Section 8 tenants pay 30 percent of their income in rent, and the federal government pays the remainder to the landlord, based on what federal housing officials determine is fair-market rent.Įarlier this year, HUD increased its benchmark for rents in Alameda and Contra Costa counties by 35 percent, but the program is still grossly underfunded. Under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8, HUD gives money to local housing authorities, which then distribute vouchers to low-income recipients. “What bothers me most is you can’t get the money for the unit and you can’t evict in a timely manner,” she said. But she has stopped accepting the vouchers. Oakland landlord Carmen Madden has rented to Section 8 tenants in the past and has one currently. Another big reason why many landlords won’t accept Section 8 is that the government subsidy has in many instances been much lower than the rent they could get from someone not on the voucher program.
Landlords had more of a financial incentive to rent to what they considered higher-risk tenants for a guaranteed monthly check from the federal government.īut nowadays, a two-hour open house can yield 20 applications. It was a different story when vacancy rates were higher. They say that once a Section 8 renter moves in, it’s very hard to get them out regardless of how problematic the person is. Landlords have complained about tenants who refused to pay rent and damaged property. Some don’t want to deal with mandatory property inspections, government regulations and an oftentimes unhelpful housing authority bureaucracy. The idea is that new landlord incentives will help lock down more Section 8 units over the long-term.Īs things stand now, landlord and property managers say they have very good reasons for shunning Section 8 that have nothing to do with greed. Johnson said the Oakland Housing Authority is hoping to increase the number of available low-income units by issuing “project-based” vouchers that are tied to a particular unit, rather than a person. Though new landlords have signed up, it hasn’t made up for the loss of affordable rentals. Housing and Urban Development) officials and explained to them I see a program that’s dying,” said Eric Johnson, executive director of the Oakland Housing Authority.Īccording to Oakland housing officials, the city has lost 1,200 of its 7,000 Section 8 landlords since 2014. “I’ve been in various meetings with HUD (U.S. The same thing is happening in other high-rent cities like Washington, D.C., New York, and Seattle.
In this super hot market, low-income people trying to use Section 8 are finding it almost impossible to find landlords willing to rent to them.Īnd it’s not just a Bay Area problem. There is a critical housing shortage for people of all income levels, and rents are soaring. Golden has been swept up by market forces beyond her control. The 49-year-old Oakland resident, who is disabled, has been trying to use her voucher to rent a two-bedroom apartment since August 2014. “When you do finally find a place that will take it, there’s 25 or 30 other people on Section 8 who show up,” said Desma Golden. OAKLAND - Peruse the rental housing listings on Craigslist and you’ll find ads that say “No Section 8.” There are landlords who accept cats and dogs but want no part of humans on the federal housing subsidy program for disabled, elderly and poor people.
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