In this particular location of this building I pretty much have to accept section 8 as in this little Mt town it seems like everyone that rents is on it,

So this is a nice 3 bedroom,..Well we tried to call it a 2 bedroom with an office room,..(I guess we could take the door off of the closet but I don't know if that would work )It also has a very large living room and dinning room,also large kitchen. 1 bathroom.

Anyway we are asking 1100 which is pretty cheap in this market which we also provide heat to the building.

Its for a young lady who applied with a 6 year old boy,..says she is a non smoker and no pets,..she has apparent good references,..owns a car that has been paid off,..

Looks about as good as we ever get in this location.

So Sect 8 people called and said she is only approved for a 2 bedroom for 1045. Woman asks if the unit charge is negotiable.

Apparently it doesn't matter that heat is provided, (no practical way of changing the heating situation)

So she does work,..Her mother owns a cleaning service and she has worked there for years. Mother is willing to sign that she would guarantee for damages,any problems with rent.

Question,..if sect 8 pays for this amount, are we allowed to charge her the difference? Or is this illegal?

I know its just 55 dollars and probably she would be as good as it gets in this town, it just galls me to take less for a unit this nice and big.

Does sect 8 ever come up with more or is their prices set in stone.

She could move rt in and has to find someplace before June 6th or loses her sect 8.

I realize if I wait for another month/months to rent it I will be down more than that 55 for a long time.

Question,..if sect 8 pays for this amount, are we allowed to charge her the difference? Or is this illegal?

Don't do that. Where i live it would not be allowed. If the market is as you say and you want her then that's a small price to pay or ask to split the difference perhaps Section 8 would come up a little.

Also did you tell them the utility was included? If so that is already figured into their offer. If not then remind them or separate out the utilites.

Most times we think that is not possible but ask an electrician. Maybe not be so bad or impossible.

Her voucher expiring is not your worry. She can apply for an extention. But they would rather have your fear factor.

Well the heat is via a main boiler that supplies hot water radiators,..not able to bill for individual units.

The boiler is a super efficient one,..the heating bills are not bad considering how large the apts are. (I believe the square footage is 2500) Electrical conversion would scare the heck out of any potential tenant

So,..the other section * people in that building gets part of the rent paid by the agency,..and they send each year how much they are paying and how much the tenant is responsible for.

One of my last Negotiations with Section 8 went as follows:

An apartment building across the street from a property of mine -- 5 homes on a lot, was forfeited to the City. Now as the new owners the City then deeded the property to one of their "Holding Companies". As a City owned property they were subject to non of the rules, codes or housing regulations. It was a mess. Then from being a Half-Way House for recovering drug addicted people, it was offered to Section 8 people with vouchers. Barely fixed up, the rents were over market.

My property had a complete make-over. New drywall interiors with a textured finish and fresh paint. New carpet, appliances, etc. Section 8 would only give me a limited amount in rent, like $1200 for a 2 bedroom unit with parking. The City's Section 8 building across the street were given $1,750 in rent for a smaller sized unit and no parking.

So when my Section 8 tenant moved in, she requested (after the unit was approved):

1. New Carpeting

2. New Paint

3. New Refrigerator

4. A working Hot Water Heater.

The Carpet was new before she moved in, it had been replaced with FHA approved carpet. There was new paint on the walls. She had a new refrigerator but if you don't close the door the food will spoil after a day. And you can't have three kids all take 10 minute baths with fresh water on a 40 gallon water heater- user error.

SO I declined the tenants request and Section 8 Stopped paying the rent. This went to eviction and after 5 months I got the tenants out. I then sued the City for not looking at my evidence, receipts, cancelled checks and video.

The way it is suppose to work. Is the rent amount is based on the comps in that area for the average rent.

And that is only what HUD allows.

Then you have to sign an agreement that also states the rent amount that you will charge. If you then charge the tenant extra it is fraud.

It is up to section 8 to determine the portion or how much the tenant can afford to pay. If later the tenant can afford to pay more. Then they just pay a higher portion of the total rent and the government pays less.

It used to be, at least in my area, that a tenant could pay an extra 10%. So, if rent was 1100, but Section 8 said rent rate was only $1000, the tenant had the option of paying an extra $100. That way, nothing was done under the table, either.

I wonder if this is a state-by-state thing? Here in Indiana, it seems like most of the tenants are supposed to pay a portion of the rent?

We have only had one section 8 tenant, and it was a tenant we had had for awhile, who needed to go on Section 8 to help out. They were supposed to pay some of the monthly rent -- section 8 paid the lion's share by direct deposit, and then the tenant mailed in their portion.

One annoying thing was it fluctuated -- depending on if the tenant had a job and how much they worked. So the proportional amounts were always changing.

One good thing was the tenant started keeping the place better once section 8 took over. Prior to Section 8, we were constantly on them about trash and cigarette butts littering the porch and driveway. Once Section 8 kicked in, they kept things a lot better.

The other annoying thing was they signed a renewal lease for a year, and when they found they were pregnant again, and needed more room, they broke the lease. Section 8 turned a blind eye.

Here it is illegal to have the Sec 8 tenant pay anymore than what Sec 8 allows. You have to sign a contract stating you will accept the amount Sec * allows for that unit and not a penny more. To Annie's point. Sec 8 sets the total allowance for the rent and then they will issue a notice as to their portion vs. the tenants portion but the total would still be $1,045.