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Anaheim Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) APPLICANTS 1. How long can I expect to wait for assistance? 2. What type of changes in my family circumstances should I report while I am on the Section 8 waiting list? 3. How do I report changes to my pre-application? 4. How do I check the status of my application? 5. What happens when my name reaches the top of the waiting list? TENANTS 1. I would like to move to another unit. What is the process? 2. What type of changes in my income do I need to report throughout the year? 3. What type of changes in my household composition must I report? OWNERS/PARTNER PORTAL 1. What is Partner Portal? 2. How do I register/create a new account? 3. Who can register? 4. How is Partner Portal useful to me as a landlord? 5. How can I change my password? 6. I forgot my password. How can I recover it? 7. I know my password but still can't log in. What can I do? 8. What do the icons/symbols mean? 9. How can I find information about my tenants? 10. How can I find information about my rented units? 11. How can I advertise my available units? 12. How can I find information about my HAP payments? 13. How can I review my own profile information? 14. How can I find information about my tenant's payment holds or abatements? 15. How do I read announcements from the Housing Choice Voucher Program Office? ---PAGE BREAK--- 16. How do I download forms from the Housing Choice Voucher Program Office? 17. I have other questions. Who can I contact for support? APPLICANTS 1. How long can I expect to wait for assistance? Families who live or work in Anaheim can expect to wait an average of 4-6 years to receive assistance. The Housing Authority is unable to estimate the waiting period to receive assistance for families who do not live or work in Anaheim. Persons who live in unincorporated areas of Anaheim do not qualify for the AHA live/work preference. The Housing Authority does not have emergency assistance and unfortunately cannot assist in providing any immediate assistance. 2. What type of changes in my family circumstances should I report while I am on the Section 8 waiting list? It is important that you update your application when there are significant changes in your family circumstances. You should report the following changes: Change of address. AHA will contact you by mail when your name reached the top of the waiting list. It is important that you provide updated address information to AHA. If AHA is unable to contact you and/or your mail is returned as undeliverable by the post office, your name will be removed from the waiting list. Change in family composition: When you reach the top of the waiting list, AHA will confirm information you have provided regarding the number of persons who will be a part of your household. It is always a good idea to maintain the information on your application current. Change in income: Your income level can determine the order in which you are called for assistance. You should report any significant changes in your household income as they occur. For applicants, AHA considers changes of $500 or more annually, up or down, to be a significant change. Change in Place of Employment: AHA provides a preference in admissions for persons who live or work in Anaheim. If you are seeking a preference based on your employment status, it is important that you advise AHA if you or any adult household member had obtained or lost qualifying employment in the City of Anaheim. 3. How do I report changes to my pre-application? All changes should be reported to AHA on a “Pre-Application Update/Correction Request” form. Click here to download a copy of the form. You may also pick up a form in person at the address provided below. All change forms must be submitted to AHA in the following two options: In Person: ---PAGE BREAK--- Anaheim Housing Authority 201 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite 203 Anaheim, CA 92805 Or By Mail: Anaheim Housing Authority P.O. Box 3222 Anaheim, CA 92803-9987 AHA receives a large volume of requests for changes daily. Therefore, changes to your application will take a few weeks to process. Please allow 6-8 weeks for any reported changes to be reflected on your application. 4. How do I check the status of my application? You may telephone the Housing Authority or come into the office to check on the status of your application. If possible, please have your account or social security number available as it is easier for the staff to locate your application file when you provide a reference number. If you have recently submitted a change to your application, please allow sufficient processing time. AHA receives a large volume of requests for changes daily. Therefore, changes to your application will take a few weeks to process so please allow 6-8 weeks for any reported changes to be reflected on your application. 5. What happens when my name reaches the top of the waiting list? You will be notified by mail when your name has reached the top of the Section 8 Rental Assistance waiting list and there are openings in the program. The notification will provide you with instructions on how to begin the eligibility review process. In most cases, an appointment will be scheduled for you to come into the Housing Authority office to complete an eligibility application. At that appointment, proof of income, assets, and allowances will be requested. Eligibility for preferences such as the live/work and veteran’s preference will be verified. Citizenship status will also be verified. AHA also conducts a criminal background check on all adult household members. Certain criminal offenses can make a family member ineligible for assistance. If you meet all of the eligibility criteria for the program, you will be scheduled to attend a briefing to receive a housing voucher. The purpose of the briefing is to explain how the program works and to review the documents in the voucher packet so that you will have the knowledge you need to locate a suitable unit. After you locate a suitable unit, your Housing Specialist will work with you and the owner of your selected unit to complete the necessary paperwork so that you can begin receiving rental assistance. TENANTS 1. I would like to move to another unit. What is the process? Under the AHA’s transfer policy, you are allowed a move to another unit only one time in a 12- month period. If you have been in your current unit for 12 months or more and plan on moving in the near future, follow-up the steps below: ---PAGE BREAK--- Provide a timely notice to the landlord and give AHA a copy of the notice immediately. A 60 day notice to move is