Section 8 Experiences: Who wants to chat over coffee?

Question

Hello!

I wanted to get people's personal insight into Section 8 in the St. Louis area. It would be virtual but happy to buy a cup of coffee for your time.

This must be someone who has personally dealt with Section 8.

Thank you!

Jack Luzecky · Answer

I am happy to help with any questions you may have surrounding the Section 8 program, but it may differ market to market. I am in St. Louis. My management team has approximately 3,000 units under management, with about 15% being subsidized, via Section 8 and other voucher programs.

Section 8 typically has a cap on the rent rate, dependent on bedroom counts. These can be found online by search 'Section 8 Fair Market Rent for 2024'. Section 8 representatives will confirm the rent rate per house once a tenant is secured. This final determination based on various factors such as condition of property, location, and bedroom/bath count. The published cap should be used purely as a guideline, whereas the final determination could vary.

Each tenant with a Section 8 voucher has a unique rental obligation. Meaning, if the rent is $1,000, Tenant A could be responsible for $200, whereas Tenant B could be responsible for $0. In most situations the tenant is 100% responsible for the initial security deposit payment, and any recurring utility charges. Section 8 will ACH monthly rent payments to the landlord's bank account. Section 8 requires an initial inspection of the property, in addition to any other local housing conservation inspections that may already be required depending on the municipality in which the property is located in. The initial inspection may impose additional upfront costs associated with any potential citations. Many times these citations will align with the municipal codes, but sometimes they do not. In addition to an upfront inspection, Section 8 requires an annual inspection upon renewal of the tenant's lease agreement.

In the event you fail an annual inspection where the property is occupied, then you will have the opportunity to make the appropriate repairs. If you fail to meet deadlines and satisfy the violations during subsequent inspections, Section 8 may abate their rental portion. In this scenario, the tenant remains liable for their portion.

Lease renewals have a strict deadline. if you miss the deadline and fail to request a rent increase, then you will need to wait until the following year.

This scratches the surface, but i hope it provides some light. You may want to do some independent research on the respective Housing Authority website as well.

Travis Biziorek · Answer

Rick, I'd just start by searching the forums here. You'll get a much larger sample size than a couple folks open to talking over virtual coffee.