Landlords

Landlords are an important part of the success of the RHA Housing Choice Voucher Program!    Landlords who are considering participating for the first time, or who have a question about how the program works are invited to call the RHA Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Office at 610-373-5088.

One huge benefit of being a landlord in the Housing Choice Voucher Program is that you will have a stable stream of rental income. You are protected from financial loss if your tenant suffers unexpected financial hardship because when this happens, the subsidy payment is increased to compensate for the tenant’s lower income.

Landlord Responsibilities Include:

  • Compliance with all of the owner’s obligations under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract and the lease. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract is the document that describes the rules and relationship between the landlord and RHA.
  • Performing all management and rental functions for the unit, including selecting a voucher-holder to lease the unit, and deciding if the family is suitable for tenancy.
  • Allowing an initial and annual unit inspection, and maintaining the unit in accordance with the Housing Quality Standards (HQS), which is a checklist of required conditions.
  • Complying with all Fair Housing requirements.
  • Collecting the security deposit, the tenant rent, and any charges for unit damage by the family, and enforcing tenant obligations described in the lease. The lease remains between the landlord and the tenant (HCV participant). RHA is not a party to the lease, but the landlord must supply a copy of the lease to RHA.
  • Paying for utilities and services that are not the responsibility of the family as specified in the lease.
  • Allowing reasonable modifications to a dwelling unit occupied by a person with a disability. (It is not the responsibility of the private landlord to pay for these modifications.)  Questions regarding these requirements may be directed to the Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator at 610-376-8413.
  • Complying with the Violence against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA) when screening prospective HCV tenants or terminating the tenancy of an HCV family.

When landlords are approached by a voucher participant who has interest in renting a unit, the participant will provide the landlord with a packet of information about the HCV Program.  This packet includes a Request for Tenancy Approval, which is an important document that the landlord completes and returns to RHA.

Reading Housing Authority makes all payments to landlords by direct deposit, and payments are made on the first federal business day of each month when funding from HUD is received by RHA.  Landlords may check the status of their participants and payments at any time through an online web portal called HMS PAL (Payment Access for Landlords)

Landlords may also market their available units through GoSection8, which is a free website used by Section 8 participants to find available rentals. For questions regarding registering or entering a property listing, please contact the GoSection8 toll-free help line at 1-866-466-7328.

RHA staff are willing and able to help when landlords have questions about the Housing Choice Voucher Program.  Common questions relate to the different types of forms used by landlords, some of which are available below.

Helpful Links