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Section 8 tenants

What is your experience/feelings on Section 8 tenants?  I have heard a lot on both sides from Realtors and Property Managers but not much from the investors perspective.  What say you?

MAKE POLICE REPORTS,ETC. FOR THE PEOPLE WHOM PARTY ALL NIGHT AND KEEP NEIGHBORS UP! GIVE YOUR BUSINESS CARD TO THE NEIGHBORS,ASK THEM TO CALL YOU WHEN THEIR IS A PROBLEM! ASKE THEM TO CAL THE POLICE WHEN THEY PARTY ALL NIGHT! THIS IS A VIOLTION TO DISTURB THE NEIGHBORS!!!! THEY CAN LOOSE THE BENNIFITS FOREVER!!!! HELP FIGHT FRAUD!!!!! THEY SYSTEM IS BEING ABUSED WE LANDLORDS CAN GET THEM KICKED OFF AND SAME MONEY FOR OUR TAX DOLLARS. IT SHOULD BE FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE A HELPING HAND NOT A LIFE TIME OF SUPPORT BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT TO WORK!   PLEASE HELP ALL AMERICAN TAX PAYERS!!!! TURN THEM IN! SLUMLORDS DONT CARE IF THEY GET RENT THEY DONT CARE! PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! TAKE CONTROL OVER THEM!!!! THEY HAVE STRICKED RULES TO LIVE BY! LEARN THEM AND WRITE THEM UP AND REPORT THEM! PLEASE HELP WITH THIS ???????
HINT! HINT! HINT! WRITE THEM UP FOR EVERYTHING!!!! MAKE SURE TO TURN ALL COPIES INTO HUD OFFICE AND KEEP YOUR OWN COPIES AS WELL!!!! THEY ARE HELD TO STRICK RULES!,BUT IF THE SCUMLORDS AND SLUMLORDS DONT STOP THIS BEHAVIOR! THEY GET AWAY WITH ALOT! MAKE THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR BAD BEHAVIORS! REPORT THEM OVER AND OVER TO HUD! THEY WILL LOOSE THE BENNIFITS FOREVER!!!!!!!!
yes I have had properties trash from section 8.most of them have done that to me.i am stricker about screening now.write them up for everything they do,heres a secret! ride them hard! do inspections,write them up for everything they do wrong! THEY WILL LOOSE THEIR BENNIFITS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   WRITE THEM UP AND TURN COPIES OF EVERYTHING IN TO HUD OFFICE AND HAVE MEETINGS WITH SOCIAL WORKERS!!! THEY WILL LOOSE IT FOREVER!!!!!!!  SCUMLORDS AND SLACKLORDS LET THEM GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING!
@ Alejandro - who are you referring to with "these people.....?"
I rented to a section 8 people, this is my first time renting to these people and i tried calling the office that runs section 8 and they never return my calls. My question is do these people are obigated to pay the utility bill for exampole the trash bill which is now 5 months pass due and i'm getting letters from the Waste Management people??  
we re in prep stage of our first sect 8 whooosh after reading- I will do an extensive background check for sure wowowow
Now they call section 8 HAP   Housing Assistance Program.  There has to be some good tenants out there on assistance but I sure have not had good luck.  Yes you loose control, single women move in their unemployed criminal boyfriends and MAMas are the worst.  Their adult boys are angels with just bad luck. Daughters bring in even more unemployed men.  They are not on the lease and not supposed to live there but they do with no thought for utilities. It is no wonder there is a 20% premiem for these people.  They need baby sitters and an in house maintenance man like they had at the apartments section 8 apartments.  I AM SERIOUS THESE PEOPLE NEED ADULT SUPERVISION THAT APARTMENT COMPLEXES SUPPLY.  it hurts to see the wasted tax dollars.  Everybody deserves a chance but a lifetime of hand-outs?  Not for me.  I do feel sorry for the kids but they only know and do what they see...
