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Comment by thebean11 | Hacker News Reader

I thought section 8 housing could only be rented to section 8 participants?

Section 8 isn't restricted to just subsidized housing developments[1]. It can also be used as a subsidy to any private market rental as well, where the landlord is paid the subsidy from the Section 8 program and the tenant is responsible for any rental costs above that (if any).

That said, it's a hassle for landlords. They have a separate contract and commitments with the local housing authority that disburses the subsidy, in addition to the lease with the tenant. And are subject to annual home inspections by that housing authority. And most importantly in a booming market, there are legal caps to how much a tenant's annual income can be dedicated to housing and utilities. Between the income limits to qualify for section 8 and the cap on income that can go to housing, the amount that an individual can actually spend on top of the subsidy is fairly limited and may not bridge the gap to going-rates for private rentals in an area. Between that and the stigma attached to the quality of tenants using section 8, it's common for private landlords in a good market with a standard or better unit to pass on a section 8 applicant and hold out for another tenant with fewer strings attached to the transaction.

[1] https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_se...

Unless I'm confusing my programs, Section 8 is a voucher that is used to rent market units.

Correct. I have section 8 tenants in one of mine. They pay around fifteen percent of their rent, and the government pays the rest. There are advantages and disadvantages, but we're three years in and they're good tenants. Ten times better than the colleges students I always had in there before.

That's the dirty secret that some don't want to acknowledge: there are plenty of people for whom life has just been unkind to and they aren't slobs just because of their income level. This is doubly true for most poor immigrant families... of all the homes I've been in which were owned by Spanish speaking families, I've rarely ever seen one that wasn't spotless, much less organized. I helped a few neighbors move out of their homes and after we got done moving the furniture, they literally just had to sweep the dust that had accumulated underneath the furniture and they were done with cleaning on move-out.

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