Despite the high demand for subsidized rents, some homeowners are still wary of listing their home through Plan 8, considering that they somehow lose control over the asset and the decisions they can make. To investigate this interesting aspect of the topic, DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS spoke with different people involved in the program.
My house, my business
Hernández owns and rents two apartments that are located in the back of his house. Each one has a bedroom, a bathroom, an independent kitchen and living-dining room. “I don’t want to know about Plan 8,” he states flatly. “The inspectors come to see the apartments and end up inside my house looking for defects.”
“I prefer to run my business without the interference of inspectors,” said the owner, while acknowledging that he has a high turnover of tenants because many cannot continue paying rent, despite asking only $1,000 for each apartment.
Jacqueline Urroz, Real Estate Agent, specialized in Plan 8, who also manages a building where all of its units are listed by the plan, believes that many owners are wasting the opportunity that this voucher program offers.
“During the pandemic, many renters in South Florida found themselves unemployed and unable to continue paying their rent. However, those who rented through Plan 8 had no problem, the check continued to enter the owners’ account every month,” Urroz explained.
More money
Previously, the concern of homeowners was that the Plan always paid well below market prices. “For the first time in my time as an agent, the plan pays more than market rates in our area.”
The current program provides a voucher equivalent to $2,072 for a one-bedroom home, $2,556 for two bedrooms, and $3,330 for three bedrooms.
Alex Ballina himself, director of Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD), acknowledged that 2024 vouchers had risen 20%.
“Besides, We are offering a one-time incentive of $2,000 for homeowners who are listing their homes for the first time in the Plan,” Ballina explained.who believes that participating in Section 8 offers homeowners a reliable source of rental income, a greatly reduced vacancy rate, and on-time payments guaranteed by PHCD.
In mid-March, the computer drawing process will be carried out to choose the holders of the 5,000 rental assistance vouchers available.
Testimony of a tenant
Margarita is a Plan 8 voucher holder. She lives with her daughter in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Hialeah. She has been disabled for a decade and her daughter takes care of her and helps her with housework. Of the $2,100 it costs to rent the apartment, Margarita pays $130 a month. The rest is covered by the Plan.
“I have been living in this apartment for two years. I have not experienced any problems due to the rent increase. Although the owner has raised the rent twice, it does not affect me because the plan takes care of it,” said the voucher holder.
The owner of the building tries to keep rental prices in line with the market, explained Urroz who added, “You have all the freedom to adjust prices like any owner outside the plan.”
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Approve the tenant
According to Urroz, another fear of owners is considering that they cannot determine who they rent their property to. First of all, “as a general rule, Plan beneficiaries behave better than other tenants. They know they can’t make complaints, because they lose their benefits. The owner can report the tenant who commits any violation,” the agent warned.
On the other hand, “voucher holders are approved by the Department of Housing, in a process where they review their personal information, including sources of income, retirement, or medical certificates, in the case of the disabled. Over it, The owner has the power to request a criminal record certificate to find out if the voucher holder has been evicted for non-payment or misconduct of another rent.”
Inspections
“This week the plan inspector came by,” said Margarita, the tenant. “You saw that we have hot and cold water. He checked to see that nothing was broken, that the apartment was clean, and painted. She opened the windows, checked the bathroom, air conditioning and electricity.”
The inspections seek to ensure that the home meets the essential requirements to live with dignity, said Urroz, whom we accompanied to one of the apartments that he is fixing to list it according to the plan.
“We put in a new air conditioner, now we are modernizing the kitchen,” he said, pointing to the boxes of furniture stacked in the living room.
“But they don’t always have to be apartments of this quality, I I have rented efficiency for $1,800 through the plan. The requirement is that they be legal, ventilated, clean, have hot and cold water, air conditioning and have a decent bathroom, separate from the kitchen. The inspectors approve them without problem.”
List the property
Owners interested in listing their apartment through the plan You just have to make the request to county housing department and fill out the owner’s package that includes personal and housing information, the IRS form W-9, another document where you claim to be the owner or the person authorized to rent it and that you agree to fulfill your responsibility as owner. Additionally, you must sign an authorization for the county to deposit money into your account each month and give you a service provider number.
The County, for its part, will review the ownership with the property appraiser, whether the property is in order to be rented.
The owner approval process takes 30 to 60 days. But once the apartment passes the inspection, they begin to pay the owner, even though the tenant has not yet occupied it, Urroz said.
When asking Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for her assessment of the voucher process in the county, she responded that they received more than 100,000 applications in the first week, and “there are only 5,000 vouchers available. “It’s disheartening.”
“My administration is fully committed to increasing our residents’ access to affordable housing. “This is a critical opportunity for those who need it most in our community.”
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