Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

To be an HCV program owner/landlord: 

• The unit must pass an initial Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection and be maintained such that it passes future inspection.
• The rent amount must be reasonable.
• Property taxes should be paid and up-to-date on the rental unit.
• MHA must be able to verify ownership.
• Owner and tenant may not be related unless MHA has granted a HCV participant’s request for a reasonable accommodation. 

When a tenant has selected your unit and you agree to lease to him/her, MHA will require other paperwork from you such as a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA), W-9, photo identification, a copy of the management agreement (when applicable), and Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract.

Please review all the owner information provided on this website for more detail.

You may list your units at no cost on the TNHousingSearch.org website.  HCV participants are also referred to this site to locate available units.  You may also advertise your property in various other means that are normal and customary for our market.

The HCVP does not provide owners with tenants.  We advise that you advertise your property, list it on TNHousingSearch.org, and screen for the most suitable tenant. The method and criteria used to screen prospective tenants should be uniform for all potential tenants.

HCVP does not pre-qualify units. Once you have completed a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) for a HCV participant, an inspection will be scheduled for your unit. The RTA packet is used for requesting an inspection.

A unit is considered approved once it has passed HQS inspection and MHA has approved the rent amount. MHA will notify you once the unit has been approved and asked to provide a lease so that we can move forward with the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract execution. HAP contracts will be executed within 30 – 45 days of the unit passing inspection; subsidy payments will begin shortly after the HAP contract has been executed.

The approved rent amount is based on multiple factors reviewed during the rent reasonableness process.   If the requested rent amount is not acceptable, the owner will be contacted with a counteroffer.

Inspections schedules are pre-determined; the scheduling clerk will schedule the earliest date available once an inspection request is received.

The HCVP inspector will contact you with an estimated time the morning of the inspection.

The scheduling clerk will contact you to confirm a re-inspect date. If the unit is not available on the second inspection date, the RTA will be voided. 

An approved unit must meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards to pass and participate in the HCV program.  HUD’s HQS Inspection Checklist tells you what MHA will be looking for during the inspection. 

The owner will be asked to submit a proposed lease and the HAP contract will then be executed.

A unit is approved once it passes inspection and the rental amount has been approved. We do not advise that a participant move into a unit until it has been approved and the HAP contract executed.

An appointment must be scheduled to process a change of ownership.  You must provide proof of ownership documentation which includes; a Deed of Trust or HUD Settlement Statement executed within the last 30 days, a new signed lease that has been executed between the new owner and current HCVP family, a W-9 form completed by the owner/agent, picture identification and a copy of the management agreement if the property is managed by an agent.

The landlord must enforce the lease agreement between the family and the owner. The Memphis Housing Authority is not party to the lease agreement and is not responsible for collecting rent from the family. If court action is taken against the family and the court finds the family is obligated for the unpaid rent, MHA may terminate the family's housing assistance.  However, the owner must provide the HCVP department with a court judgment before any action will be taken against the family.

HCV generally makes monthly HAP payments by the 3rd business day of the month. MHA will process and remit Housing Assistance and Utility Assistance payments to owners and tenants upon receipt of funding from the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

Should HAP funding from HUD be delayed, owners are strongly encouraged to work with tenants to minimize the risks of displacement of families served through the HCV program.  Owners should also be mindful of the following:

• MHA will not be obligated to pay late payment penalties since the payment delay is due to factors beyond the control of MHA [(HAP Contract Form HUD-52641, Part B, Section 7.a.3 {iii})];
• Owners may not request that tenants pay the delayed payments nor charge tenants a late fee due to delayed payments on MHA’s behalf [24 CFR 982.451(b){iii}]; and,

• Owners may not move to evict tenants based on MHA not paying its portion of rent [24 CFR 982.451(b){iii}].

MHA may also schedule a supplemental check run. An executed HAP contract must be in place and your unit must not be in abatement in order to receive your HAP payment at the next scheduled payment date.

HCV participants are responsible for all rent once the contract is cancelled and if they move in prior to HAP contract execution. MHA will not pay HAP where a valid HAP contract has not been properly executed

There could be several reasons why you did not receive a check this month.
If the unit is in abatement (two failed inspections) payments are stopped until repairs are made, and the unit passes an inspection. If this is a new contract, the signed contract may not have been executed in time to make the check run. If your tenant has had a recent re-exam, his/her income may have increased to a level where he/she is no longer eligible for HCV assistance. If this is the case, you will receive a letter from the HCV office regarding the changes.

MHA will deduct amounts owed for: 

• Prior overpayments of HAP for the current HCV tenant and/or other HCV tenants past or present.
• If the unit was in abatement, we may be taking back subsidy paid during the abatement period. 

Owners may only charge tenants their portion of the rent amount as stated in the lease agreement and HAP contract. No additional money for any fees or costs can be assessed in addition to rent that are not allowed by the HCV program.

HCV is required to inspect units biennially. Rent is abated (stopped) when units fail to pass on two consecutive inspections. The unit will be taken out of abatement if it passes a final inspection, should the owner request one. HAP is never paid for the period a unit is under abatement.

Consequences for tenant caused damages should be covered in the lease agreement of which MHA is not a party; and enforced by the landlord. However, the landlord should provide written notice to the HCVP department of repeated lease violations.

Change of address requests must be submitted in writing identifying the vendors' new mailing address and the old address for comparison to ensure the correct vendors' account is changed. Vendors must complete the Vendor Address Change Form and submit it to us via email to hcv.finance@memphisha.org or via mail to: 

Memphis Housing Authority
Housing Choice Voucher Program
700 Adams Ave
Memphis, TN 38105

Most landlord functions can be completed online through our owner portal.  The Landlord Portal allows HCV landlords to conveniently access payment history, unit details, and information for families currently housed by the landlord.  The portal may be accessed online at https://myportal-memphisha.securecafe.com/landlord/memphis-housing-authority/login.aspx