What is the cover my butt legal way to put it in an ad on Craigslist?

I don't mention section 8 in my ads.

If they email and mention section 8, i delete the email.

if I call and they ask about section 8 , I say it's not approved .

Call the housing authority and ask for the max rent paid for a X br unit (no utilities). Then price the place above this rate. When they call say " S8 will not pay my rate, sorry."

Some good ideas above.

I would double check with a local land lord / tenant attorney to find out if source of income is protected AND if Section 8 is considered a 'source of income.' Regardless of Section 8, it's important to know this information because it also affects income from Social Security, disability, etc.

In my view, Section 8 is NOT income since it passes directly from the Govt to the land lord via the local housing authority, but that's a discussion for another post.

FYI...from Equal Rights Center website

Source of Income

Man moving into new homeRead the ERC'S latest report, Still in Search of Decent Housing

Discrimination based one’s “source of income” – which can include, but is not limited to, housing choice vouchers, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), unemployment insurance, or veteran’s benefits – is against the law in many states and localities across the country. The ERC has advocated strongly for the enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new legislation for this protected class since 2005.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the nation’s largest housing subsidy program, assisting more that two million families across the nation to secure clean and safe housing. Yet voucher holders face blatant discrimination when searching for housing. In recent years the ERC has placed a high priority on advancing civil rights for housing choice voucher holders. In many instances, a housing voucher is the only thing that stands between a family and homelessness. As well, discrimination against housing voucher holder, far too often, is merely a guise for discrimination based on race, national origin, or familial status.

Yes check your state laws. Here, source of income is not a protected class (YET).

ERC Releases 2013 Source Of Income Report

Will You Take My Voucher_button

In April, the ERC relased it's latest source of income discrimination report, "Will You Take My Voucher? An Update on Source of Income Discrimination in the District of Columbia." For nearly a decade, the ERC has monitored landlords and rental management agents in the nation’s capital to determine their compliance with source of income protections, and has worked to end discrimination against voucher holders.

This report update, based on source of income testing conducted by the ERC between July 2011 and January 2013, confirms that the ERC’s education and outreach efforts continue to bear fruit, but that discrimination against voucher holders persists. In the most recent testing, voucher holders were subject to discrimination 28% of the time. While much improved, continued education and advocacy is needed to address the more than 1 out of 4 voucher holders who still experience some form of discrimination.

Click here to download a PDF of the report.

ERC Fights Discriminatory Housing Advertising in the District of Columbia

The ERC recently filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Superior Court against Theophilus LLC , a D.C. landlord, alleging that it has violated the D.C. Human Rights Act and the federal Fair Housing Act by discriminating against Housing Choice Voucher Holders and people with disabilities in its rental advertising. According to the ERC’s Complaint, Theophilus advertised a rental property on the web-based listing service Craigslist.com, and stated: “Sorry not accepting vouchers” and “Professional working need only apply.” By refusing to rent to individuals who intend to use Housing Choice Vouchers, as well as to individuals who do not have income as “working” or “Professionals,” Theophilus is, the ERC’s complaint alleges, unlawfully discriminating against renters in the District of Columbia based on their source of income. Further, by refusing to rent to individuals who cannot work, the complaint alleges that Theophilus is unlawfully discriminating against persons who are unable to work because of their disabilities.

Equal Rights Center Reaches Agreement with National Leasing Services Provider, Level One Holdings, Inc., to Promote Equal Housing Opportunity for Voucher Holders

The ERC announced an agreement with Level One, Inc., a national apartment leasing call center resolving concerns that Housing Choice Voucher holders were provided with inaccurate information about the availability apartments at local rental properties owned and managed by Level One’s clients. As a result of the agreement, Level One will ensure that all of its agents answering rental calls for properties located in the District of Columbia, and in Howard and Montgomery Counties in Maryland, will advise potential renters that vouchers are accepted for the payment of rent. Level One has also agreed to strengthen its existing fair housing policies, including providing additional fair housing training to employees, and to make a payment to the ERC for its costs and attorneys’ fees in reaching this agreement.

Still in Search of Decent Housing Report coverReport Finds D.C. Landlords Illegally Discriminating Against 45% of Individuals Using Housing Choice Vouchers

The ERC released a report based on an expansive investigation, highlighting a 45% rate of discrimination against individuals attempting to use Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) in the District of Columbia. The report, Still in Search of Decent Housing, was issued as a follow up to a 2005 ERC report that documented a staggering 61% rate of discrimination against voucher holders in the District.

Download a PDF of report>>

Download accessible word version of report>>

A Step Away From HomelessnessA Step Away From Homelessness: Housing Choice Voucher Holders Denied Housing in Montgomery County, MD, 2008

Montgomery County, the most populous jurisdiction in Maryland, has also quickly become one of the most unaffordable in terms of housing. And an ERC investigation uncovered a 15 percent discrimination rate against Housing Choice (Section 8) Voucher holders in this county.

In Search of Decent Housing in the DC Metropolitan Area: The Affordable Housing Crisis for Section 8 Housing Vouchers, 2005

Don't mention it at all.

Section 8 takes time to go through, between screening, inspection and first payment.

Set the rent you desire.

show and accept applications from all interested parties, collecting application fees as is standard for your area. Screen, screen, screen.

sign lease to first qualified who has move in funds.

Chances are, section 8 will drag heels and it won't matter,m or you can screen them out.