Oh, I had my experience with an section 8 tenant and it was a mess, then annual inspection is another way for them to spend more money then needed.  I had done the repairs that was ask of me and how but when I did a $25 increase the tenant moved out, because she did not want to pay it.  You don't figure!!!
Amen! They find stuff to write you up! Even stuff that was damaged by tenants and never told to you before the inspection. The tenant need to be accountable for destroying our properties! I completely rehab everything before they move in and they destroy it! No pride! Yes they just reduced rent alot! I agree with everthing the Robert and Brian.
Knock on wood...I've had really good success with my Section 8 tenants. I've read the horror stories from above.  I've been a investor for 3 years and I own 10 properties and 4 are on section 8. I do an extensive background ck which includes criminal & credit on all my tenants. I collect my rent the old fashion way; i go door to door; this gives me an opportunity to visually look  around while there writing the check and i ask them if there is any maintenance issues that need addressing. By doing this you want fail on the yearly inspections that are required from HUD.  
Being a new landlord because of the property value decreases (couldn't sell for a loss),  I went with a section 8 applicant that seemed like a good risk.  Checked her references and even spoke with her current landlord.  She was only moving because she had a new baby and needed a 2 bedroom with washer and dryer which I have.  Her share of the rent was only $89 so I figured no problem.  During the year and a half she was there, she was always late on her share and I got numerous letters from the condo association about violations plus complaints from my previous neighbors about noise and fights.  She had to pay her own utilities which got shut off regularly for non-payment (not good for furnished refrigerator or mildewing clothes in my washer).  During her first inspection by section 8, there were busted doors, walls, and mirrors that she was responsible for repairing or replacing.  I loaned her the money to fix the items as I didn't want to have to lose the rent and have to fix the damage myself anyway.  She didn't repay all the loan and then bailed without notice about 4 months later.  When I entered the unit the real horror story began.  4 doors missing and 4 more damaged to the point of must be replaced.  Shower massage,  and 6 built-in shelves all stolen.  Brick tiles in front of the fire place broken.  Walls painted in black and white tile pattern.  Garbage and filth everywhere.  I've already taken 4 truck loads to Goodwill and filled a dumpster with garbage.  Her $700 deposit will not even cover the back rent and section 8 terminated her contract because her where-bouts are unknown.  Now I'm out big money by trying to help her and just got the shaft in the end.  Maybe they are not all like this but my first experience has not been very positive.
Hey Scott C in Ohio - Just ask! If you want a section 8 increse call their office and just tell them that. You must give them the name and contract date of your section 8 tenant and they will tell you when you can get an incerase and how much ( unless you are already at the max)
Hey Melanie in MD - You must put these as 'terms of your lease' eg no occupants not on lease and must maintain yard etc and when they do not comply with the lease terms you EVICT for cause. The cool thing about section 8 is they keeep paying you during the eviction process. After you evict get another section 8 but be more dilligent in your interwview process before picking which section 8 tenant you want - after all you probably have hundreds on a list in your area to choose from -0 its NOT about the background check alone - its about you interviewing and selecting th RIGHT one - not the first one they send.,.,.
The Check does come on time each month from the County. I have also received the Check from the Tenant on time so far.  The probably I have even after a background check, is the other people they let move it, after the fact. Which is NOT part of the Lease.  Not to mention even after the background check, never knew a person was actually approved to live with the tenant until i received approval from Section 8 they were good to go.  After waiting when I accepted the Application I had to do another background check pretty much start over.  After asking the tenant why the other person was not disclosed the anser was that they shouldn have to disclose since Section 8 was paying me most of the rent.  I explained that is NOT the case, its my property & section 8 doenst pay for damages, repairs, maintenance, etc.   The other issue Ive been having is that they do not like to take care of the yard maintence, even after I gave them the option , if they were not able to do the yard work I would have it done every 2 wks for only $50.00 SINCE Im not trying to over charge, which it really should be more for trimming, prunning, weeds, etc.  I guess its 50/50 in any situation., Back ground check, credit check, references is the best way for any tenant.  Its not so much with the Section 8, its everyone.  
know of ways or reasons to increase rent on section 8?  
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