Welcome, Landlords!

Thank you for your interest in partnering with HRHA to provide affordable housing in our community!

What is the Housing Choice Voucher Program?

The Housing Choice Voucher program assists eligible low-income families & individuals with their rent. Participants choose housing to rent in the open market and pay a portion of the rent based on their income. The rest of the rent is paid directly to the landlord by HRHA.

HRHA Landlord E. Blake

Emily Blake. Image used with permission

“It’s not a sacrifice on our part – getting added to the list actually makes the apartment easier to advertise, and we receive most of the rent directly from HRHA each month. So in many ways it feels like a more secure financial decision and a way of making a difference in the affordable housing crisis in our community at the same time.”

– Emily Blake, HCV Landlord

 

Independence with Benefits

With HCV, you stay in charge of your property:

  • Choose and screen your own tenants.
  • Use & enforce your own rental agreement.
  • Collect a security deposit.
  • Set the rent amount.

It Pays to Participate

  • You are guaranteed our portion of the rent;
  • Timely payments made by direct deposit;
  • When tenants report a loss of income, we adjust the level of subsidy, enabling you to receive the full rent while keeping the unit affordable for the tenant; and
  • Vouchers assist members of the community. When you rent to a voucher holder, you help an individual or family who otherwise could not afford to live here.

New Landlord Incentives

  • We are currently providing incentive bonuses of $250 (or up to $400 for accessible 1BR units) for new landlords. (Incentives while funds last, call for more information).

Ongoing Partnership

  • After the initial term ends, you decide whether or not to renew, per your lease.
  • HRHA inspects annually or biennially, helping to identify potential concerns.
  • Rent increases may be requested by providing a 60 day notice to HRHA, contingent on the increased rent amount being reasonable.
  • Your tenant has a designated HCV Specialist who you may contact about lease violations. Though we cannot provide legal advice or aid in enforcing the lease, we can often help by reminding a participant that complying with the lease is a requirement of the voucher.

Click below to check out our Landlord Brochure

Click to view our 2020 Landlord Brochure

Opportunity for Landlords to Receive Tax Credits

The Communities of Opportunity Program (COP) is a Virginia income tax credit program amended and reenacted by the 2022 General Assembly [§58.1-439.12:04 of the Code of Virginia]. It is intended to decentralize poverty by enhancing low-income Virginians’ access to affordable housing units in higher-income areas.

Eligibility

COP is targeted to landlords leasing qualified housing units located in eligible census tracts with poverty rates of less than 10 percent based on the most recent U.S. Census data.  Eligible landlords may be an individual, trust, general partnership, limited partnership (LP), limited liability partnership (LLP), limited liability company (LLC) or elected small business corporation (S corporation).  Please click here to learn more information.

Ready To Take The First Step?

  1. Initial Check: Read about the HCV program, and check to ensure a voucher holder can afford your rent.
  2. List your unit with us and pre-register in our system.
  3. Accept voucher request from tenant and submit required documentation.
  4. HRHA contacts you within 2 to 3 days and will walk you through the leasing process.

Busting The Myths About The HCV Program

Myth 1: High Turnover

Worried about high turnover? Think again…

  • The average voucher lease is greater than 4 years!

Myth 2: Tenants are Challenging

Worried about challenging tenants?  Think again…

  • Your screening ensures a good fit.
  • HRHA subsidy adjustments keep the unit affordable for tenants while you collect full rent.
  • A dedicated HCV Specialist can remind your tenants that lease compliance is a condition of their voucher.

Myth 3: Too Much Effort

Worried it is hard to work with HRHA? Think again…

  • Our inspections and rent reasonableness protect your taxpayer dollars.
  • We guarantee direct deposits with online landlord portal.
  • We designate a voucher specialist for new contracts.
  • Training and outreach makes the process easy.

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2020:

The Virginia Fair Housing Law has been updated to add “discrimination based on a person’s source of funds'” to the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices.

‘Source of funds’ includes any source that lawfully provides funds on behalf of a renter regardless of whether funding in through governmental or non-governmental agencies. This includes funding through the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

For more information on this update, the lease up process, and more, check out the videos below produced by Virginia Housing

Want To Learn More? Join us for a 45-minute Landlord Info Session!

  • CLICK HERE to see upcoming meetings
  • Attendees: Open to the public including landlords, community partners, and community advocates

Important Landlord Forms

Click here to access the Rent Increase Request Online Form.

Don’t see the form you’re looking for? Check our Document Center or contact HRHA for more information!