Vouchers, owners and HAP payments
A Housing Choice Voucher is worked from the family's application, one step at a time, on the Housing Choice Voucher card. Each step shows only once the one before it is done, and the API refuses a step out of order. The sidebar group Vouchers holds the three lists that sit behind it.
| Page | What it is |
|---|---|
| Vouchers | Every voucher and where it has got to |
| Owners | The private landlords renting to voucher holders |
| HAP payments | What is owed this month under HAP contracts |
The card appears on any application on a program whose rent rules are Housing Choice Voucher (tenant-based Section 8). The voucher arithmetic uses that program's payment standards, utility allowances, search term and affordability cap, which are typed in under rent settings by program. HUD's fair market rents are not imported; a program with no payment standard for the size in question cannot take a request.
The Vouchers page
Vouchers lists every voucher, newest first, with its family, status, size, where it is and the monthly HAP. Showing filters by status. A row opens the application.
| Status | Card shows | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Searching | Searching | Issued. The family is looking, and the row shows the days left |
| Tenancy requested | Tenancy requested | A request for tenancy approval is waiting on the office. The search clock is stopped |
| Approved, papers to sign | Tenancy approved | Approved. The owner's lease and the HAP contract are still to sign |
| Leased up | Leased up | The family has moved in and the HAP is paid |
| Expired | Expired | The search term ran out, or the office ended it as expired |
| Surrendered | Surrendered | The family gave the voucher up |
| Terminated | Terminated | The authority ended it |
| Ported out | Ported out | The family took the voucher to another authority |
Issue a voucher
The application has to be Eligible, on a voucher program, with no voucher already live and no unit offered.
- On the Housing Choice Voucher card, press Issue a voucher.
- Check Voucher size (0 to 8 bedrooms). It starts at the household's bedroom size.
- Set Issued on and Search term in days. The term starts at the program's search term and cannot be under 60 days.
- For a family moving here from another authority, tick Porting in from another authority, name the Initial authority, and tick Absorbed into our program (not billed) if you are taking them on.
- Press Issue.
The application becomes Offered. The card shows the size, the issue date and when the search ends.
Extend the search
While the family is searching, Extend the search adds days to the term.
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| By | 1 to 120 days. Starts at 30 |
| Why | Required. For example a reasonable accommodation, or your administrative plan |
Each extension is kept on the voucher with who granted it.
Request for tenancy approval
When the family finds an owner, press Record a request for tenancy approval.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Owner | Chosen from Owners. Add owner adds one without leaving the form |
| Address | The unit's street address |
| Unit | Blank for a house |
| Bedrooms | The unit's bedrooms, 0 to 12 |
| Owner's rent | The monthly contract rent |
| Proposed move-in | The date the HAP contract would start |
| The tenant pays their own utilities | Ticked by default. Untick when utilities are in the rent |
What each pays works the arithmetic out as you type.
| Line | What it is |
|---|---|
| Owner's rent | The rent typed in |
| Utility allowance | For the size used, when the tenant pays utilities |
| Gross rent | Rent plus allowance |
| Payment standard | For the smaller of the voucher size and the unit |
| Total tenant payment | From the family's income |
| Paid to the owner by the authority | The HAP |
| Paid to the owner by the family | The family's rent |
| Utility reimbursement to the family | Shown only when there is one |
When the gross rent is above the payment standard, a line under the figures says whether the family's share is within the affordability cap.
Record the request stops the search clock. The address becomes a property marked as a voucher unit, owned by that owner, the first time it is seen; the next family to rent there finds it on file with its inspection history. Nobody sets it up under Properties first. A unit with a household in it, or one being considered for another family, is refused.
Before it can be approved
Two checks, then Approve the tenancy.
- Tick The rent is reasonable and say what it was Compared with.
- Set Inspection to Passed or Failed with the date under Inspected on, or carry the inspection out in Inspections: the unit is on file. Whichever result is later counts.
- Press Save checks.
- Press Approve the tenancy.
Approval is refused until the unit has passed inspection and the rent is found reasonable. The arithmetic is worked out again at approval, because income may have been verified since, and approval is refused when the family's share is over the affordability cap. The owner would have to lower the rent.
Deny lets the unit go and puts the family back to searching, with the days the request took added to their term. It needs a reason.
