- General Information on Section 8 Homeownership
- What if my income changes?
- What to do if there is a change in household members?
- What is the Pet Policy?
- If I am searching for a unit, how much rent can I afford?
- How do I move with assistance?
- Can I use my voucher in another community?
- How long is the waiting list?
- How do I become a Section 8 Landlord?
- Where can I rent with a Section 8 Voucher?
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General Information on Section 8 Homeownership
Section 8 Homeownership FAQs >> - What if my income changes?
Notice of change must be reported within 10 days of the income change. The change may or may not affect your rent. For more information call your Program Specialist, (406) 549-4113. Download Notice of Change form >>
- What to do if there is a change in household members?
Notice of change must be reported within 10 days of the household change. The change may or may not affect your rent. For more information call your Program Specialist, (406) 549-4113. Additions to your households other than births or adoptions must be approved by your Program Specialist. Download Notice of Change form >>
- What is the Pet Policy?
The pet policy depends on the lease agreement you have with your private landlord.
- If I am searching for a unit, how much rent can I afford?
Because what an individual family can afford varies according to the individual circumstances, you will need to meet with your Program Specialist who will complete an affordability worksheet for you. Contact your Program Specialist by calling the Missoula Housing Authority offices, (406) 549-4113.
In general, affordability is based on our payment standard (Download the Payment Standards Chart >>) which is based on the number of bedrooms in the unit. For example, if you have a 2 bedroom voucher, the current payment standard is $668. That is the limit for your housing cost or “gross rent” which includes the rent your landlord asks and a Utility Allowance for any utilities you are responsible for. (Download the Utility Allowance Chart >>) The utility allowance is not the actual cost of your utilities but an average monthly cost for that kind of utility for that size of unit for the average conservative customer –which means no one ever has that exact bill.
So, for example, if you have a 2 bedroom voucher and find an apartment that costs $575 per month rent and you are responsible for electric cooking and electricity ($30 UA), you can afford it ($575 + $30= $605 <$668).
In some cases, a family can lease a unit above the payment standard and pay the additional cost, but only if it does not exceed 40 % of their income. Confusing? That’s why we have you meet with your Program Specialist.
- How do I move with assistance?
Download the "What to Do If I Move" form >>
- Can I use my voucher in another community?
Yes. Housing Choice Vouchers are “portable” which means you can use the assistance anywhere in the country that has a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. When you leave one jurisdiction, we call that “porting out” (short for portable); you are “porting in” to the new area.
To port out, you need to make an appointment with your program specialist, just as you would with a move. We cannot approve your port if you are not in good standing. That includes owing MHA money, or violating your existing lease. Once you identify where you want to move to, we provide you with the contact information of the new housing agency. We will ask them whether or not they are “absorbing” vouchers. That means they will take you in to their program. MHA limits porting to agencies that are not absorbing because we need to use our limited resources to assist families in Missoula.
Once we approve your port out, we issue you a voucher good for 60 days and send your paperwork to the receiving agency. You must make an appointment with them within 60 days to get started on their program.
To port in, you will need to meet with the agency you are currently receiving assistance from, and they must send us your paperwork. We are currently absorbing. Once we have received your paperwork, you need to make an appointment with us when you are going to be in town and we will issue you the documents allowing you to lease up in our jurisdiction. We advise you not to enter a rental agreement until your unit has been approved by MHA or we may not be able to provide assistance.
- How long is the waiting list?
2 to 2.5 years
- How do I become a Section 8 Landlord?
Your willingness to rent to one of our participants is the first and biggest step. When someone applies to rent one of your units, they will give you a “Request for Tenancy Approval” (RFTA). You complete it and send it to MHA for our review. Many landlords fax us RFTAs to speed the process. We then make sure it is affordable for the family and schedule a Housing Quality inspection of the unit. All units must pass this inspection. Then the tenant can sign a lease with you and meet with MHA to complete their process. We then execute with you a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract. We typically fax the contract to you for your signature. We cannot pay assistance to you until we receive a signed HAP Contract. Our assistance is effective from the date the unit passed inspection or the date of the lease whichever is later.
Our assistance to the family is based on their income, so we pay a portion of their rent and they must pay the rest. That proportion will vary over time as their circumstances change.
The unit must pass a housing inspection at least once a year. Download the HQS Inspection Form >>
For more information on Housing Quality Standards please review the linked booklet, A Good Place to Live.
We would be glad to send you a Landlord information packet with more complete information, or you can make an appointment with the Admissions and Occupancy Manager.
- Where can I rent with a Section 8 Voucher?
A Section 8 Voucher can be used anywhere in the community. Landlords should contact MHA in order to set up their accounts. Click here to view a list of current rental listings. An updated lilst may be available at MHA, (406) 549-4113.