recommended as it may take you some time to locate another unit. Remember that AHA must conduct an inspection of your new unit and process a new contract before any rental payments can begin for your new place. Transfer Section. While you are in the process of moving, your case will be handled by a transfer specialist. The transfer specialist will provide you with all the necessary instructions and paperwork to start the transfer process, request an inspection on your behalf once you have located a new unit and finalize the contract for your new place. After you have completed your move, your case will be handled by your regular housing specialist once again. Updating your income as part of the transfer process. It may be necessary to update your household income as part of the transfer process. If so, the transfer specialist handling your case will contact you. It is highly recommended that you provide all required documents as quickly as possible to avoid any delays in approving your move. Remain in good standing with your current landlord. Continue to make timely rent payments and maintain the property. A lease violation can delay your move or even result in a loss of your voucher. Select your next unit carefully. Visit the location at different times of the day, talk to people who live in the area and see the actual unit you will be renting. Remember this will be your home for at least 12 months. If you are moving outside of Anaheim, it will be necessary to coordinate your move with the Housing Authority in your new area. Please be advised that portability moves may take additional time to complete. As a reminder, your household must be in good standing in order to receive a voucher to move. If you are requesting to move because you are being evicted as a result of a serious or repeated lease violation, AHA may deny your request pending further investigation. 2. What type of changes in my income do I need to report throughout the year? If you reported all your income accurately at your annual recertification, you do not need to report minor changes in income that occur throughout the year. However, you should report the following changes as they occur: If you declared no income at your last annual recertification, you must report any changes in your income status within 10 days of the receipt of any income. A decrease in your income.* Changes in income must be submitted in writing within 10 business days. AHA has a “Change Report” form that you must use to report such changes. click here to download form. You can also obtain a change form in person at the AHA office or your Housing Specialist can mail the form to you. * All decreases in income must be reported by the 10th of the month in order for a decrease in the tenant portion of rent to become effective the following month. At times, your Housing Specialist may need additional information from you in order to reevaluate your case and make the change you are requesting. A delay in submitting ---PAGE BREAK--- any information requested can affect the processing time and effective date of your change in rent portion. In addition, missed appointments scheduled on your behalf for income decreases can also delay the effective date of your change in rent portion. So please, submit all paperwork requested as quickly as possible and be sure to keep your appointments! 3. What type of changes in my household composition must I report? A change in your household composition occurs when someone moves out of your household or would like to join your household. All household composition changes must be submitted in writing within 10 business days. AHA has a “Household Composition Change Report” form that you must use to report such changes. click here to download form. Adding someone to your household It is very important that you obtain authorization from AHA and your landlord before allowing anyone to move into your unit. Speak with your landlord about your request. AHA will require you to submit written authorization from your landlord to add anyone to your household. Submit your written request to AHA. In your request, include information on who you are requesting to add and their relation to you. Your Housing Specialist will make an appointment for you to come into the office so they can review the request with you. Be prepared to provide complete information on the person you are requesting to add including a date of birth, social security number, driver’s license information (if applicable), income information and any other identifying information needed to process your request. AHA will run a police background check on the person you are requesting to add. The person must pass the background check as a condition of being added to your family composition. Please be advised that AHA may deny your request to add a person(s) if the addition will result in overcrowding and/or require that you be given a larger voucher size. In general, AHA will not approve the addition of several persons at a time, however, each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Removing someone from your household It is very important that you advise AHA when an approved household member will no longer be a part of the household. Depending on the circumstances, AHA may request additional information to validate the move. When additional information is given, AHA will not remove the income for the household member who is leaving until all additional documentation has been provided. Since the voucher size allotted to your household is based on the number of persons who make up your household, the removal of a household member can result in the allocation of a smaller voucher. If needed, AHA will adjust your assistance level at your next annual recertification. ---PAGE BREAK--- OWNERS/PARTNER PORTAL 1. What is Partner Portal? Partner Portal is an online tool that allows Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) landlords to review information about their payments and tenants at their convenience, without having to call or visit the Anaheim Housing Authority (AHA) offices. Partner Portal is located at: 2. How do I register/create a new account? Click on the Create an Account link and enter your email address and your desired user name, and password. Fill in the form with your contact information, making sure that all required fields marked with asterisks are completed. You will also be required to enter your AHA account number (Entity ID) and the last four numbers of your Social Security Number (SS#) or Tax ID (also known as Federal Employer Identification Number or (FEIN) to create your Partner Portal account. For added security, you will be asked to enter the letters in the CAPCHA image box exactly as you see them (same capitalization) and submit your request by clicking on the "Send Request" button. 