By Jennifer Valencia


In today's crazy profitable times it has become more essential to find a way to pay for housing cost with incomes that have been disregarded either by job loss or pay reductions. The United States began providing federal housing help during the Great Depression. Although there are some different programs available, Section 8 housing is one of the most common.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers two different types of voucher programs available in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The first helps people with short incomes pay their rent by subsidizing it. The second does the same thing but is raised through the Veterans Administration for military veterans.

Section 8 is actually a voucher system that is established to either be project or tenant based. Although there is a difference in the type of vouchers that are received there is not a difference in the way that a person would practice for the program. The public housing agencies may reserve 20% of their vouchers to be used as project based vouchers.

Project based refers to the vouchers being utilized in specified public housing agencies. So whatever voucher of this type that an individual gets would only be able to be used at a particular flat complex. Tenant based vouchers mean that the voucher can be utilised by the tenant at any apartment complex that accepts section 8 vouchers. When running under the tenant voucher system the individual or family would lease a unit and pay a portion of the rent, normally a percentage of the applicant's income, and the section 8 voucher would pay for the rest.

Applicants for the program will submit a form at the Housing Authority office. Not all cities are allowing for new section 8 applicants so see to it that they are prior to submitting a form. Once an individual presents their application for section 8 housing it may take a few months or many years for them to receive a spot in the program. This is dependent on the amount of space available in the program in the applicant's city.

There are some benefits to landlords for accepting section 8 applicants. Some of the benefits include knowing that a share of the rent will always be compensated on time by the housing authority, back rent available in the case of an legal ouster taking place, partial business licence fee for the complex, annual reviews by the housing authority to ensure that the renter is preserving the property in an acceptable way.

As with anyone starting to rent an apartment there are some valuable tips to also take into consideration. It is always fundamental to read the contract prior to signing. Although the public housing agencies will be paying a part of the bill it is essential to have an understanding of what is necessary and covered at the new apartment. Consider getting renters insurance policy to protect the assets that are going into the new house. It is crucial to make sure that the apartment and area that is being moved into is secure. Being an affordable place to dwell is a great thing but safety is essential to a person and their family.

With the quantity of economic stress many people are faced with in today's world more people are questioning about section 8 housing. It is something that was set up by the United States many years ago and helps out a plenty of people today. It is a program that has benefits for both the renter and landlord that is involved in the rental.




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