1. A Guide to Project-based Section 8
Landlord Training
A Guide to Project-based Section 8

2. What is Project-based Section 8?
A component of the Housing Choice Voucher Program that provides subsidy to individuals or families residing in specific housing units contracted with SHA through housing providers and service agencies
A building owner (referred to as “landlord” throughout this document) enters into a contract with SHA to provide rental subsidies for specific units
The landlord is responsible for gathering required forms and supporting documentation for applicants and tenants
The landlord is responsible for all building management, including maintaining a waitlist and screening applicants to fill vacancies
SHA determines the initial and ongoing household eligibility and compliance

3. Project-based Terms
Housing Assistance Payment (HAP): the portion of the contract rent payable to the landlord by SHA, contract rent minus tenant rent to owner
HAP Contract: housing assistance payments contract between SHA and the Owner
Housing Quality Standards (HQS): the HUD minimum quality standards for dwelling units occupied by the tenant
Landlord: enforces lease and gathers all documentation, such as eligibility certifications, that will enable PorchLight to determine the amount of the subsidy and tenant rent as stated in the HAP contract
Participant (Tenant): The person(s) approved by PorchLight to reside in a contracted unit with assistance under the program rules
Contract Rent: total rent due to the landlord, HAP plus tenant rent to owner
Utility Allowance: pre-determined estimate of utilities for the unit that the participant will have to pay – this is listed on the Exhibit A of the contract
Gross Rent: the contract rent plus the utility allowance
Total Tenant Payment (TTP): 30% of adjusted monthly income, which is the amount the participant is expected to contribute toward rent and utilities
Tenant Rent to Owner: the portion of the contract rent payable to the landlord by the participant, TTP minus any utility allowance
Anniversary Date: the first of the month in which tenant originally moved in
HUD 50058: document transmitted to HUD containing the household’s certification information including composition, income, rent and HAP portions
SHA 581 Lease Amendment: a written notification that informs the tenant and landlord of contract rent, tenant rent portion and HAP portion

4. Eligibility Requirements
Be under 30% median income (median income is established annually by HUD)
The exception to this income requirement are Sound Family units, which must be under 50% median income, but must also be homeless – consult the Exhibit A in your contract for units that may be Sound Families
Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen; original documentation must be provided at time of application
Must be able to provide original Social Security number verification for all family members at time of application
Not owe money to SHA or another housing authority
Have acceptable criminal history according to the SHA Administrative Plan
Left in good standing from other SHA assisted programs

5. Income Limits and Occupancy Standards
HUD Median Income Limits
SHA Occupancy Standards
Number In
Household
30% of Median
50% of Median
Very Low income
1 person
18,000
30,000
2 persons
20,600
34,250
3 persons
23,150
38,550
4 persons
25,700
42,800
5 persons
27,800
46,250
6 persons
29,850
49,650
7 persons
31,900
53,100
8 persons
33,950
56,500
Bedroom Size
Minimum Number in HH
Maximum Number in HH
0 Bedroom 1 2
1 Bedroom 4
2 Bedroom 6
3 Bedroom 3 8
4 Bedroom 10
5 Bedroom 12
6 Bedroom 14

6. NEW APPLICATIONS
STEP 1

7. All Applications, New Move Ins, and Transfers should be sent to
Accessing PB Forms
Go to
Select “Landlords” tab
Click “Project-based Program”
Open “Forms and Documents”
All Applications, New Move Ins, and Transfers should be sent to

8. Intake/Application Workflow
LANDLORD
ACTIONS
PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
UNIT BECOMES AVAILABLE FOR NEXT APPLICANT ON WAITLIST
SUBMIT INTAKE DOCUMENTS WITH 3RD PARTY VERIFICATIONS TO PORCHLIGHT
HOLD APPOINTMENT WITH HOUSEHOLD TO COMPLETE INTAKE DOCUMENTS
OBTAIN 3RD PARTY VERIFICATIONS
REVIEWS BACKGROUND CHECK/DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY
APPROVAL AND ESTIMATED RENT TO LANDLORD
REVIEWS APPLICATION FOR COMPLETION
INFORM HOUSEHOLD OF APPROVAL, ESTIMATED RENT PORTION, AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO COMPLETE NEW MOVE-IN DOCUMENTS

9. Intake Timeframes
PorchLight makes every effort to respond to complete APPLICATIONS within 5 business days of receipt
If Incomplete APPLICATION packets, SHA will landlord for missing documents/items. APPLICATIONS may be cancelled if missing documents are not returned
APPLICATION packets and supporting documentation must be current (within 60 days)
If an application is denied, PorchLight will send a letter to the applicant and copy the landlord with the reason for denial and the applicant may not move in unless an appeal is approved
NEW MOVE-IN packets must be submitted within 60 days of the application approval date or the application will be cancelled and the landlord will not receive HAP

10. SHA Checklist
Common mistakes:
We cannot process the application without these fields completed.
Your name here
Submit the items that are not shaded. PorchLight must approve the application first, then the landlord can lease up and submit Part 2, the New Move-In Packet.

