A Pre-Application Checklist For Section 8 Housing

You may have always paid your rent on time, until the events of the past year popped up. Losing your job or seeing a drop in income may have made it hard to pay your landlord, which made you think: Is there a way to reduce my rent?

In actuality, there are several ways to reduce your rent. Some of the more common methods include moving to a smaller home, relocating to a less expensive city, getting a roommate, or moving in with friends and family. But what if none of those options appeal to you?

If that’s the case, here’s another way to reduce your rent: Get a Housing Choice Voucher from the government’s Section 8 program. With it, you’ll only have to pay about 30 percent of your income towards the rent. The government will pay the rest via your voucher. And in the end, this can result in significant savings so you can gain housing stability and reduce stress.

Unfortunately, everyone can’t receive Section 8 housing assistance. It’s limited not only to low-income households, but also in its funding. There are many people seeking to make rent more affordable through Section 8, making the competition fierce. And since you could spend a year or more on a waiting list for your voucher, you’ll want to pre-screen yourself to ensure you have a chance of getting approved.

Before you apply for Section 8 and commence the potentially long waiting process, consider the following:

1. Do you meet immigration status requirements?

To qualify for Section 8, at least one person in the household must have legal immigration status. What happens if other household members don’t have it? They won’t be counted when it comes to how much you’ll get for your voucher.

If at least you have legal immigration status, you should be good to go here.

2. Do you have a criminal history?

If there’s one thing that can keep you from getting approved for Section 8, it’s a criminal history.
This doesn’t mean you’ll be automatically disqualified if you have a record, as some felons or people on parole still get accepted. However, if the following apply, you may find it impossible to get a Section 8 voucher:

• Eviction for drug problems within the last three years.
• Being listed on the lifelong sex offender registry.
• Conviction for methamphetamine production in federal housing.

Each Public Housing Agency differs in how they deal with criminal history. Contact yours to see if you can make it regardless of your past.

3. Is your income low enough?

Since Section 8 is meant to help low-income households, you’ll have to make below a certain amount for your area. You can see income limits here to get a better idea of where you stand.

4. Have you picked a location?

You don’t have to live in your current city. You can use your Section 8 voucher to move somewhere else. Research places where you’d like to live, then contact PHAs in those areas to see how you can start the application process.