Any Massachusetts landlords who have experience with Section 8?
Hi everyone,
I have a 2 family in Milton, MA and one unit will be vacant on 8/1. I have a potential tenant interested who is currently on a full section 8 voucher. She told me she has an 8 yo and a 13 yo daughter and wants to move to Milton for the school district. She's been at her current apartment for 2 years in W. Roxbury and said her landlord would give her a great reference (I have not verified that yet). She's currently going to school but will be switching from "not working" to "working" so she's awaiting her assignment.
For me, this sounds like a great potential long-term tenant as she wants her daughters to grow up in Milton and has family nearby. She sounds great on the phone and talked about how her current apartment wasn't in great condition but she helped her landlord do a lot of work to fix it up (she sounds responsible and proactive). The apartment is also NOT de-leaded, and because it is 3 bdrm with large office, it is prime for a family, so finding a mother with older children is extremely ideal.
She said she would send me a $3k deposit ASAP to secure the lease.
Here are my questions:
1. I called Boston Housing and they said they cannot inspect it until it is vacant which means they won't give me their "offer" on rent until that point. It won't be vacant until mid-July which means I wouldn't be able to finalize this lease until right before move-in date. The rate I'm asking ($3k/mo) is exactly what BH's website says they pay for 3 bedrooms in Milton. The apartment is in great condition. What things do inspectors look for?
2. If she sends me a deposit now and no lease is prepared until end of July, what sort of paperwork would I need to send her? If for whatever reason Section 8 doesn't work out, am I obligated to return the deposit? Taking the apartment off the market this far in advance makes me a little uneasy.
3. If she is going from "not working" to "working" I'm assuming that means she probably won't be continuing with a full voucher. How would I verify what that might look like? She isn't working now so she has zero income.
4. Has anyone had any great stories taking section 8 tenants or terrible stories? I want to hear both sides
Thanks so much!
Jay