Section 8 Housing Tenant Rights You Should Know

There are laws in place that protect the rights of section 8 tenants. Most people don’t know them or are scared to exercise these rights for fear of reprisal by the landlord. Section 8 tenants have rights that can be exercised under any circumstance, and by working with their HUD office, these rights can be enforced. A thorough list of these rights is:

1. Section 8 tenants have the right to rational accommodations for their disabilities. Section 8 tenants who are disabled have the right to reasonable accommodations in their homes. This right may include the need for reasonable modifications to the home, its entrance, or access to the living space. A tenant in a wheelchair, for example, may require a ramp to the front door of the house in order to enter it. The tenant can request that housing management install the ramp.
2. To live in a decent, safe, and sanitary environment.
3. To have prompt repairs and high-quality maintenance.
4. To use common space for organizing, tenant issues, or any other purpose.
5. Tenants have the right to better living conditions, with more control over their housing situation, tenant ownership, and whatever else they desire.
6. To file a complaint with HUD, other tenants, tenant organizations, or the media about Section 8 landlords who violate these regulations or bother them in any other way.
7. To respond promptly to requests or complaints, free of harassment or intimidation.
8. Any inspection or other entry into your apartment must be given reasonable written notice.
9. All information provided by management must be kept confidential.
10. To be acknowledged by owners as having a say in decision-making.
11. To receive equal treatment and access to the building’s services and facilities.
12. Right to a one-year notice of the owner’s intention to exit the Section 8 program and rent on the open market.
13. To be made aware of and participate in and comment on rent increases that HUD has approved, conversion of utilities from owner-paid to tenant-paid, decrease in resident utility allowance, and residential units converted to non-residential use.

Tenants also have responsibilities that they must perform. As a condition of receiving a subsidy, Section 8 tenants must follow all of the program’s rules and regulations. Among these are:

• Providing information required for program administration (including Social Security numbers and income information).
• Keeping Housing Quality Standards.
• On-time payment of your share of the rent.
• Observing all of the terms of your lease.
• Completing a recertification package on an annual basis
• Changes in family composition and income must be reported within 30 days.
• Absence from the unit for 90 days or more must be reported.
• Notifying HPD and obtaining a move voucher before moving.