Section 8 Housing FAQ's
GETTING A VOUCHER

The Waitlist:

To receive a voucher, you must first be on the waitlist.  THE SECTION 8 WAITLIST WAS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ON APRIL 19, 2002.

Section 8 Screening:
When your name reaches the top of the list you will be called in for a screening. At the screening we will determine if you are eligible to receive a voucher. You have the right to an appeal if you are denied eligibility.

Eligibility:
You need to meet the following qualifications to be eligible for a voucher:
INS STATUS- you must provide proof that you are a U.S. citizen, or that you are a legal resident of the United States. The following (non expired) INS documents are accepted:
a. Resident Alien Card (I-551)
b. Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151)
c. Arrival-Departure Record (I-94)
d. Temporary Resident Card (I-688)
e. Employment Authorization Card (I-688B)

INCOME ELIGIBILITY-the Section 8 Voucher Program is designed to help low-income families find decent , safe and sanitary housing. This means that there are maximum income limits. If your family makes too much money, you will not receive a voucher.

 

Effective February 13, 2008

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK- applicants who have been convicted of violent or drug related crimes might be denied participation in the Section 8 Voucher Program. If you are found ineligible because of your criminal history, you can submit an appeal to the NHA for reconsideration. We will also do a criminal background check on anyone older than eighteen years of age that you wish to have live with you.

The Section 8 Briefing:
Once you're determined to be eligible for a Section 8 Voucher at the screening, you will be called in to attend a Section 8 "Briefing". At the briefing you will learn about how the voucher program works and will receive some tips on conducting a housing search.
At the end of the briefing you'll get your voucher. Once you have your voucher you can start looking for a home!

FINDING A GOOD HOME

Find a good unit:
Once you have your voucher, take as much time as you can to make sure you find a unit that is appropriate for your family in terms of size and location. Make sure not to waste time looking at apartments that are too expensive for you. Make sure to have the Fair Market Rents (FMRs) with you when you go out looking for an apartment so that you remember how much you have to spend.

Looking for an apartment? Search hundreds of listings in the Newark area HERE


Fair Market Rents (FMRs):
At the briefing you learn how much rent you have to spend each month on your new apartment. The amounts are different depending on how many bedrooms you need. The most a family should spend on an apartment is referred to as the Fair Market Rent (FMR). You should remember not to look for apartments that cost more per month than the FMR. If the apartment you find costs more than the FMR you will have to pay the extra amount. The NHA strongly urges you not to look at apartments that cost more per month than the FMR. The FMRs for Newark are:

Looking in Other Cities:
Once you have your voucher, you can look for an apartment in any City in the US and Puerto Rico. Please keep in mind however that FMRs are different in each city. If you look for an apartment in another town, you should contact the local Housing Authority to find out their FMRs.

Determining Your Share of the Rent:
Usually you pay thirty percent (30%) of your family's monthly income towards your rent. You pay your share to the owner on the first of the month just like you would if you didn't have a voucher. The rest of the rent will be sent to the owner by the NHA.

The NHA adds the gross income of every non-student adult in your household and multiplies that number by .30 in order to determine your share of the rent.

Gross income x .30= 30% of family's monthly income

The NHA considers some deductions when determining your family's gross income. Deductions are available for children, some medical expenses, full time adult education, and childcare.

If you move into an apartment that costs more than the FMR you pay 30% of your family's monthly income plus the difference in rent between the FMR and the rent for your apartment. For example, if the FMR for a one-bedroom apartment was $1000.00 per month and you found a one-bedroom apartment for $1000.00 per month, your rent would be 30% of your monthly income plus $70.00.

Housing Discrimination:
An owner cannot deny you housing because you have a voucher. If you meet the same requirements as someone without a voucher the owner has to rent the apartment to you. In most cases, it is against the law for an owner, property manager or real estate broker to tell you that they do not accept vouchers.

LEASING UP & MOVING IN

Complete the Request For Tenancy Approval (RFTA):
Once you've found an apartment that is a good match for you in terms of size, location and cost, you and the owner or managing agent must fill out and sign the Request For Tenancy Approval (RFTA). The RFTA contains the information that we'll need to begin the process of getting you moved in to your new apartment. You must bring this document to the owner, or you can download an electronic version here. You and the owner will fill the form out together, making sure to complete the entire packet.

