Frequently Asked Questions
What are Housing Choice Vouchers?
HCVs increase affordable housing choices for very low-income families. Families with a Housing Choice Vouchers choose and lease safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned rental housing.
What families are eligible to apply for tenant-based vouchers?
Very low-income families (i.e. families with incomes below 50% of area median income) and a few specific categories of families with incomes up to 80% of the area median income. These include families that are already assisted under the 1937 U.S. Housing Act, such as families physically displaced by public housing demolition, and owners opting out of project-based section 8 housing assistance payments (HAP) contracts. (HUD determines median income levels for each area annually.)
How does a PHA determine if a family is income eligible?
AMHA compares the family’s annual income (gross income) with the HUD-established very low-income limit or low-income limit for the county area. The family’s gross income cannot exceed this limit. The limit depends in part on the number of persons in the family.
How do families obtain tenant-based vouchers?
Families apply to a PHA that administers this program. For AMHA, when an eligible family comes to the top of the its housing choice voucher waiting list, AMHA issues a housing choice voucher to the family.
I received a letter that I was selected for the Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 Program. When do I get my voucher?
It could take several years for AMHA to process the hundreds of families who apply for the program. The wait can be anywhere between six months and two years. You must remember to keep your address current. If you move, please contact the Intake Department and complete a Waiting List Update Form.
Do you have emergency housing assistance?
No. AMHA does not have any emergency housing in either its public housing or HCVP programs. The HCVP waiting list is usually closed. When it opens, announcements will appear in the newspaper, on this website, on our Facebook page, and in certain other locations within the area. If you are interested in residing in one of AMHA’s public housing properties, click Apply Now on this website to see if the your bedroom size Public Housing waiting list is open for applications. If you call us, our receptionist can tell you which waiting lists are currently open (accepting applications.)
May cousins, friends or others be added to the household after the voucher is issued?
Changes in family composition may affect the family’s eligibility and/or share of the rental payment. To be added, family members must be related by birth, marriage or court-awarded custody. All changes in family composition must be reported within 14 days of the change. The landlord must also be informed of additions to the household.
My voucher has expired. How do I get an extension?
Vouchers are issued for 60 days. We may extend the voucher for a longer period of time if a family requests an extension and/or as a reasonable accommodation. Generally, extensions will not be granted when requested/received after the voucher has already expired. *All extensions are granted at the discretion of the Section 8 Manager and are not guaranteed. Please contact the Intake Specialist or your Occupancy Specialist for a thorough explanation of the voucher process.
What do I need to do to get a signed contract?
HCVP requires a signed lease agreement between the owner and family. The contract and lease agreement must have the same term dates and monthly rent amounts. The unit must pass the HCVP inspection and the owner must agree to the amount of rent offered by HCVP.
Is there a rule about renting from your mother, father or other relatives?
The owner (including a principal or other interested party) may not be the parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sister, brother or spouse of any member of the assisted family. Renting from a family member may be approved as a reasonable accommodation for a family member who is a person with disabilities. If AMHA grants such approval, the owner and family will be notified in writing.
Does AMHA pay the security deposit?
No. The security deposit is paid by the tenant or at least secured by the tenant through means other than AMHA assistance.
When should I pay a security deposit?
Talk with the owner to determine when and if you must pay a security deposit. Get the return policy in writing, just in case you never sign a lease. Typically, security deposits are one month’s rent.
Who pays the utilities?
The owner and the tenant must decide who will be responsible for the payment of specific utilities. These responsibilities are outlined in the lease and housing assistance payments contract.
How much money will HCVP pay for my home?
The owner should determine what rent they will charge for an unassisted tenant and request that amount. HCVP will compare the rent requested to other similar units. This comparison, the inspection results, and payment standards will determine what assistance we can offer, if any.
How does a family obtain an apartment or house once they have a voucher?
It is the responsibility of a family to find a unit that meets their needs. If the family finds a unit that meets the housing quality standards, the rent is reasonable, and the unit meets other program requirements, AMHA executes a HAP contract with the property owner. This contract authorizes AMHA to make subsidy payments on behalf of the family. If the family moves out of the unit, the contract with the owner ends. The family can move with continued assistance to another unit by using a new voucher to search for housing, which they obtain from their Occupancy Specialist. We encourage landlords to post their available rental housing online at www.affordablehousing.com (formerly known as gosection8.com.) See the flyers posted below. AMHA recognizes that families use a variety of techniques to search for and secure their desired housing.
