Section 8 Voucher Transfer: Moving From One City To Another
| |Find out how a section 8 voucher transfer works, when you go from one city to another.
If you already have Section 8 and need to move, you can take advantage of the program in a different city.
Learn about the steps involved and the problems you may encounter if you don’t do everything correctly and quickly.
How To Start a Section 8 Voucher Transfer?
One of the biggest challenges that arises when you try to start a section 8 voucher transfer is TIMING. The key to a successful transfer is moving fast, because the entire process may take more than a month. Consequently, you may find yourself without a roof over your head, in case you don’t take timely action.
On the other hand, some section 8 tenants have the opposite problem. They move too fast. As a result, they end up with rent “overlap”. This means that you would move into a new unit before the lease at your old unit has ended. In this situation, you will need to pay for full rent before your Section 8 subsidy kicks in.
To start the transfer, you need to have a plan of where you will be moving do and to some research about HA’s in that area where you would want to live.
It is also a good idea to look at temporary housing option that you can rely on in case your section 8 voucher transfer takes longer than you have expected. Perhaps you can stay with relative or friends. If that is not option, consider looking for a short term lease (in this case you will end up spending extra money, and you need to budget for this).
(Wanna know where to search for available section 8 housing?)
The Process – Porting
The process of your Section 8 Voucher Transfer from one city to another is also known as porting. It may involve the following steps with slight variations, depending on where you currently live and where you will be moving.
Step 1: Contact your Housing Authority
First of all you need to contact your current Section 8 Housing representatives or the Initial Housing Authority to let them know that you are planning to move to another city and want the same Section 8 facilities there too. They will most probably ask you to sign a request for portability document and then issue you a housing choice voucher.
Step 2: Notify Your Landlord
Your transfer packet will contain paperwork to give notice to your landlord. There will be an option to provide either a 30 or a 60 day notice. Both you and your landlord must sign and date this form.
Give your landlord the one copy, keep one for your records and return another copy to your HA along with all other transfer documents.
If your landlord issued you a notice to vacate, attach it to the packet.
If you owe your Housing Authority or your current landlord money, you will not be approved to transfer until you pay everything.
Moreover, if your HA is proposing termination due to program violations, you will also not be able to complete your Section 8 voucher transfer.
Step 3: Send the Info
Then your Initial Housing Authority or your Section 8 Housing representatives will have to mail all the associated documents to the HA of the city you are planning to move to. These documents must include the HUD-52665 and the HUD-50058, birth certificates of all your family members, along with the Social Security numbers and cards, other photo identity proofs, and the proof of your total household income.
You will need to make sure that all the documents reach the destination before you arrive there.
Also, keep in mind that it may take anywhere between 20-35 days for your documents to go through proper processing.
Please note the receiving housing authority MAY require an interview and a new background check for anyone over 18 in the household. After the initial eligibility appointment, the appointment to receive your new Section 8 voucher will be 2-3 later.
Step 4: Confirm Receipt
Once you have arrived, call the housing office to confirm that your portability packet has also arrived. They will instruct you to be present in their office along with all your family members. When you appear for the interview, a representative will give you a housing choice voucher. At this point, you are ready to decide where you would like to rent a place for your family.
(See section 8 guidelines for bedrooms)
Step 5: Home At Last
After you have chosen the new house, you will need to notify the housing department and submit all the attached documents.
At this point, the Housing Authority will inspect the house for minimum health and security standards.
Once the Housing Authority clears the house, you can sign the lease agreement.
As mentioned, to complete the entire process of your section 8 voucher transfer from one city to another may take more than 30 days.
Hi.I would like to Port my voucher,to corpus Christi tx,out of San Antonio texas.how long do I need and will be adsurb by new poblic housing?
I have big problem. I live in Nyc and like to move to Florida. I am 63 and can’t take noise in my area I am in disability. I have section 8 and I don’t even know how to start. I also scare I don’t have no family to help me …how should I do all that ? Thank you
You have to call Florida section 8 office and tell them you would like to port your section 8 there. They should send you the information to give to your caseworker where you live now hope this help you
I’m confused. I have to move from Cincinnati, Ohio to Lawrenceville, Georgia. I was told by Lawrenceville, GA that they are accepting porting and all that means is moving from County to count or state to state. They went on to say they would be billing Cincinnati. I thought porting and billing were two different things. How can Lawrenceville do both?
They will bill the state you coming from for the first year.
I’m currently living in Ohio and moving to Florida, I am on a waiting list for an apt. and next available apt won’t be available until Feb-March and there are 9 people ahead of me, but some may have already found housing so I move up on the list. But after reading some of the comments, it does seem frustrating. It sounds like they would have to give me at least 60 days notice I’m next on list in order to get paperwork done. But I’d have to know what my rent share may be before I give up the house I’m in now. I’m starting to think moving is not going to happen
Yeah, this doesn’t help at all.
I received an Eviction Notice after 22 years because the Housing Authority told the new Manager to replace my carpet, and she doesn’t want to. So I have 5 weeks to move, but nowhere to go.
And the Housing Authority tells me they can’t do anything, even though I’m being evicted falsely, the Manager failed to make mandated repairs, and is stealing my W/S/G payments.
Isn’t there any help at all? I did nothing wrong, and I’ll still become homeless on December 1!
I am getting ready to check out Sarasota fl. area. I am going down to check out 1 bd. rental n housing authority. I will be signing my portobilty for my sec 8 voucher out of Framingham, Ma. How difficult is it to find a Landlord to accept sec. 8 voucher. Any one know how much is allowed for 1 bd. in fl area. Its impossible to secure housing w a sec 8 voucher in mass. Rents so much higher than what sec 8 will pay..Hope to find a different situation in the surrounding areas of Sarasota. Fl. Any info will be appreciated. thanks Mimi
Hi after you request to Port out can you change your mind about where you want to Port or not porting at. At all.
If I port from county section 8 to city section 8 will I ever be able to port BACK to county section 8 later on down the line ??
How long did it take to port? I’ve filled my paperwork with my current housing authority just waiting for the new one to contact me.
You gotta contact them
A friend is trying to transfer her section 8 voucher because her father lives in the same apartment building and has been drinking heavily and treating her children like dirt. There is a very real chance the father is going to hurt someone or something. Are there exceptions to the one year rule as far as section 8 is concerned, when there are extenuating circumstances. The 2-kids should not be living in the current conditions.
I have a section 8 voucher iam a senior citizen with disabilitys on ssi i need to move from inglewood to a house hud home how do i do that
In Feb 2021 I will be porting from Newport,RI TO CAPE CORAL,FLA, IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE HERE, WOULD YOU KNOW HOW FAST CAPE CORAL IS ON PORTING, THX