2001 Section 8 Household Demographics

Based on information from the Multifamily Tenant Characteristics Systems (MTCS) data from HUD, as of May 2001, approximately 1.5 million families receive assistance through the Section 8 program (The program has grown significantly since 2001 and some more recent estimates put this number closer to 2 million). These families represent approximately 4.1 million household members. “54 percent of Section 8 households were white, 42 percent were African American, and 16% were Hispanic. Average annual income for families to receive assistance is $10,773 (amounts are in constant 2000 calendar year dollars). Of all families, 61 percent are extremely low-income (less than 30 percent of the median), 24 percent are very low-income (less than 50 percent of the median), and 5 percent are low-income (less than 80 percent of the median).
 
 I’m not sure what/where the demographic numbers are for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina – they may be under FEMA’s jurisdiction, but I’m sure the information will show a difference in the average annual income for families to receive assistance. If anyone has any info on this topic, please share it.

Tenants has Died

Q: You get a call that one of your tenants has died. Who is the next person you call.
 
 A: The coroner. With a deceased tenant, the coroner must be called and a police report made out. From this point you are responsible for securing the tenants property — no other person gets in (except for emergency repairs) that doesn’t have a court order. It is recommended that you consult a lawyer for your exact circumstances.

Air Conditioning Legal Requirements

Q: Is there a legal requirement for a landlord to provide air conditioning for their tenants?
 
 A: No, however in certain hot and steamy parts of the country, you had better offer something if you want tenants in your units. Remember, if the AC was working when your tenant signed the lease, you must maintain the AC in working order.

Guest is Injured

Q: If a tenant has a party and a guest is injured slipping on some broken porch steps. The tenant had notified the landlord of the broken porch steps but the landlord failed to remedy the situation. The injured guest decides to sue the landlord for injuries. Is the landlord liable for damages?
 
 A: Yes. The property belongs to the landlord and it’s the landlord’s responsibility to maintain the property. If the tenant had not notified the landlord of the broken porch steps, the landlord would still be liable for damages. The insurance policy on the property should cover the legal losses in the suit; however it will NOT pay for the repairs to the property.

Receipts

Whether you pay by check, money order, or cash – you can request a receipt. Typically when rent is paid by check, the cancelled check can serve as a receipt for payment. Most states require that a landlord offer a rent receipt. If you pay your rent in cash, ask for a receipt…it’s in everyone’s best interest. A receipt proves that the tenant paid the rent and that the landlord received the check.

Maintenance

A lot of my landlord cronies have learned this lesson the hard way. The hard way is the expensive way…always! Deferring maintenance until your tenants are falling through the rotting bathroom floor or the iron railing pulls loose from the concrete steps is not only dangerous – it’s monumentally stupid on the part of the landlord. First, why would you ever let a property fall into such disrepair and expect your tenants to respect you as a businessman and property owner – this is a business and the property is your asset. Second, don’t think that your insurance is going to cover the repair bill for issues that result from shoddy maintenance. Third, don’t think that security deposits will make you “whole” – security deposits are NOT for general maintenance. Fourth, quality tenants don’t want to live in a poorly maintained unit – quality property begets quality tenants. Fifth, don’t expect sympathy from the judge.

Be a smart, responsible businessperson…take care of your clients and your business!

Radon

Radon is an invisible and tasteless radioactive gas which is the naturally occurring by-product of decaying uranium and is found in soil and clay throughout the US as shown on this zone map (http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html). Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking causing between 7000 to 30,000 lung cancer deaths per year.

Landlords and tenants will find this pamphlet http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/tenants_guide necessary to protect  property and family from radon gas. The testing is simple and inexpensive. Always check the test results before you buy a property or lease a rental unit.

SMOKE DETECTORS

As the Landlord, you are responsible for installing smoke detectors in rental property (kitchen, bedrooms, hallway, and garage) and insuring that they are fully functional. This should be part of the pre-occupancy checklist. It’s also a good idea to include this as part of your 6-month check-up…you know…the check-up where you confirm that there are no leaky pipes, bug or rodent visitations (or other surprise visitors…either four-legged or two-legged that aren’t included on the lease) , furnace or AC filter replacements, etc.

If you have elderly tenants, who may be hard of hearing, installing a strobe light smoke detector is the RIGHT thing to do. It may cost a bit more, but your elderly tenants will appreciate your thoughtfulness and concern for their well being.

Fire extinguisher and smoke alarm requirements for Section 8 housing can be found at http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/HUD/HUDSPEC/h16722.pdf and addresses the needs for both the hearing and hearing impaired tenant.

Each building/dwelling unit must contain sufficient numbers of  correctly placed and operable fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in accordance with State and Local Fire Codes.

At a minimum:

1. Each level used for living purposes (recreation, sleeping and/or common areas) of a multilevel rental dwelling must be equipped with at least one battery-operated or hard-wire smoke detector and
maintained in proper working condition;

2. Each rental dwelling unit must be equipped with at least one battery-operated or hard-wired smoke detector and maintained in proper working condition. The smoke detector must be located in
a hallway adjacent to the bedroom(s);

3. Dwelling units occupied by hearing-impaired persons must be equipped with an alarm system, designed for hearing-impaired persons, in each bedroom(s) occupied by a hearing-impaired person.

The alarm system(s) in each bedroom(s) occupied by a hearing-impaired person must be connected to the smoke detector installed in the hallway adjacent to the bedroom(s). www.hudclips.org