How much rent does a voucher cover?
AMHA pays the owner the difference between 30 percent of adjusted family income and an AMHA determined payment standard or the gross rent for the unit, whichever is lower. Rent plus utilities may not exceed 40% of the family’s income when initially occupying a unit, but after the initial lease term, the tenant’s portion of the rent might exceed 40% of the gross rent.
Why do I have to pay rent when I have HCVP?
HCVP is a rental assistance program, not a free rent program. The amount of assistance you receive is based on family income, family size, income deductions, subsidy maximums, and the contract rent for the unit.
When can I move in?
You can move into a unit after the owner accepts the contract rent amount and a move-in date is established with AMHA. AMHA will not assist for a unit any days prior to a passed initial inspection.
Do families have to lease a unit in the jurisdiction where the PHA issued the voucher?
If the family initially resides within the jurisdiction of the PHA, the family may choose a unit in another area of the U.S. where the family is income eligible. However, if the family initially applies to the PHA waiting list as a non-resident, the family must use the voucher within the PHA’s jurisdiction for the first year of assistance.
Can I use my voucher in your area if it was issued somewhere else?
Yes. You can use (port) your voucher to the AMHA coverage area. AMHA may bill the issuing Housing Authority for the administration of your voucher, or AMHA may absorb your voucher. If interested, notify your current PHA of your plans to port.
Information of Interest to HCVP Participants
What is my caseworker’s name?
Your primary contact person is called an Occupancy Specialist, who is assigned to you based upon the first letter(s) of your last name or special program you participate in. Our receptionist can answer many of your questions and put you in contact with your assigned Occupancy Specialist.
When can I move to another unit?
After your Housing Choice Voucher contract has been in effect for a year or according to the terms of your lease with the owner, you may request a voucher from HCVP. You must attend a voucher briefing prior to receiving a voucher. You may not move during the first year of the housing contract.
You may use your HCVP voucher anywhere within our coverage area, or you can transfer or “port” it to another housing authority within the United States. If you are interested in porting to another housing authority, contact your Occupancy Specialist. A list of other housing authorities in the United States is on the HUD web page at www.HUD.gov.
How do I qualify for a utility check?
Whether or not a family receives a utility allowance check (or deposit onto a pay card) is determined by family income and the utilities for which the family is responsible. The tenant’s total payment (approximately 30% – 40% of their monthly adjusted income) includes the rent portion and utilities. If the tenant’s portion of gross rent is less than the utility allowance for the unit, the family will receive the difference in the form of a utility check or deposit onto a card issued for this purpose.
The utility allowance is based on the typical cost of utilities and services paid by households that occupy housing of similar size and type in the same locality. Allowances are not based on an individual family’s actual energy consumption or utility bills.
What date will my unit be inspected, and when will the inspector arrive?
For annual inspections, which occur at least once every two years, appointment letters are generally mailed out several days in advance. Inspectors will arrive within the time frame specified in your appointment letter. If you need to reschedule your inspection, please call 419.228.6065 and ask for the Inspection department.
Must I be present when the inspection occurs?
No. However, there must be a responsible adult present, age 18 or over, to let the inspector in. We advise it is in your best interest to be present for the initial inspection. This is an opportunity for you to find out firsthand why the unit may not be passing inspection. Also, it is an opportunity for you to ask questions and gain a better understanding of the HCVP Program.
I was not at home for my inspection. What do I have to do?
If the first inspection is missed, the inspector conducts an exterior inspection. It is the responsibility of either the landlord or tenant to call the PHA to reschedule the inspection. The deadline for a passed inspection will remain in place for the unit; therefore, it is important that the inspection be rescheduled as soon as possible. If a tenant misses two inspections, the PHA will issue a notice for termination of assistance.
In what circumstances can a participant ask for an informal hearing?
Any participant who is proposed for termination from the HCVP Program is entitled to an informal hearing. To receive an informal hearing, the participant must make a request, in writing, within 10 days of the notice of proposed termination. The written hearing request may be in the form of a short letter (1 or 2 sentence), or the client may fill out a “request for hearing” form, available at our office at 600 S Main St Lima, OH. 45804