11. Application

12. Application
Common mistakes:
Do not leave anything blank!
N/A

13. Declaration of Citizenship

14. Declaration of Citizenship
Applicants are required to declare their citizenship/immigration status.
Ensure both sides of the form are signed if there are minors in the household
Provide copies of front/back of original unexpired INS documents for non-citizens
Original documents must be copied onto SSN/INS form & sign/dated by Landlord
Use form SHA-1118 for eligible non-citizens

15. NEW MOVE IN (LEASE UP)
STEP 2

16. New Move-in (NMI)
Initial Inspection Self-Certification: landlord signs off on the condition of the unit prior to move-in, but unit must have passed an SHA HQS inspection within the past 364 days. The initial inspection must be completed on or before the lease start date. HAP payments cannot begin before Initial Inspection Self-Certification form is completed.
Tenancy Addendum: is an addendum to your lease and Landlord is required to provide both lease and addendum to tenant
Lease End Date: is the last day of the month, prior to original move in date
Example: if lease date starts 4/14/2010, the lease end date is 3/31/2011
Statement of Family Responsibility form: authorizes a family to receive the Project-based subsidy. Tenant, Landlord and SHA are required to sign/date this document.
Reporting/Drug form: is additional participant responsibilities for all HCV program participants

17. New Move-in Workflow LANDLORD ACTIONS PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
RECEIVE APPLICATION APPROVAL FROM PORCHLIGHT
HOLD APPOINTMENT WITH HOUSEHOLD TO COMPLETE NEW MOVE-IN DOCUMENTS
CANCEL APPLICATIONS WITH APPROVALS OLDER THAN 60 DAYS
VERIFY MOVE-IN DOCUMENTS, PROCESS CERTIFICATION, AND ISSUE HAP
REVIEW INTAKE DOCUMENTS FOR CHANGES
IF REPORTING NEW HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION AND/OR INCOME/ASSETS CHANGES SUBMIT SR PACKET
OBTAIN 3RD PARTY VERIFICATIONS
SUBMIT MOVE-IN DOCUMENTS WITH LEASE/ADDENDUM WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE APPLICATION APPROVAL DATE
AND 581 TO LANDLORD, MAIL ORIGINAL 581 AND PB PAMPHLET TO TENANT
CONDUCT WALK-THROUGH OF UNIT AND SIGN-OFF ON THE INITIAL INSPECTION SELF-CERTIFICATION
UPDATE TENANT RECORD WITH NEW RENT PORTIONS AND FILE AND 581 IN TENANT FILE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

18. Landlord Orientation for New Applicants/Tenants
When reviewing NMI documents with tenant, be sure to:
Explain the differences between Project-based & Tenant-based
Project-based subsidy stays with the unit
Tenant-based subsidy is a voucher that belongs to tenant
Explain reporting requirements & timelines
Review & provide copies of:
Statement of Family Responsibility
Tenancy Addendum
Welcome to the Section 8 Project-based Assistance Program brochure

19. Statement of Family Responsibility

20. Statement of Family Responsibility
This is the only document that ties all three parties together.
The second page must be signed & dated by all parties.
Landlord
Participant
SHA

21. Tenant-Building Lease
Common mistakes:
The term of the lease cannot start before the application was approved by PorchLight. If it does the landlord will not receive HAP for that time.
INSERT CONTRACT RENT AMOUNT
The rent listed in the lease is the total contract rent, not the gross rent, tenant portion, or a non-dollar entry.

