Information For Landlords
The Housing Choice Voucher Program -aka Section 8- provides rental assistance to individuals and families whose gross household income is at or below 50% of the median income of Westchester County based on their family size. Here I will list some of the pros of renting to a Section 8 Voucher holder. Tenants are pre-screened. Before a voucher is issued, and annually thereafter, the Housing Authority conducts a limited criminal background check on all household members age 18 and over. Anybody applying for Section 8 housing must go through a mandatory criminal background check. This means that any felonies and misdemeanors from the…
Below you will find a link to download a rental application that can be used as a guide to assist you in the selection process of a tenant. You can alter it if you like. For example, if you do not want to charge an application fee simply delete that section from the form. A word of caution: Never inject any terms into a document that are not legally enforceable and make sure that you do not violate any Fair Housing Laws when requesting information from a prospective tenant. Did you know that New York State Human Rights Laws expressly…
Listed below are some of the most important items that the inspector looks for on the initial and annual inspections as required by HUD. Please note that the Housing Authority has the right to adopt local codes for acceptability criteria that are more stringent than the HQS standards. This tip sheet is only meant to be a guide to helping the landlord know what the inspector is looking for to increase the chances of passing inspection the first time. A Unit should always be in “move-in” condition at the time of inspection. All painting and repairs should be completed. All…
Tenant Damage: is a condition caused by the tenant that must be corrected immediately because it poses a safety or health hazard; or a condition that must be corrected to restore the unit back to its original condition (less normal wear and tear) or marketability. In the 19 years that I have been inspecting properties, I have seen a lot of tenant damage- real tenant damage!. I have also seen a lot of dirt that landlords wanted to call damage and deduct money from the security deposit for. Although there were times when I really sympathized with the landlord’s task…
With each prospective tenant comes the question of “trick or treat”. A professional rent jumper is a tenant who rents a property for the sole purpose of scamming the landlord. The objective can be to live rent free as long as they can, or to file frivolous lawsuits in lieu of making an honest living. This person knows how to work the system and will use every avenue to their advantage. Once a tenant like this moves in, they know how to make your life a living hell. They will find any reason not to pay rent. They will make…
Throughout my years as a Code Enforcement Officer and Section 8 Housing Inspector, I have seen lots of landlord heartbreak. Every time I went to asses tenant damage on an exit inspection, I would always ask the landlord “did you screen this tenant before they moved in?” The answer I received was usually a shameful “No, they seemed so nice when I met them.” In some cases, they checked with the previous landlord and they were given a squeaky clean reference. I wonder why. Do you think a landlord could be as anxious to get rid of a bad tenant as…
It’s your responsibility as a landlord to provide your tenants with a safe place to live. One important step to doing that is screening your prospective tenants as thoroughly as possible without breaking any laws. One of the easiest ways to accomplish that is to run a credit and background check on all your applicants.