Becoming a Section 8 landlord
Renting to a voucher holder isn't fundamentally different from renting to anyone else — you still screen tenants, sign a lease, and collect rent. The differences are procedural: your unit has to clear an inspection, part of the rent comes from the PHA under a separate contract, and a few extra rules apply to how you can raise rent or end a tenancy.
The basic flow
- A prospective tenant with a voucher applies; you screen them like any other applicant (the voucher itself isn't a substitute for screening).
- You and the tenant agree on a unit and rent that fits within the PHA's payment standard for that bedroom size — see Payment standards vs. FMR.
- The unit passes an HQS/UPCS-V inspection — see HQS / UPCS-V inspections.
- You sign both a lease with the tenant and a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract with the PHA — see HAP contracts explained.
- The PHA pays its portion directly to you each month; the tenant pays the remainder.
Sizing up a market
Before you commit to a property, run the numbers with the Voucher Payment Estimator to see the local payment standard by bedroom size, then read Choosing a market for how to weigh that against vacancy and demand.
Deep dives
- How to become a Section 8 landlord: the full process from first contact to first payment
A step-by-step walkthrough of everything between deciding to accept Housing Choice Vouchers and receiving your first HAP payment — RFTA, HQS inspection, rent reasonableness, and what to expect ongoing.
- Screening voucher tenants: what you can (and can't) ask, and why it matters
How to screen Section 8 applicants the same way you'd screen anyone else — and where source-of-income protections change what's legal to ask or refuse.