Renting to Section 8 tenants in Muskegon Heights means submitting to oversight.
Muskegon Heights is a predominately African-American village of about 12,000 residents, situated near Michigan's Lake Huron. If you have rental property in Muskegon Heights you'd like to free up for state Section 8 rental subsidies, paid with direct deposit every month on a predetermined date, you'll need to make a range of preparations to stay in compliance with the law. You may be able to do this online; however, a call or visit to the county housing agent might be necessary, and you'll need to submit to an inspection.
Instructions
1. Register each property you intend to rent to Section 8 participants with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Call the MSHDA representative in Muskegon County at 231-726-3040. Tell a representative you want to register a home and a case will be created for the address. This will begin the process of allowing you to offer your home to the approximately 24,000 households accepting vouchers through Michigan's Housing Choice Voucher program. In Muskegon County, there is currently a waiting list for the Housing Choice program due to the lack of available low-income housing.
2. Establish an account as a payee with Michigan's State Budget Office. Navigate to the link in the Resources section, press "Go to C&P Express" and click "New Users" on the subsequent log in page. Fill in all required fields and press "Submit." You can now log in to your own account with the State Budget Office's automated payment system and add addresses for which you expect to receive voucher payments from the state.
3. Download and fill out the MSHDA's Form 219 for each address you intend to rent, if requested by a representative or the website. A copy of MSHDA-219 is available in the Resources section. Sign, date, then mail or e-mail the form as an attachment to your county agent, or you can deliver it to the agent's office. Call 888-734-9749 for assistance in filling out the form.
4. Wait for contact from your county agent, requesting an inspection of each unit, inside and outside. Submit to the inspection when scheduled.
5. Sign a Housing Choice vendor lease with the housing agent and your new tenants, submitting to regular inspections and federal Fair Housing Act standards.
6. Maintain your properties according to legal standards. This includes maintaining dwellings according to local building codes and arranging inspections. State housing inspectors have a checklist of requirements available from your county agency. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the general obligation of a Section 8 landlord is "to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing to a tenant at a reasonable rate."
Tags: Muskegon Heights, Housing Choice, your county, Budget Office, county agent