Before they move in
Once approved, two papers are needed.
| Paper | How it is done |
|---|---|
| The owner's lease, with the HUD tenancy addendum | The owner and the family sign the owner's own lease. Upload signed copy (PDF, JPEG or PNG) |
| HAP contract | Between the authority and the owner. Prepare fills it from the voucher, or Upload signed copy if it was signed elsewhere |
Prepare offers the templates uploaded in Settings → Standard lease as HAP contract (vouchers); if none is marked as one, every template is offered. The contract is filled with the owner, the unit, the rent to owner and the HAP. Under How it is signed:
- E-signature: the owner, then the authority (1 credit). Give Owner signs as and Owner's email, and press Send for signature. The authority countersigns as the signer set in Settings → E-signatures. See Leases and e-signatures for credits.
- Download to print, then upload the signed copy. Download filled PDF opens it, and Upload signed copy files it once both have signed.
Each paper shows Signed when it is done. Withdraw approval lets the unit go and puts the family back to searching, with a reason.
Lease-up
Lease up is offered once both papers are signed. It:
- creates the household in the owner's unit and marks the unit occupied;
- admits the application;
- files the two signed papers on the household;
- starts the HAP on the proposed move-in date, for one year.
The card then shows HAP to owner, Family pays owner and the HAP contract dates. A recertification that changes the HAP adds the new figure from its effective date.
End the voucher
End the voucher is offered until the voucher has ended.
| Field | Choices |
|---|---|
| How | Expired (not once leased), Surrendered by the family, Terminated by the authority |
| Why | Required |
| Put them back on the list in their place | Before lease-up only. Unticked, the application is withdrawn |
Before lease-up, any unit under request is let go. After lease-up, the HAP contract ends that day and no payments are due after it; the household is not moved out.
Port out
Port out is offered while searching or leased.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Receiving authority | Required |
| Effective | The HAP contract here ends the day before |
| They are absorbing the family | Ticked, nothing is billed |
| Monthly billing | From their billing notice. Can be set later |
Portability billing
A voucher that ported, in or out and not absorbed, shows the monthly amount with Update billing. Portability billing sets the Monthly billing or marks the family absorbed, which stops the billing.
| Direction | On the HAP register |
|---|---|
| Ported out | Paid to the receiving authority from the effective date |
| Ported in | Billed to the initial authority while the HAP contract here runs |
Expiry overnight
The nightly job ends every voucher still searching whose term has run out. It becomes Expired, "the search term ran out", the day after the last day. A term stopped by a request does not run. Expiry does not put the family back on the list.
Owners
Owners holds each landlord once, for every family who rents from them. Add owner or Edit opens the form.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Owner | Required. The person or company on the deed, as on the HAP contract |
| Contact, Phone | |
| Where the HAP contract is sent to sign, and inspection results go | |
| Mailing address | |
| Payee | Often a management company. Blank pays the owner |
| Tax id (EIN or SSN) | Nine digits, for the 1099 |
| Payee address | |
| Payment method | Check or Direct deposit |
| Bank, Routing number, Account number | Direct deposit only. Routing is nine digits; the account is 4 to 17 |
The tax id and account number are encrypted and only their last four digits are ever shown. Typing a new one replaces it; leaving the box blank keeps what is on file. Direct deposit needs both the routing and the account number.
The list shows each owner, who they are paid as, the method, and the tax id as its last four, or a Missing chip when none is on file. Changing an owner's name, email or phone updates their voucher properties, so inspection notices go to the new address.
Owners are not deleted. A retired owner shows Retired and is not offered on a new request. The page has no button to retire one.
With the owner portal open, each owner also has Invite, and an owner who has asked to change their direct deposit shows Confirm and Reject. See Owner portal.
HAP payments
HAP payments lists what is owed for a Month under HAP contracts. Nothing here moves money: pay from the CSV, then record the run.
| Total | What it adds up |
|---|---|
| To pay | Every line you pay that is not held, paid or not |
| Held | Lines held for a failed inspection |
| To bill other authorities | Portability billed to them |
| Line | Payee |
|---|---|
| Housing assistance | The owner's payee, by Check or Direct deposit with the account's last four |
| Utility reimbursement | The family |
| Portability billing | The other authority. "Billed to them" when it is owed to you |
Each line is Due, Paid with its date, or Held.
- Held. A unit whose last inspection failed has its housing assistance held, with "The unit failed its last inspection" under the chip. It stays on the list so the office sees what it is holding, and shows Due again once the unit passes. See Inspections.
- Part months. A contract that starts or ends during the month is paid for its days in that month.
- Changes. The amounts are the ones in effect on the first of the month.
CSV downloads the month for the bank or the ledger: kind, direction, payee, family, address, unit, amount, method, account last four, held, paid on and reference.
Record as paid marks every line that is not held and not already paid. Give Paid on and a Reference, such as the ACH batch or check run number, and press Record. A held line stays unpaid; record the month again once the unit passes.