HCV Landlord Strategies Guidebook for PHAs

This Guidebook is part of the work being done by the HCV Landlord Task Force, which was launched in 2018. As part of this initiative, the Task Force conducted several landlord listening forums nationwide as well as multiple focus groups and interviews with individual PHAs. The information contained in this Guidebook is designed to help address many of the concerns voiced by landlords and PHAs by sharing landlord engagement strategies that PHAs have noted as being effective.

The strategies broadly aim to:

• Increase Recruitment
• Increase Retention
• Improve Responsiveness
• Improve Tenant-Landlord Relationship
• Improve Inspections Process
• Minimize Bureaucracy

PHAs are encouraged to read the entire chapter, and not just an individual strategy, as many strategies in a chapter are related information that is transferrable.

Each strategy begins with a snapshot that PHAs can use to help them determine if the strategy fits the PHA and its resources.

The snapshot includes:

• Strategy: Strategy Name
• Brief overview of the strategy and the overall goal
• Who: The types of PHAs that might benefit the most from a particular strategy based on PHA size and location
• Cost: An approximation of whether the cost to implement or maintain a strategy is minimal, moderate, or high
• Implementation Considerations: An estimate of whether the potential barriers or work to implement or maintain a strategy would be considered minimal, moderate, or high

These items are included to provide PHAs with an indication of the amount of resources that a strategy might require. They are not intended to discourage strategy implementation as there are variations of each strategy that can be suited to a range of PHAs and modified to fit different budgets and PHA resources.

Definition: Landlord

For the purposes of this Guidebook, the term “landlord” includes rental property owners, managers, assistant managers, and real estate brokers who are involved in rental housing.

Below are general guidelines on using HCV program funding for implementing financial incentives as part of your strategies to improve landlord participation in your HCV programs. These guidelines are applicable for non-Moving To Work (MTW) agencies. Any use of funds must be consistent with statutory and regulatory requirements.

• Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Funds: No
• Admin Fees:
  • Current year: No
  • Pre-2004 reserves: Yes
  • Post-2003 reserves: Depends on the landlord incentive and how it is structured. Please refer to PIH Notice 2015-17. Any incentive using admin fee reserves must be consistent with all other HCV statutory and regulatory requirements.
  • Exception: CY20 reserves: Yes, under CARES Act authorization.
• Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Service Fees: Yes, to help EHV families lease-up. Please refer to PIH Notice 2021-15-HA.

This Guidebook and the strategies recommended throughout the Guidebook would not have been possible without the thoughtful input from PHAs from around the country. These PHAs, both big and small, urban, and suburban, include:

• Albuquerque Housing Authority
• Allentown Housing Authority
• Burlington Housing Authority
• City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services
• City of Mesa Housing Authority
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Housing Authority of the City of Decatur
• Everett Housing Authority
• Hall County Housing Authority and Housing Authority of the City of Hastings
• Homes for Good Housing Agency
• Housing Alliance and Community Partnerships
• Housing Authority of Cook County
• Housing Authority of Gloucester County
• Housing Authority of Salt Lake City
• Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
• Housing Authority of the County of Chester
• Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino
• Jefferson County Housing Authority
• New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority
• Saint Paul Public Housing Agency
• Sonoma County Housing Authority

Thank you for your participation in the series of focus groups and interviews that led to the development of the Guidebook. The strategies developed through your input has the propensity to impact PHAs around the country for many years to come.