Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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Section 8 Housing for Rent

Lately, the economy has taken a downturn and this has caused many people to lose their jobs or else have had their salary cut. People can't afford the luxury they used to and this includes their current living arrangement. To help people out of this dire situation, HUD created section 8 housing for rent in which HUD subsidizes the rent.

I have plenty of friends that have applied to this program. It seems like most of them did not want to apply for the program but they have no choice. They were laid off from their jobs and just don't make the same amount of money that they used to. Because of this, they could only afford a place that was subsidized by the government. Even then, it is still pretty hard to get by. Since they used to live pretty well off, they thought that government housing was not very good. I told them that this was not the case. Most of the time, the homes are in good shape. The reason that landlords accept section 8 tenants is that they get guaranteed payment from the government.

After I explained to my friends about the program, they seemed less hesitant about it. Besides, it would only be a temporary situation until they got back on their feet again.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Income Based Housing

Income based housing is housing that HUD has subsidized for the benefit of low income people. Some people classified as low income are low income families, students, seniors and just about anyone that is living in poverty. These people usually cannot afford a good place to live on their current income. This was the case of my parents. My dad was laid off from his job and my mom made little money from her part time job. It got so bad that we could not even afford the rent of our home any longer. We had to move out and we stayed at a friend's place for awhile. During our time there, we started applying for income based housing through HUD.

If you visit HUDs website, you can find out exactly what you need to qualify for housing based on income. HUD determines whether or not you can live in income based homes by checking your wage or salary. If you qualify, then HUD will help pay a portion of your rent directly to the landlord, but you will still be responsible for any remaining rent that is not covered by HUD. We were able to get accepted into the program and we considered ourselves very lucky.

We talked to a friend who happened to have a friend who was renting a house to people in the section 8 program. He gave us a really good deal on the home after we told him our story. The house happened to be in a nice neighborhood too. When you are looking for housing, location is very important. You want to find a nice place to live where there is little crime. Also, it would be nice if shopping was close by so that you don't have to spend all your time driving to and from civilization.

When you've finally made a decision on the home you want to move into, you should do a thorough walk through of the home and note the things that need fixing and cleaning. You want everything to be working when you first move in, otherwise it will be a hassle later on when you want to use something but it's not working.

One last point you should consider is to buy renter's insurance when you move into the income based housing. These insurance can come in handy if someone ever steals or destroys your property. Renter's insurance cost around $100 to $200 per year so it would be well worth it if you own laptops, Ipods, or other expensive accessories.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

HUD Housing

With the jobless rate rising due to the lackluster economy, more people are finding themselves having to cut back on expenses including their rent. Thankfully there are social programs sponsored by HUD which it's mission is to help those unfortunate people find and live in HUD housing. My friend was an unfortunate victim of the financial collapse. He was forced to work low paying jobs for many months. He tried to find the high paying job he used to have but no one was hiring. He had to give us his extravagant lifestyle and he really buckled down in his spending. I told him that he could save even more money by moving to HUD housing. Although he was reluctant to do that, he finally caved in. He didn't have any money left to pay the rent at his current place so he has no other choice. He was able to find a decent place to live after awhile so I am glad that the HUD program worked for him.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Subsidized Housing

The government subsidized housing program has greatly helped many families over the years. It is especially helpful during times of economic recession when many people are jobless or working much lower paying jobs than before. The the housing program is run by HUD. HUD subsidizes housing so people that otherwise can not afford housing have a chance to live in a decent house.

Before you go out looking for housing, you should be aware that HUD does not just let anyone move into subsidized housing. In order to qualify, your income must be within their limits. You can find out this information by going to HUDs website. After you get this information, go to the housing agency and apply. HUD will ask for your income information for proof so you'll need to bring along supporting documents.

Once the approval process is done, you can start looking for subsidized government housing. You may want to talk to a realtor who also manages properties. They may have lots of properties or know properties where you would be a good fit. Just tell them your situation and they should be able to help you.

Another way to look for housing is through word of mouth. Ask some of your friends who've lived in subsidized housing for a place that they can recommend. If they've lived in these homes then they can tell you from their experience with certain landlords. It is very important that you get a good landlord. You want someone that will come immediately when you have some home problems that need to be fixed.