You or the owner can mail the completed RFTA packet to the NHA at 500 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102 or you can bring them directly to our office yourself.

Security Deposit:
As in non-subsidized apartments it is up to you and the owner to agree on the amount of the security deposit (as long as the security deposit is not more than one month's rent). The NHA does not provide security deposits on your behalf.

First and Last Month Payments:
Owners may ask you to pay the first and last months' rent in advance. This is legal and common, but might make it too expensive for you to move-in to your new home. The NHA can't help pay first and last, but you can tell the owner that the NHA's portion of the rent will be paid each month as long as you live in the apartment and have a voucher. Knowing this, many owners are happy collecting just your share of the first and last month's rent instead of the entire amount.

NHA Inspection:
A NHA inspector will set up a final inspection with the owner once we've received the RFTA packet. The NHA inspector will make sure that the apartment is in good shape, and is worth the rent the owner is asking for it.

Rent Determination:
The NHA inspectors decide if the owner's requested rent is reasonable. Our inspectors look at thousands of apartments in Newark every year and compare the apartment you find to similar apartments in the same neighborhood to make sure that the rent the owner is asking is reasonable. If the inspector doesn't think the apartment is worth what the owner is asking, the owner and inspector can try to agree on a rent that everyone can agree on. Unfortunately if the owner isn't willing to compromise, he or she can decide not to rent the apartment to you and you'll have to start looking again. We always do everything we can to work out an agreement with owners, but sometimes things just don't work out, and families have to restart their housing search.

Contracts and Lease Signing:
You're called into the NHA to sign your lease after the apartment passes inspection. Your rent is determined at this meeting. After you sign the lease it's sent to the owner to sign and return to us for your file. Most of the time we make the lease, but some owners prefer to use their own. We have no problem using the owner's lease as long as our legal department approves it before it is signed.

Once you and the owner sign the lease you can move into your new home on whatever day you and the owner have agreed on.

Once You Move In:
After you move in you'll be responsible for living up to your obligations in the lease. Your apartment is inspected once a year to make sure that you and the owner are keeping your unit in good shape.

Adding or Subtracting Family Members:
Your lease will list all of the people living in your apartment at the beginning of your tenancy. You, the NHA, and the owner of your unit must agree in writing to add or subtract people from your household. The owner is not obligated to allow you to add family members, unless someone already on your lease has a baby.

Income Change:
Any time your family's income changes you need to notify and supply the NHA with documentation of the change within thirty days in order for the NHA to appropriately adjust your rent. You might wind up owing the owner or the NHA back rent if you don't let the NHA know about income changes right away. This is so important that you could lose your voucher if you don't tell the NHA about changes to your family's income!

Renewing your lease:
Standard leases are automatically renewed if neither you nor the owner give written notice not to renew your lease at least thirty days prior to your anniversary date.

Rent Increases:
Owners can request rental increases each year as long as the increase request is sent in writing to you and the NHA at least sixty days prior to your lease's renewal date. Rent increase requests are reviewed for rent reasonableness by the NHA. The NHA will make sure that the increase request is reasonable. If we decide that the request is reasonable it is granted and the change is made automatically, effective on the first day of the new contract year. If the NHA thinks that the increase is too big, the owner has the opportunity to negotiate an acceptable increase with the NHA. If the owner won't negotiate the size of the increase and the NHA doesn't agree that the increase is reasonable, the owner may decide not to renew your lease, and you will have to find a new home when the lease expires. The NHA always tries to keep you from having to move, but sometimes owners and the NHA cannot agree on an increase.

Moving Out Before Your Lease Expires:
Just as the owner can't ask you to leave in the middle of your lease unless you agree to do so in writing, neither can you leave in the middle of the term of your lease without you and the owner signing a Mutual Termination Agreement with the owner. Remember that you are still responsible for paying your rent until you move after you sign the agreement. Never move out without getting the owner's written consent and notifying the NHA. If you do you may lose your voucher!