22. ANNUAL REVIEW

23. 2010 Annual Review Schedule
Project-based Annual Review Correspondence Schedule 2010
AR Letters & Logs to be Run
Letters/Envelopes to Central Services
Date on Letters
Date Due
AR Effective Date
January 6, 2010
January 11, 2010
January 15, 2010
February 1, 2010
May 1, 2010
February 3, 2010
February 8, 2010
February 12, 2010
March 1, 2010
June 1, 2010
March 9, 2010
March 12, 2010
March 18, 2010
April 1, 2010
July 1, 2010
April 7, 2010
April 12, 2010
April 16, 2010
August 1, 2010
May 6, 2010
May 11, 2010
May 17, 2010
September 1, 2010
June 8, 2010
June 11, 2010
June 17, 2010
October 1, 2010
July 7, 2010
July 8, 2010
July 16, 2010
November 1, 2010
August 9, 2010
August 10, 2010
August 18, 2010
December 1, 2010
September 8, 2010
September 9, 2010
September 17, 2010
January 1, 2011
October 7, 2010
October 8, 2010
October 18, 2010
February 1, 2011
November 4, 2010
November 5, 2010
November 15, 2010
March 1, 2011
December 6, 2010
December 7, 2010
December 15, 2010
April 1, 2011

24. Annual Review Workflow
LANDLORD
ACTIONS
PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
MAKE APPOINTMENT WITH TENANT TO COMPLETE AR PACKET
REVIEW AR PACKET AND VERIFICATIONS FOR COMPLETION AND PROCESS THE RE-CERTIFICATION
DAYS AHEAD OF AR DATE
SEND AR LOG TO LANDLORD
REVIEW CURRENT FOR CHANGES
SEND FOR 3RD PARTY VERIFICATIONS IF APPLICABLE
AND 581 TO LANDLORD, MAIL ORIGINAL 581 TO TENANT
SEND AR PACKET TO TENANT
SUBMIT AR PACKET TO PORCHLIGHT BY 1ST OF EACH MONTH
UPDATE TENANT RECORD WITH NEW RENT PORTIONS AND FILE AND 581 IN TENANT FILE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

25. Annual Review (AR) Timeframes
SHA sends AR packets to tenants and AR logs to landlords days prior to tenant anniversary date
Tenants submit AR packets with supporting documentation directly to landlord for submission to Porchlight Office by the 1st of each month
If incomplete AR packets, SHA will landlord for missing documents/items or may send notice to the tenant and copy the landlord with10 business days to respond
If no response to requests from tenants/landlord, SHA will send Non-compliance termination letter and copy the landlord
For Tenant caused delay of AR, the tenant may not receive 30 days’ notice of an increase
For SHA caused delay of AR, there is no penalty to tenant
For Landlord caused delay of AR, HAP will be placed on hold
SHA 581 Lease Amendment: a written notification that informs the tenant and landlord of contract rent, tenant rent portion and HAP portion
- SHA may attach a second page to the lease amendment to explain changes such as effective dates, utility allowance amounts, household composition, etc.

26. Personal Declaration

27. Review household composition for any changes
Personal Declaration
Review household composition for any changes
DON’T LEAVE ANY QUESTIONS BLANK!

28. SPECIAL REVIEW

29. Special Review Workflow
LANDLORD
ACTIONS
PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
TENANT TELLS YOU ABOUT A CHANGE IN INCOME OR HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
VERIFY CHANGES AND PROCESS THE RE-CERTIFICATION
ASSIST TENANT IN COMPLETING THE SPECIAL REVIEW PACKET
AND 581 TO LANDLORD, MAIL ORIGINAL 581 TO TENANT
REVIEW CURRENT FOR CHANGES
SEND SR PACKET TO PORCHLIGHT BY 10TH OF MONTH
OBTAIN 3RD PARTY VERIFICATIONS
UPDATE TENANT RECORD WITH NEW RENT PORTIONS AND FILE AND 581 IN TENANT FILE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

30. Special Review (SR) Timeframes
Tenant report changes of income or household within 10 business days of change to landlord & assists with completing SR paperwork
Landlords must submit SR packet/documentation to Porchlight by 4:30 p.m. on the 10th of the month for the rent decrease to take effect the 1st of the following month
Once SHA receives the packet, SHA determines if SR start date is less than 30-days notice, 30-days notice or no change
For Landlord delay in submitting SR paperwork, any change in rent or HAP may be absorbed by Owner
SHA 581 Lease Amendment: a written notification that informs the tenant and landlord of contract rent, tenant rent portion and HAP portion
- PorchLight may attach a second page to the lease amendment to explain changes such as effective start dates, household composition, etc.

31. SR Change of Income or Household Conditions

32. SR Change of Income or Household Conditions
Project-based HCV: Change of Income or Household Conditions
Head of Household name (Last, First)
Head of Household Social Security Number
Address
Contact phone number  Home  Cell
Common mistakes:
Should be head of household, not the person with the change
Head of Household’s signature__________________________________________________ Date_______________
Upon request, Seattle Housing Authority will provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities so they can participate in SHA programs.
Always submit this form with supporting documentation.