Finally, you can search for housing online. Some websites like craigslist are very helpful for finding housing. It is free for you to use and many people use that site. All you need to do is search for housing in an area you'd like to live in. You can also include other criteria like number of bedrooms and bathrooms etc. When you are looking for housing online, you have to be careful about scams. Some unscrupulous people will list homes that they do not even own and ask you to wire a deposit to them. Once they get the money, they'll disappear. Be sure you go look at the subsidized housing and check up the property records before you fork over any money.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Low Income Homes for Rent

My sister never went to college and has been working at a local store ever since she graduated from high school. Her pay has not gone up much over the years. It has basically been at the same minimum wage level. When it was just herself, she could get by with her minimal income. But eventually she had a kid and her income could not support the both of them. She needed to get government help. I told her to apply for low income homes for rent. These types of homes are for people that are living at or below poverty and need rent assistance from the government. If accepted to the program, my sister would only have to pay part of the rent.

To determine whether or not she was eligible to get accepted for homes for low income families, she had to go to HUD's website and check their requirements. Alternatively, you can contact HUD and ask them directly, which would be faster and you can get direct answers. Once she determined her eligibility, she took a trip to the housing agency and filled out the application to get a voucher. After a few weeks she was approved and she started looking for rental houses. With the voucher, you can use it for homes, townhouses, condos, or just about any other type of rental unit where the landlord accepts the voucher.

There are many ways you can search for housing. First, start your search for homes online. That way you can don't have to drive all over the place and waste your time and money. Narrow your search first and then drive to see the homes you have interest in. Go to HUD's website and search for homes for rent. They should list several in the city that you are searching.

Another place to search online for houses for rent is Craigslist. This is a very useful search site since many people post their homes for rent there. All you need to do is put in the search for low income houses for rent, the area you want to live in, and the amount of rent you wish to pay. Craigslist will give you results based on your criteria.

You can also find homes for rent by asking around your fellow coworkers or friends. Some companies have a bulletin board where people post their homes for rent, so you can approach the homeowners and ask if they will accept you. Let the homeowner understand the benefits of allowing section 8 people to live there.

Finally, you can find homes in the free rental magazine that some supermarkets usually carry. You should be able to find these magazines right outside the entrance. These magazines are good in that they list a variety of homes for rent in a city including pictures. Contact the owners and find out if they willing to take section 8.

My sister was finally able to find a nice house that she really liked. The landlord was nice and the neighborhood was very good. Her kid is lucky to be able to grow up there.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Low Income Housing

The process for families looking for low income housing is similar to people looking for any other housing. The only difference being that in order to get housing for low income families, you have to meet certain requirements. The requirements are set by HUD and they will ask that your income be below a certain amount. Usually you have to be at 135% or below that of poverty. If you qualify for the program, HUD will pay the landlord part of the rent directly and you pay the other portion. This comes out to you paying less rent for housing than you otherwise would have been charged under normal circumstances.

The first step to applying for low income housing is to get consideration at a HUD office. Go to a housing agency and pick up an application. You must provide your income tax information to prove that your income is below the amount required for living in the housing. Once HUD has approved you, then you may begin your search for housing.

When you are looking for government low income housing, you want to make sure the place where you live is somewhere you would like. After all, you could be living at that housing for up to a year. So it's very important to find a place you like. The first step in looking for housing is to determine the area in which you will rent. Some areas where housing reside in are not good areas and has alot of crime. You can check the crime statistics of an area by going to the county's police website. Nothing beats driving around the area of the housing complex to find out whether it's good or bad though.

If you see some housing for rent signs, call up the owner and ask if they accept section 8 housing applicants. Most landlords should accept section 8 because the government will pay them directly and on time. This would save landlords alot of trouble in collecting rent from the renters. If the landlord does not provide for section 8, then just move on to the next house.

After you've found the low income housing that fits for you, check out the inside of the house. Landlords are required to keep their units up to HUD standards. If they do not, then HUD will not pay them until everything is up to code. You can get a list of requirements that landlords must follow from HUD. Inspect the housing unit and see if it's in violation. If not then and everything about the house seems fine, you can go ahead and rent it.