Source of Income isn't a protected class in PA at the state level. It IS in Philly and some other areas. So, I'd see if it is in your area or not and then go from there on how you're going to handle it.

- John...

Oops -- made a mistake. I said Philly, but I meant Pittsburgh. Section 8 is a protected class in Pittsburgh. I don't know about Philly.

- John...

I don't address in any ads. If someone asks, I say we don't participate. It rarely comes up.

I am finding more and mkre of my applicants are on the canadian equivalent of "section 8".

Frankly I have heard many horror stories here about section 8s.

Section 8 is not a protected class in Pa. Pittsburgh tried to pass a law to protect them but that law is currently in the court system as the city does not have rights to pass that type of law.

Source of Income Discrimination in Housing

Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders across the country find it difficult finding a suitable rental home. Many of these failed rental searches stem from landlords who have blanket policies against accepting Section 8 voucher holders. In most areas, landlords are permitted under the law to openly discriminate against voucher holders. A simple search in your local Craigslist for rent listings will typically yield many ads containing the words “No Section 8”.

In many areas of the country, this problem has become so bad that many new voucher recipients can’t find a landlord willing to accept their voucher and they actually lose their voucher before they ever can benefit from it, many times after waiting for years on a waiting list.

In Oakland, CA, only 115 of 609 voucher recipients (18.9%) in the area found a unit with their voucher in 2015. According to the Chattanooga Housing Authority (CHA) in Tennessee, about two-thirds of the housing authority’s new voucher recipients lose their voucher before funding a unit. As a result, the CHA now hosts landlord fairs that allow voucher holders to have face-to-face conversations with several landlords who are looking for tenants.

Even cities that have laws protecting voucher holders can face source of income discrimination. According to the New York City Commission on Human Rights 2015 Annual Report, source of income discrimination complaints quadrupled from 2014 to 2015.

A few states, counties and cities in recent years have tried to address this problem by enacting Source of Income (SOI) discrimination laws. These laws typically include one’s source of income as a protected class under equal housing and other anti-discrimination ordinances.

In many areas of the country, SOI discrimination is controversial. Landlords and apartment associations argue that SOI discrimination legislation mandates landlords to participate in a government program that puts onerous regulations, paperwork and costs on them. In Texas, after the City of Austin passed a SOI discrimination ordinance in 2014, the Austin Apartment Association sued to repeal the ordinance. Acting exactly the opposite of state governments like Oregon and Connecticut, in 2015 the Texas legislature passed legislation that not only overturned Austin’s ordinance but prohibits any municipality in Texas from enacting SOI discrimination legislation.

So voucher holders know their rights and whether there are SOI discrimination laws in their area, we maintain a list of jurisdictions that protect Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders from source of income discrimination.

Where are Renters protected by Source of Income Anti Discrimination Laws?

As of May 2016, there are 41 jurisdictions1 that prohibit discrimination against Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders. These jurisdictions are:

States with SOI Discrimination Protection for Section 8 voucher holders

Connecticut

District of Columbia

Maine

Massachusetts

New Jersey

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Oregon

Vermont

Counties with SOI Discrimination Protection for Section 8 voucher holders

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Cook County, Illinois

Howard County, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland

Nassau County, New York

Westchester County, New York

King County, Washington

Dane County, Wisconsin

Cities with SOI Discrimination Protection for Section 8 voucher holders

Corte Madera, California

East Palo Alto, California

Los Angeles, California4

San Francisco, California

Santa Monica, California

Woodland, California5

Urbana, Illinois

Iowa City, Iowa

Frederick, Maryland

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Saint Louis, Missouri

Buffalo, New York

New York, New York

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Borough of State College, Pennsylvania

Memphis, Tennessee

Bellevue, Washington6

Kirkland, Washington2

Redmond, Washington3

Seattle, Washington

Tumwater, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Madison, Wisconsin

Jurisdictions with proposed legislation for Section 8 voucher holders

California

Hawaii

Maryland

New York

The jurisdictions included in the lists above have passed laws specifically protecting persons who receive Section 8 or government assistance. While there are additional jurisdictions that have laws protecting source of income discrimination, we have not included those jurisdictions unless persons who receive Section 8 or government assistance were specifically identified.

Where is it prohibited to enact Source of Income Anti-Discrimination Laws?

States with prohibitions on enacting SOI Anti-Discrimination Laws for Section 8 voucher holders

Texas

Jurisdictions with proposed prohibitions for Section 8 voucher holders

Santa Monica, California

Utah

DNewbie: We do exactly that. Michigan isn't a Source of Income state, but even if it was, I would still do that. If the minimum income required is $3000, then I would count the voucher towards that (again, especially in a Source of Income state) and then still require them to qualify like anyone else.

I do not believe that would be illegal discrimination, of course.

- John...

In my area section 8 doesn't pay enough. They can force me to take it, but they cannot force me to take $1400 a month for a $1950 unit. They also cannot force me to relax my income requirements of X3.

So even if I did have a $1,400 a month unit the section 8 person would have to bring in $4,200 a month with a clean credit history. Which they won't.

On the flip side you can do well taking section 8, in the cities it pays well and on time.

Why do that? In my experience, that actually still has the Sec8 people call and go "Well, I can wait for the approval. Let's schedule the inspection!"

Since PA isn't a SOI state, all he has to do is say "Section 8 vouchers are not accepted."

That's the real "game over" that "stops the inquiries." Why not just be blatant about it?

- John...