Landlords
We pay local landlords approximately $7 million each year in rent payments.
Mid-Columbia Housing Authority partners with hundreds of private property owners to provide rental units to Gorge families in need of quality, affordable housing through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.
Participating in the HCV Program
A step-by-step process for renting to a Housing Choice Voucher participant:
Screen prospective tenants for your unit(s). You are encouraged to conduct a thorough screening of prospective tenants.
Complete the Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA). You should receive this form from your potential tenant. You or the tenant can return the completed and signed RFTA to MCHA.
After MCHA receives the completed RFTA, we will review it to ensure it meets the required criteria.
When MCHA determines the RTFA meets the required criteria, the unit will be scheduled for an inspection. Our inspector will contact you to schedule an appointment. If the unit is ready, MCHA makes every effort to schedule the inspection within 5 business days.
The inspector will inspect the unit to make sure it meets Housing Quality Standards (HQS). Please see below for more information about HQS.
After the unit passes inspection, you can sign the lease with the tenant. The effective date of the lease cannot be sooner than the date the unit passes inspection or the date the tenant moves into the unit. Please provide a copy of the lease to MCHA.
MCHA will mail the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract and lead-based paint forms for your signature. If you are a new landlord to our programs, we will also mail you the W-9 and Direct Deposit Authorization forms.
Once the contract, lease, and other required paperwork are signed and returned, MCHA will process and issue the initial payment.
The payment will be directly deposited into your bank account each month.
MCHA will continue to issue payments as long as the unit meets Housing Quality Standards and the assisted household meets eligibility requirements and complies with program rules and regulations. At the end of the calendar year, MCHA will send you an IRS Form 1099-MISC for your tax records.
Continuing Occupancy
Each assisted household is required to have their eligibility reviewed annually to ensure they continue to qualify for rental assistance. Household income is reviewed, and the household’s portion of the rent may be re-determined. Inspections are conducted upon initial move-in to a unit and then every two years thereafter. We will also, upon request by the tenant or landlord, complete special inspections. Continuing occupancy does not require a new lease or contract. The lease turns into a month-to-month tenancy unless the landlord requires the tenant to sign another year lease.
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) are the minimum criteria each unity must meet before assistance can be paid on behalf of the household to the landlord. MCHA must perform an HQS inspection before a participant moves into a new unit, and regularly thereafter.
Questions?
Get in touch with a member of our team: 541-296-5462
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) are the minimum criteria each unity must meet before assistance can be paid on behalf of the household to the landlord. MCHA must perform an HQS inspection before a participant moves into a new unit, and regularly thereafter.
Rooms (General)
The unit must have a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and one living/sleeping room for every two family members.
The living room can be used as a sleeping area.
Ceilings, walls, windows, and floors must be in good condition and have adequate heat.
Electrical Outlets and Light Fixtures
Each room used for sleeping must have either two electrical outlets or one outlet and one permanent light fixture.
Kitchen and Bathroom
Must have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet installed within 6 feet of a water source in the bathroom if the unit was built or renovated after 1986. For kitchens, GFCI outlet must be installed if the building was built or renovated after 1996.
Bathrooms require a permanent light fixture, but an outlet is not required.
The kitchen required a permanent outlet, but a permanent light fixture is not required.
Heat and Hot Water
Each unit must have an adequate source of heat and hot water. Hot water sources must meet the established minimum/maximum temperatures.
Smoke Detectors
All units must have at least one working smoke detector that is battery operated, hardwired, or hardwired with a back-up battery on each level of the unit.
Must be installed on a ceiling or wall 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling.
If the tenant is hearing impaired, the alarm must be designed for hearing-impaired persons.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
All units must have a working carbon monoxide detector that is battery operated, hardwired, or hardwired with a back-up battery.
Must be installed in the unit within 15 feet of any sleeping area. This device cannot be installed in a bathroom or kitchen or within 5 feet of gas cooking appliances.
If the tenant is hearing impaired, the alarm must be designed for hearing-impaired persons.
Windows
The must be at least one window that opens and closes in each room used for sleeping to provide ventilation and illumination.
Windows must be permanently attached and have adequate locks.
Units built before 1978 may have paint containing lead. Landlords are required to disclose the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based hazards in the unit and public spaces to the tenants.
For more information about HQS, please see Chapter 8 of the MCHA Administrative Plan or visit https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/hqs
The Benefits
There are many benefits to renting to a tenant with a Housing Choice Voucher, including:
On time, reliable and guaranteed rental payments. MCHA pays a set portion of your tenant’s rent directly to you on the first of each month. The tenant will also likely have a portion of rent to pay.
Regular inspections. MCHA inspects the rental unit for Housing Quality Standards before initial lease-up and bi-annually after that at no cost to the landlord. The landlord can also request a special inspection.
Standard charges and fees. Landlords can charge security deposits and late fees if they are consistent with charges made to private market renters.
MCHA tenant participants are expected to comply with the lease. MCHA can terminate participants from the program for serious or repeated lease violations.
Since voucher holders sign a one-year lease, many become long-term, dependable residents.
By renting to voucher holders, landlords help provide quality and affordable housing opportunities for families in our community.
Landlord Rights & Responsibilities
In every tenancy, the landlord has important rights and responsibilities. Most of these are the same as those that apply for unsubsidized tenancies.
The owner has the right to:
Set reasonable rules about tenant behavior and use of the unit and common areas.
Require a security deposit.
Receive payment of rent in full and on time monthly.
Require the tenant to refrain from damaging the property.
Take legal action to evict a voucher holder for lease violations.
The owner has the responsibility to:
Screen prospective tenants and determine whether they would be good tenants.
Maintain the property in good condition.
Complete needed repairs within a reasonable time. Complete emergency repairs within 24 hours. These include no hot or cold water, heat, electricity, or a condition that is imminently hazardous to life.
Comply with Oregon or Washington state landlord-tenant law.
Comply with the lease and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract.
Send MCHA a copy of any written notices or communications sent to the tenant, especially about lease violations.
Submit requests to MCHA for rent increases in writing
Rent
Rent Increases
Please let us know in writing if you would like to request a rent increase. MCHA will determine whether the requested rent is reasonable. The process for determining rent reasonableness is described below.
Reminders:
If your unit is in Washington, the request for rent changes must be submitted to MCHA 60 days prior to the date of proposed increase.
If your unit is in Oregon, the request for rent changes must be submitted to MCHA 90 days prior to the date of proposed increase.
MCHA will give the landlord reasonable notice of whether the increase is approved before the requested rent increase effective date.
Rent Reasonableness
MCHA must determine whether the rent requested by a landlord for a housing voucher household is reasonable.
MCHA compares the requested rent to the rents on other units on the premises with tenants who do not receive rental assistance, as well as other comparable unassisted rental units in the market.
Rent reasonableness must be determined at the voucher household’s initial move-in and when the landlord requests a rent increase.
CONNECT WITH US
CONNECT WITH US
List a vacancy with us today!
Mid-Columbia Housing Authority
500 East 2nd Street The Dalles, OR 97058
info@mid-columbiahousingauthority.org
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