Section 8 Information for Rental Property Owners
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental subsidies to lower-income families that meet federally established income guidelines. Program participants find their own rental housing and use the vouchers they received from the Grand Rapids Housing Commission (GRHC) to help pay the rent. Funds for the program are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
When a family finds a suitable rental unit and the property owner agrees to participate in the Section 8 program, the family submits the following to the GRHC:- A Request for Lease Approval, signed by the property owner and the family.
- A copy of the proposed lease. The lease must include, word for word, all provisions of the Tenancy Addendum required by HUD.
After the GRHC receives the Request for Lease Approval and the proposed lease, our staff inspects the rental unit to ensure that it meets HUD Housing Quality Standards. There is no charge to the property owner or the tenant for this inspection.
If the GRHC approves the unit and the lease, we will notify the family and the property owner, and we will furnish a HUD Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract to the owner. The owner must sign the HAP contract and return it to the GRHC.
Click on HUD Forms to view the required Request for Lease Approval, Tenancy Addendum and HAP contract.
HAP Direct DepositThe GRHC offers direct deposit of Housing Assistance Payments. Click Direct Deposit Form to reach the secure online form that makes this convenience possible. (Click here to get a PDF version of the form.)
Check Status of HAP Payments
The GRHC offers online HAP "Payment Access for Landlords" through HAB Housing Software Solutions. Click Housing Assistance Payments Information to securely check your most recent payment, look up your payment history, or turn on e-mail notifications of payments.
Rental property owners who participate in the GRHC's Section 8 program must...
- Screen and select tenants.
- Provide a lease that conforms to all state and local laws as well as the Section 8 program's HAP contract.
- Maintain the rental unit in compliance with HUD Housing Quality Standards.
- Collect the tenant's portion of the rent. The GRHC pays the subsidized portion of the monthly rent directly to the owner—generally this is the difference between a predetermined payment standard and 30 percent of the tenant's adjusted monthly income.
- Comply with all requirements of the HAP contract and lease. The terms of a lease cannot be changed without the GRHC's written acknowledgement.
Per federal requirements, property rented to Section 8 tenants is reinspected annually by the GRHC.
It is illegal for property owners to discriminate based on prospective tenants' age, race, sex, religion, disability or national origin. It is also illegal to deny tenancy based on the fact that a household has a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher subsidy.
For more information about the Section 8 program, click U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) offers a service that lets property owners list Section 8 rental units free of charge in a searchable database. To list your property, click Michigan Housing Locator.