Question: Must the park owner accept Section 8 vouchers?
Background: This question came mainly from residents in Orange County who were quite upset when their park managers informed them that they will not be renewing their Section 8 agreements with HUD. I called a HUD rep and we spoke at length on how the Section 8 program worked. Indeed, HUD allows property managers to opt out of participation in this rent subsidy program. In some slower rental markets, a Section 8 voucher is a guaranteed source of income for property owners who would otherwise have trouble renting out their spaces. But in areas like Orange County, Section 8 participation was causing landlords to lose money because HUD payments were well below “market”. The other thing I learned was that a resident could use their HUD voucher anywhere in the U.S. where Section 8 was accepted. This was not a meaningful answer for long-time MHP residents of Orange County, but it did give them an option. For some residents it was no answer at all. Residents who had moved from booming L.A. county decades ago to quieter Orange County, never thought they would have to pick up and move when they were in their 80’s. It was just as disappointing for me that I had no better answer for these people.
Answer: Section 8 is a federal program (Housing and Urban Development), and federal law does not require landlords to accept Section 8 rent vouchers. Landlords who accept Section 8 enter into agreements or contracts with the county that administers the program and must abide by the Section 8 terms for the period of the agreement, which is normally a set number of years. Because of Section 8 restrictions, some landlords have opted-out of Section 8 at the end of their agreements. The local county housing agency has information regarding availability of rent vouchers.--Stephanie Reid, formerly with the Senate Select Committee on Manufactured Home Communities
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