San Francisco section 8 housing choice voucher.

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San Francisco section 8 housing choice voucher... Any advice on how to approach inquiring about moving into possible housing option?

Hello,

I recent received my section 8 housing choice voucher and only have a short period to find housing before losing the voucher and having to wait for another opportunity to receive it. I have a few places in mind already that I want to go inquire about moving in, but I'm not sure exactly how to do it as far as bringing up the section 8 situation. I'm hoping I can get some advice and have a couple questions.

As I already said how do I bring up the section 8 situation? Should I mention it immediately or should I wait until I'm ready to inquire about starting the process to move into a unit after seeing it in person?

I know California law states no one can deny someone because of their section 8 status, but I'm also aware that discrimination does exist and I may end up running into someone that attempts to do just that. My second question is how do I document my effort inquiring about moving in and touring the unit so that if discrimination does occur I wouldn't be left without evidence of the discrimination? Since this is a consent law state I can not record them without consent where I would think that would just cause them to be more uncomfortable if I do ask to record then.

My final question is does anyone have any general advice that don't have to do with either other question? Any advice is appreciated especially from anyone else in San Francisco or California with the same voucher program.

Mollywest

I am in the same situation . I live in San Jose and to be honest I thought this situation was going to be easy but sure aint. I too want to find a nice place to live. I’m not saying I’m better than anyone but I just don’t fit in with people who will settle for less. I will tell you this yes they can’t discriminate and not rent to us because of our voucher but they can deny us for their own eligibility requirements such as credit score rental history deposits fee etc. so basically to have to be in top shape with your credit background and have no evictions under your belt with credible references. I also dont know how to approach the topic of the voucher but I’m aiming to just say it from the beginning because there really is no point in wasting yours or their time in touring the place when in the end they’ll probably say no then I’ll be bummed out because I liked the place so yeah I just figured out how I’m going to go about it Just ask if they will be willing to work with you with the voucher don’t give up someone will say Yes

Christopher

Mollywest

It’s a subsidy for rich people nobody is going to deny guaranteed rent unless you deserve the trenches

Matthew

big communal apartment buildings typically take section 8 because its guaranteed rent

James

Go to places that say they will take section 8

Bastan

You pretty much hit the nail on the head... Hope your search has been going well. I found a place that was 797 sq ft for a pretty good price and am moving my belongings in now, which is going slower than I'd like thanks to having to make a not of effort to avoid bringing roaches (yuk!) over while having to rely on help to transport my belongings.

ChamsterXC

lol was going to reply to this post after replying to the original only to notice you're the same person xD... I did forget to mention I used Zillow essentially to find the unit I'm in and mainly focused on finding a place with an in unit washer and dryer that had good reviews that included good maintenance, secure building & mail room, and clean amenities. I lucked out with the unit I found. Hope you had some luck too!

Elizabeth

Your voucher should state how many bedrooms are allowed. I could've sworn they said at the intake that it's possible to get a unit with more bedrooms than what's listed as long as it doesn't cost more than what the voucher covers, but I was told by a leasing agent at one place I visited that they don't approve places that are more bedrooms that the voucher allows for even if the rent cost is within the approved amount. I'd assume since you have a kid you'll probably have a voucher that covers 2 br, which I'm not sure what the amount is as my intake packet is at my old place (still slowly working on the moving process since my old room was a total mess and I didn't want to bring any roaches with me.

CharlieSalvatore

I'm porting into SFHA at the moment. Here's my experience after 5 years of being a Housing Choice Voucher holder.

I bring the voucher up when it is first necessary. For example: I've setup and viewed an apartment. During the viewing I decide that I like the apartment. The leasing agent is happy to accept my application. During our talk about fees and deposits and what have you I ask about money coming in from a third party. Something like, "How can a third party pay for my deposit with the least possible amount of confusion?" This is a good way to bring up the voucher and being poor.

My outlook is if someone doesn't want me there after we have met and gotten to know one another through the time it took to tour the apartment, I don't want to be there either. I want to be somewhere I fit.

I initially used my voucher in a spot that was easy to get into since I had no rental history, and a low paying job at the time. Solid way to easily secure a place to live, but if I could do it again I would take the time and effort to move into a spot that had more of what I wanted in an apartment, and neighborhood.

Good luck to you. Hope you find an awesome place, if you have not already.

Anthony

I actually found a place shortly after posting, but appreciate the advice, which is definitely good advice. With the two places I visited they actually both were really familiar with the section 8 process, which neither I'd expect as they were both "luxury" (I'd say semi luxury) apartments that I wouldn't expect a lot of section 8 people to reside in. I'm pretty happy with the place I got (797 sq ft 1 br/1 ba with the utilities and rent essentially equaling the maximum allowed rent cost for a 1 BR voucher)...

I will say after learning from experience that people should expect the housing authority people to push for a rediculously low rent cost using unrealistic comparisons to justify it (in my case they tried asking them to reduce the rent by 1000$≈ using units in old houses that were built in like the 80s and before compared to my place that was built in 2013 with a lot of amenities). Because the leasing agent told me they don't budge on prices when I first toured I freaked out a bit and called the HSA begging them to just accept the price where it was at and fighting against their comparison because I desperately wanted to move and didn't want to miss the opportunity to move into the unit I'm living in. In hindsight I feel like if I had let them debate it in the beginning and waited until the end of the period for them to accept whatever the price was at that I might have ended up with a lower rent rate.

Either way I ended up in a nice place that's in an apartment building with front desk staff, maintenance, community grill, community spaces, community take/leave a book, secure mail room, a gym, and best of all I have my own patio entrance to my unit that has 4 different secure hard to pick locks. Plus it's in a mostly nice and quiet area as far as the side of building my unit is on.

CorusCartel

Lol i got my voucher too now & ima remember the back door when im starin out at night in my apt lok S8 people stay on that weird shit

Charles

i have section 8 housing choice voucher here in the bay area.

1 mention it immediately

2 there is a website affordablehousing.com where they have all the properties that accept section 8 choice voucher and also the county that you are in should have a list on the website. if its getting to hard let your worker know that you have not found a unit willing to rent to you and you need an extension. keep track by writing everything down address and phone numbers

David

also on zillow you can find some places there as well