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Another Section 8 pitfall – Foreclosure

So you’ve finally received your section 8 voucher. You move in to your new apartment, and pay your rent portion on time every month. Things are running smoothly. Then, without warning, you are notified that the landlord has not paid his mortgage on the property and the property is in foreclosure.

Unfortunately, this scenario has been happening over and over again to unsuspecting voucher holders. And the worse part is, there is not much you can do about it. The CHA is not notified when a property falls into a foreclosure and they do not keep track on their own. It’s up to the voucher holder (that means YOU) to keep informed on the property’s status. The CHA will not withhold sending the landlord his/her monthly checks, so everything might seem normal until you are forced to move.

The CHA gives no funds to voucher holders for moving expenses so this can be a nightmare scenario to those on a fixed income (which almost all voucher holders are).

So make sure you stay informed on your property’s status. There a few paid sites out there that can give you up to date foreclosure information but the best free site out there is www.zillow.com