33. TRANSFERS

34. Transfer Workflow LANDLORD ACTIONS PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
TENANT REQUESTS, OR IT BECOMES NECESSARY, TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER UNIT WITHIN THE SAME BUILDING
REVIEW VACANCIES FOR A PROJECT-BASED UNIT THAT ACCOMODATES HOUSEHOLD’S OCCUPANCY STANDARD
VERIFY NEW UNIT IS CONTRACTED AND COMPLIES WITH OCCUPANCY STANDARDS, PROCESS CERTIFICATION, AND ADJUST HAP IF NECESSARY
CONDUCT WALK-THROUGH OF UNIT AND SIGN-OFF ON THE INITIAL INSPECTION SELF-CERTIFICATION
AND 581 TO LANDLORD, MAIL 581 TO TENANT
MAKE APPOINTMENT TO COMPLETE TRANSFER PACKET AND NEW LEASE
(IF INCOME OR HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION HAS CHANGED THEN COMPLETE AN SR PACKET)
UPDATE TENANT RECORD WITH NEW RENT PORTIONS AND FILE AND 581 IN TENANT FILE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
SUBMIT TRANSFER PACKET TO PORCHLIGHT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF TRANSFER

35. MOVE OUT

36. Move Out Workflow LANDLORD ACTIONS PORCHLIGHT ACTIONS
TENANT GIVES NOTICE TO MOVE OUT
COMPLETE MOVE OUT FORM AND SUBMIT TO PORCHLIGHT WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WITHIN 10 DAYS OF MOVE OUT
REVIEW MOVE-OUT PAPERWORK FOR COMPLETION, ADJUST HAP IF NECESSARY, AND TO LANDLORD
RECORD IN UNIT FILE

37. Move Out (M/O) timelines
Send SHA Move Out Notification form with supporting documents to PorchLight Office within 10 days of move out date, but not before the move out date
Examples of supporting documents:
20 Day Vacate notice/Less 20 Day notice
Eviction notice
Mutual termination agreement
Abandonment notification

38. MISCELLANEOUS
&
HOUSE KEEPING

39. WHAT IS THIRD PARTY VERIFICATIONS?

40. All third party verifications need to be current!
When a tenant provides income verification, it is NOT considered
a third party verification…
SHA obtains…
DSHS
Washington State Employment Security
Washington State Office of Support Enforcement (OSE)
EIV (Enterprise Income Verification-HUD site)
Landlord obtains…
employment (including seasonal & temporary employment)
VA and other pensions
Social Security & SSI
annuities/trusts/financial records
any out of state income
L&I
child support not received through OSE
self-employment verification
Self-certification/declaration of cash contributions/gifts
out-of-pocket paid medical or childcare expenses
All third party verifications need to be current!

41. Employment Verification Third Party Form

42. Allowances and Deductions
$400 for an elderly/disabled household
$480 for dependents (minors, full-time students, disabled adults)
Deductions:
Out-of-pocket expense
Medical
receipts
printouts from Pharmacy
payment plans
letters from medical knowledgeable professionals
Billing statements are not acceptable proof of paid out-of-pocket
expenses
Childcare
DSHS Childcare Co-Pay Award letters
Letter from childcare provider

43. Social Security Letters are Acceptable Proof of Disability
If no “DI,” use Professional Certification of Disability form. DI
SHA uses the rounded benefit to calculate income unless medical deductions are taken.
You are entitled to these benefits as a disabled individual.

44. Roles within your agency:
Who is responsible for screening and completing Intake documents?
Who is responsible for third party verifications?
Which forms do you use and where are they kept?
What is your process for obtaining them?
Who is responsible for leasing?
Who is responsible for gathering special and annual reviews?
Who is responsible for unit maintenance and turn around?
Who is responsible for collecting rent?
Who is responsible for reconciliations?

45. DO’S & DON’T’S
DO…
review all application/certifications for completion
submit supporting documentation along with SHA forms
contact SHA if you have questions regarding reporting requirements and timelines
provide special review packets to tenants
obtain third party verifications
send tenant changes to SHA within 10 business day of change OR by the 10th of the month
enforce your lease where necessary for lease violations
send new staff to Landlord Trainings
DON’T…
move in applicants prior to SHA approval, you will not receive subsidy prior to approval date
refer your tenants with landlord/tenant issues to PorchLight Office because PorchLight is not the landlord
expect social service agencies to complete application/certification packets, it is landlords obligation
give tenants employment verification forms

46. QUESTIONS?