Becoming an HCV Property Owner is as simple as:
- Renting an apartment to a voucher participant.
Our voucher participants are provided an apartment listing by order of bedroom size that they may use to find units. Our apartment listings are updated every Friday and are accessible to voucher participants either through walk-in requests or through our website, imagineersllc.com. Tenants are also free to use other apartment search services (online, newspapers, etc.) to find vacant units to lease. You may list your apartment with Imagineers by calling 860-768-3306. We will advertise your vacant apartment(s) for 6 weeks, or until you notify us that the apartment has been rented. You can also list your vacant apartments through AssistanceCheck, our online service website for property owners. - Screening your tenant.
Imagineers screens voucher participants for HCV program eligibility only and not for suitability as a tenant. This differs from the applicant screening process that you may undertake to ensure you are leasing to a tenant family most likely to occupy your unit in accordance with your lease. Voucher participants who are interested in viewing your advertised apartment will contact you directly. As in the private market, you as the property owner are responsible for screening any tenant (i.e., previous eviction history, credit check, criminal background check, etc.) that is interested in your apartment. - Completing the RTA (Request for Tenancy Approval) with your prospective tenant.
The voucher participant has passed your screening process and is interested in leasing your apartment.Voucher participants are informed to bring what’s known as an RTA, or moving packet, with them to your viewing appointment.They will also be prepared to provide you with the name and contact information of their caseworker here at Imagineers.The RTA needs to be completed by both you and the voucher participant.Once the RTA is completed entirely, it will need to be returned to the voucher participants’ caseworker as soon as possible. - Scheduling and passing the new unit inspection.
Once your prospective tenant’s caseworker receives the RTA, he or she will review the proposed rent to ensure that the rent you’re requesting for the apartment is reasonable in relation to the comparable unassisted unit. All housing authorities must ensure that no voucher participant enters into a new unit that exceeds 40% of monthly adjusted income. Should your proposed rent exceed the 40% threshold, you will receive a call from a program representative at Imagineers to discuss the prospective tenant’s maximum contract rent. If you agree to the maximum contract rent, the RTA for your apartment will then go to the inspections department for scheduling. You will receive a call from the schedule coordinator to schedule the inspection. Please refer to the Inspection section to review common issues that result in failed inspections. An Imagineers inspector will inspect your apartment to ensure that it passes HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS). - Signing the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract & Lease.
Once your apartment passes inspection, all parties will sign the lease and you will also need to sign the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract which the voucher participants’ caseworker will send to you. The caseworker will provide you with a standard lease, however, you may wish to use your own. Once you have signed both the HAP Contract and lease with your tenant, copies of both documents must be returned promptly to the caseworker to avoid delays in the housing subsidy payments. If you decide to have you and your tenant complete a lease generated by you, you must attach the Tenancy Addendum to your lease and provide your tenant with copies of both the lease and Tenancy Addendum. The lease should be for a term of 12 months, minimum. The HAP Contract is your agreement with the PHA. It guarantees you the housing subsidy payment and other benefits as long as the tenant remains in good standing in the apartment and the apartment remains in compliance with HUD’s HQS. - Your Tenant Moves in!
Typically, a voucher participant will move in prior to the 1st of the month (effective lease date) following the passed inspection. Some landlords provide keys and access to the unit a few days prior to the first of the month to ensure that the tenant is able to remove all items from their old unit by the last day of the month. The voucher participants’ caseworker will provide both you and your new tenant with a Rent Calculation Notice that will outline the HAP and tenant portion of rent that will be paid to you monthly. The total of both the HAP and tenant portion will either be the proposed rent you submitted on the RTA, or if the proposed rent exceeded the 40% threshold and you agreed to the maximum rent that the tenant qualified for, this will be the total contract rent. Your tenant cannot pay a monthly rent in excess of what is outlined on the Rent Calculation Notice.
