PROCEED WITH CAUTION !

The total amounts paid may not necessarily equal the amount stated in the lease!  It could be that the tenant cannot afford the unit because of a job change, etc. or that your rent does not meet rent reasonableness. HUD publishes reasonable rent comparables each year; however, the lease amount is subject to local adjustment as determined by the local section 8 office at the time of processing.  The landlord may not evict for computations resulting in amounts less than the amount stated in the lease.  You are not allowed to collect any shortages from your tenant.  If you do you will be ejected from the section 8 program entirely, not just for the unit of concern.   Landlord's only option in the event payment calculations are less than the amount stated in the lease would be to not accept any payments and give 30-days notice to vacate.  If the tenant does not vacate at this point the landlord will have to file formal eviction which could add another week or so of lost income and eviction expenses.  Since landlord has held the apartment for the better portion of a month during the application process and must then give 30-days notice to vacate he will be out 2 month's income plus must return the full deposit and suffer any wear & tear sustained without compensation.  ! PROCEED WITH CAUTION !

Alternatively do not give keys until housing reviews your lease and has determined the amounts to be paid equal the amount stated in the lease or that you are willing to accept. However, you will be accumulating days for which there is no rental income.

An actual example:

Following a housing inspection, tenant was given keys on 10-17-18 per advice from the housing program.

Despite follow-up calls, emails & personal visits to the housing office, a housing contract was not available to sign until 11-27-18. Until the landlord physically signs the completed housing contract you cannot collect anything from the tenant because the amounts have not been calculated. Result, tenant paid nothing until December, 2018 and housing paid nothing until January, 2019 or approximately 2-1/2 months after the tenant moved in. Once the amounts had been calculated then housing paid all the days the unit had been occupied. Tenant was also responsible for their prorated amount for the days they had already stayed in the property.

October 2019 Update: The timing for processing the various steps have been vastly improved as the new administrator has settled in.

Disclaimer:  The above is simply an understanding from participating in the process and in no way an official statement of anything. 

-Landlord Guide, http://www.datakik.com