3. Who can register? Only Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) landlords who have been given an account number (Entity ID) by the Anaheim Housing Authority can create new accounts. 4. How is Partner Portal useful to me as a landlord? As a registered landlord, you will be able to use Partner Portal to review your profile, a list of your Section 8 HCV or PBV tenants, and your HAP payments by tenant for the prior 12 months. Additionally, you will be able to see upcoming HQS inspections, inspection results and reexamination dates. AHA forms and current announcements regarding the Anaheim Housing Authority will also be available for you to read and/or download, and you will be able to subscribe to the Owner Newsletter by providing your email address. 5. How can I change my password? Click on the "Change Password" link on the bar at the top of the page. Enter your current password once, and then your desired new password twice to confirm. Click on the "Change Password" button to submit your request. To best secure your account, you will be required to create passwords which are longer than 8 characters in length and combine letters, numbers and special characters. It is your responsibility to protect your password. Do not share it with other people or write it down where it can be easily found. 6. I forgot my password. How can I recover it? Click on the "Forgot your Password?" link on the log in page. Enter either your user name or email and then click on the "Send Password" button. A new password will be sent to the email you used to register. You can change this password by following the steps on the previous question. ---PAGE BREAK--- 7. I know my password but still can't log in. What can I do? Your user account has most likely been locked out as a result of too many unsuccessful log-in attempts. This can happen if you are not typing the correct password or if your CAPS Lock on your keyboard is on. Remember that your password is case sensitive. Please contact us by calling [PHONE REDACTED] ext. 4718 so we can unlock your account for you 8. What do the icons/symbols mean? 9. How can I find information about my tenants? Log in first and then click on the "My Families" link to the left. You will see a list showing general information about your tenants. The icons on top will allow you to convert your data to a variety of formats and download it to your computer. By clicking on the magnifying glass icon to the left you will see more details like head of household entity ID and unit characteristics. 10. How can I find information about my rented units? Log in first and then click on the "My Units" link to the left. You will see a list showing general information about your units. The icons on top will allow you to convert your data to a variety of formats and download it to your computer. By clicking on the magnifying glass icon to the left you will see more details about the unit and dates of upcoming and past inspections. 11. How can I advertise my available units? The Anaheim Housing Authority has partnered with GoSection8 to provide landlords with a free Section 8 compliant listing service for your units. There is no limit to the number of properties you can list, and you can include photos of your unit. You can begin at www.anaheim.net/gosection8 or call (toll free) [PHONE REDACTED] for assistance. As a reminder, your units are required to meet rent comparability and pass HQS inspection. For questions, call [PHONE REDACTED]. Show details in new page Edit record details or create new record Expand details on the same page Collapse details Download file Convert to Adobe PDF Convert to Microsoft Office Excel Convert to Microsoft Office Word Convert to comma separated values format ---PAGE BREAK--- 12. How can I find information about my HAP payments? Log in first and then click on the "My Payments" link to the left. You will see a list showing general information about your HAP payments organized by check number. The list can be filtered by check number, a particular unit address (by clicking on the down arrow of the "Unit" drop down menu) or by a date range. The icons on top will allow you to convert your data to a variety of formats and download it to your computer. By clicking on the arrow to the left you will be able to expand the list and see more details for each check. 13. How can I review my own profile information? Log in first and then click on the "My Profile" link to the left. You will see general contact information about your user profile on Partner Portal. For your protection, changes to your information cannot be made online; but you can submit your changes in writing to AHA using the Address Change Form, located on the Partner Portal or at http://www.anaheim.net/article.asp?id=4177. 14. How can I find information about my tenant's payment holds or abatements? Log in first and then click on the "Holds & Abatements" link to the left. You will see a list showing general information about your tenant's holds and abatements. The list can be filtered by unit address, type (Unit or Abatement) or status (Open or Closed) by clicking on the down arrow of the drop down menus. The icons on top will allow you to convert your data to a variety of formats and download it to your computer. 15. How do I read announcements from the Housing Choice Voucher Program Office? From the Partner Portal log-in page, you will find links to our most recent announcements and Owners Newsletters. From within Partner Portal, click on the “Communications” link on the left. You will also have the option to subscribe to the Owner Newsletter by submitting your email address. 16. How do I download forms from the Housing Choice Voucher Program Office? Log in first and then click on the "Forms" link to the left under the "Communications" section. You will see a list of available forms from the Housing Choice Voucher office. This list can be sorted by title description by clicking on the column title. Click on the download to download the form(s) you are interested in. The icons on top will allow you to convert the forms listing to a variety of formats and download it to your computer. 17. I have other questions. Who can I contact for support? For Partner Portal technical support, please call [PHONE REDACTED], ext. 4718 or 4862. You may email your questions to [EMAIL REDACTED]. For HCV Program support for Owners, please call [PHONE REDACTED], ext. 4707. You may email your questions to [EMAIL REDACTED]. For general questions about the Anaheim Housing Authority, please call [PHONE REDACTED].