Ever wondered what it really takes to get a landlord to approve your Section 8 application? You’re not alone. A lot of folks using housing vouchers worry about how to make a good impression and secure the property they want. So, we went straight to the source: a Section 8 landlord.
Meet Justin. He’s been managing rental properties for years, across different states, from low-income neighborhoods to high-end areas like Southern California. Justin also has a network of landlord friends and family, so he’s seen it all and knows what landlords are looking for in tenants—especially those with Section 8 vouchers.
If you’re ready to learn how to increase your chances of getting approved, read on. Justin’s got all the inside tips and tricks that can help you stand out from the crowd!
The Section 8 Landlord Interview
Thank you for joining us, Justin! This should be a big help to our readers.
Thanks for having me guys! Yeah, I’m happy to help out. Anything I can do to make landlords and tenants connect better will make everyones lives easier!
Let’s jump right into it then! Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers sometimes have a stigma. How do you feel about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, and renting to tenants that use those?
I’m fine with them. Any smart landlord should be. It’s guaranteed rental income, and usually, the tenants stay for a long time. Section 8 has gotten a bad name around landlords because there have definitely been some horror stories of people trashing a property because they don’t pay for it. But there are just as many tenant horror stories of people who aren’t on Section 8 as well. The truth is people typically like to talk about bad experiences, but they don’t talk about tenants who are easy and boring and take care of everything, because there isn’t as much to talk about.
So landlords end up talking about the horror stories more, and people just tend to remember when things have something in common, like maybe a couple of stories were people use housing vouchers. But I’ve found that a lot of Section 8 tenants, people using housing vouchers, take care of properties really well, because they’re just so thankful to have a nice home, and they want to treat it right so they can stay and not go back through the process they had to do to get there.
The only annoying thing is the extra paperwork, and the yearly inspections, but since I keep all my properties well-maintained, it’s really not that big of a deal.
What are your biggest red flags when looking for a new tenant?
This might sound funny, but my biggest red flag is someone being overly friendly. Obviously, if someone is rude, they’re out. But that’s rare because everyone knows not to be rude when they want something. But people who are way overly friendly and too excited about a unit are usually trying to hide something or get me to overlook something. I keep my units nice, but I’m not renting the Taj Majal, so when someone starts acting like it’s the greatest place on earth, or like I’m their favorite person they’ve ever met, it makes me very very suspicious. I was once suspicious of a woman who was way too friendly, and then I found out she was lying about her income and she would have basically become a squatter.
Also, how someone is dressed can be a big red flag. I’m not a formal guy, I wear jeans and a T-shirt every day, so I don’t need someone to look their “Sunday-Best” when I meet or interview them. But if someone shows up wearing dirty, stained, or ripped clothes, or pajamas, or clothes that are inappropriate, then that’s a big red flag. If someone doesn’t care enough to put on clean-looking clothes to meet a landlord, then they probably aren’t going to care enough to keep my rental unit clean. I also try and get a peek inside their car for the same reasons. If it’s filled with fast food wrappers and dirt and not kept clean, they’ll probably treat their home the same way.
What are your biggest green flags that made you feel good about a tenant?
Someone who is honest with me. Everyone has problems, so just be honest about them with me, and usually, there is a way for me to work with someone if it’s even an issue at all.
I also really like it when people ask about multi-year leases. I never sign a multi-year lease until someone has completed one year with me problem-free, but when someone asks about one it lets me know that they want to stay in the same place for a long time and that they’re thinking about their future. Both of those are really good things to have in a tenant.
Lastly, and this is a strange one, but people with allergies or asthma are actually great to rent to. There’s a family in a rental in Texas who has an asthmatic son, and his asthma is triggered pretty easily by any pollen or dust. So, they keep that house absolutely spotless. They could eat off any surface in that house, they keep it cleaner than I keep my house. And as a landlord, that’s the best thing you can find in a tenant, is someone who keeps things very clean. That family has been with me for years and I’ll never raise their rent because they’re so good.
I can’t ask about someone’s medical information as a landlord, but not long ago someone mentioned that they liked that I didn’t have carpet in a unit because it traps allergens, and it moved them to the top of my list because I knew they would be keeping things clean too. So if you’re going to subtly drop a hint during a walkthrough, mention how you have to keep everything wiped down because of your allergies.
Also, showing up with everything I need to make a decision without having to do the work myself is thoughtful and shows me I have nothing to hide. So bring recent pay stubs, a credit report, a filled-out application, and even a background check. All of that makes my job easier and makes me more likely to rent to someone because of it.
Did you ever call references or an applicant’s previous landlords?
I do a little. In general, the landlords I know, myself included, don’t ever call friends or family references. It was a waste of time because nobody was going to put down a reference that wouldn’t talk highly of them, to begin with. I also never called someone’s current landlord. If someone is a terrible tenant, their current landlord is kind of incentivized to lie and say they’re great, because that landlord just wants the tenant gone. And if saying someone is great will make them someone else’s problem, then a lot of landlords are willing to do that. So I would call the landlord they rented from before they moved into where they were currently living, and that person is usually willing to give me an honest answer.
Have you found any benefits for yourself to renting to Section 8 tenants?
Oh yeah. My section 8 tenants basically kept me afloat during the pandemic. I had several renters who stopped paying rent during the eviction moratorium, but my mortgage payments didn’t stop. The Section 8 vouchers never stopped though, so that was a big relief.
Being in Southern California, I have friends who have properties in Los Angeles and they have tenants who didn’t pay rent for two years, and there’s nothing they could do. The benefit to renting to Housing Choice Voucher recipients is that since the government pays the rent, I never have to worry about that.
Any final advice for someone trying to find a landlord that takes Section 8?
Yeah, I would suggest trying to find a rental unit owned by a person who deals with things directly, not a corporation, or someone who uses a property management company. When you can build a personal relationship with a landlord, they can help you out by better understanding your situation. I care about my tenants and want them to stay as long as they’d like.
But when you just deal with a corporation or a property management company, you’re just numbers on a spreadsheet. Nobody has the power to do anything besides follow the rules or they get in trouble with someone else, so nobody can really help you out, and they won’t care to. Big corporations have hundreds of units, so it’s not a big deal to lose a tenant and have an empty unit, they don’t care. But to smaller landlords like me, having an empty unit is a big deal, so I’ll do whatever I can within reason to keep a tenant happy and staying with me!
Key Takeaways
How do landlords feel about renting to Section 8 tenants?
Many landlords, like Justin, see Section 8 tenants as a good option because it guarantees rent payments. While some horror stories exist, most Section 8 tenants take good care of the property.
What are the biggest red flags for landlords when screening Section 8 tenants?
Overly friendly behavior and showing up in dirty or inappropriate clothes can be red flags. Justin also checks how tenants maintain their cars, as it often reflects how they’ll treat a rental property.
What are green flags landlords look for in Section 8 applicants?
Honesty, asking about multi-year leases, and tenants who take care of their health or have allergies (because they usually keep the property clean) are all positives. Bringing necessary documents like pay stubs and a credit report also helps.
Do landlords contact an applicant’s references?
Justin avoids calling family references or current landlords, as they might not give an honest answer. He prefers contacting a previous landlord for a more accurate reference.
What are the benefits of renting to Section 8 tenants?
Section 8 provides guaranteed rental income, which was particularly beneficial during the pandemic when some tenants stopped paying rent.
What’s the best way to find a landlord who accepts Section 8?
Try to find individual landlords rather than corporations or property management companies. Smaller landlords are often more flexible and willing to build a relationship.