For Landlords
Many RHA programs work because we have private landlord partners. Whether you own a small duplex or manage an entire apartment complex, we have programs that support you as you rent to low-income Nevadans who need a safe, secure place to call home.
With specialty vouchers available to veterans and foster youth, in addition to traditional vouchers for seniors and families, the RHA values landlords who serve our shared clientele.
How can I get Involved?
Learn more about landlord protections when you rent through RHA by watching this video, downloading the new landlord packet or attending our monthly New Landlord Briefing. These briefings are held on the last Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Sign up by emailing landlords@renoha.org.
Our New Landlord Packet includes:
- A sample of the HAP contract and the Request for Tenancy Approval form
- Printouts of the New Landlord Briefing and Landlord Fair slideshows
- Housing Choice Voucher fact sheets
- Several important forms (such as the Request for Change in Contract Rent form)
- Important RHA contact information
Landlord Incentive Program
Property managers and landlords who participate with RHA receive rent payment stability, regular inspections to protect their property, direct payment into their bank accounts, and other protections beyond the day of move-out.
You maintain a contract with each tenant, and also with us, so you have the same rights afforded any of your non-voucher leases. We provide criminal background checks and guaranteed payments, which you won’t find elsewhere.
The RHA also has a landlord liaison who works directly with you, so you have personalized service and a one-stop shop.
List your rental free here: https://nvhousingsearch.org/
The Landlord Incentive Program protects you:
- When a tenant passes away while still under lease
- When an eviction for cause is filed through the courts and executed
- When a tenant vacates without providing proper notice
- When the RHA terminates housing assistance for violating program rules
- When a tenant causes damage to the unit in excess of the security deposit
Effective October 1, 2024, RHA will begin implementing HUD’s new inspection protocol: National Standards for the Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). Similar to the previous Housing Quality Standards (HQS), NSPIRE establishes the minimum criteria necessary for the health and safety of program participants, and all voucher-subsidized units must meet these performance and acceptability standards in order to participate in the program. NSPIRE aims to increase inspection consistency and accuracy through clearly defined inspection standards and protocols, placing the focus on the health and safety of the resident instead of minor cosmetic defects.
HUD will be hosting a webinar, NSPIRE for Landlords, on Wednesday, February 26th from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Click here to join the webinar or go to HUD's HCV Program and Trainings website here and scroll down to February 26th, then click Join Here.
NSPIRE inspections are conducted by RHA staff to ensure that units meet HUD’s minimum performance and acceptability criteria.
When do NSPIRE inspections occur?
NSPIRE inspections come in three different varieties. Initial Inspections occur when a voucher holder submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) for a specific housing unit. Biennial Inspections occur every other year on housing units that are currently under lease by a voucher holder. Special Inspections may be requested by either the tenant or the landlord and fall outside of the biennial inspection schedule.
What do NSPIRE inspectors look for during an inspection?
NSPIRE clearly defines 3 inspectable areas: Unit, Inside, and Outside. Unit (bold) refers to the interior components of the individual dwelling – where the resident lives. Inside (bold) refers to the common areas and building systems with the building interior (but which are not inside a unit). This could be laundry facilities, workout rooms, etc. Outside (bold) refers to the building site, exterior components, and building systems located outside the building or unit. This includes things like playgrounds, sidewalks, and air-conditioning units.
Each NSPIRE standard lists the areas or items within each inspectable location that the standard applies to, and a deficiency may have different potential impacts on resident health and safety depending on where it is found. For example, an inoperable toilet in a unit may have a different classification than on in a common area.
For more information on NSPIRE and to view the standards, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good news! You don’t need to be pre-approved by RHA in order to rent to a voucher holder. Simply fill out their Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packet and give it back to them to sign and return to us. Once received, we’ll request a w-9 from you so we can add you to our system, set you up with a landlord portal, and start paying a portion of the rent.
Once you have been added as a participating landlord, you can list your units for free as they become available at www.nvhousingsearch.org.
Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA). You’ll hear it pronounced rifta or rafta, but both are referring to this packet.
This packet is given to voucher holders when they first complete our Briefing to the Housing Choice Voucher program, or when they are looking for a different unit to rent and have been approved by the RHA to transfer from one unit to the other. This packet is to be filled out by the landlord to provide us with necessary information regarding the unit.
Affordable refers to whether or not the gross rent for your unit (meaning the base rent plus tenant-responsible utilities) fit within the budget we have given them. HUD requires that a voucher-holder pay between 30-40% of their income towards rent and utilities, so we calculate this figure and tell them the maximum gross rent (or budget) that they can shop for. This amount is different for each household due to the number and type of household members and their income.
Reasonable refers to whether or not the rent for your unit is comparable to similar, unassisted units in the area. This is based on the details of your unit and current market conditions, so the amount can change over time. This amount is specific to the unit, regardless of the household’s budget.
RHA uses software to compare your unit’s age, size, location, amenities, and more to other units in the area (defined as within a 2-mile radius of your unit). We do not use information from units within the same complex and the comparable unit data cannot be more than 1 year old.
By accepting the monthly HAP payment from RHA, you’re certifying that the rent you are charging a voucher-holder is not more than you are charging any unassisted tenant. If the rent approved for a voucher-holder is too high, the limited assistance funds are wasted and assistance cannot be provided to households on the waiting list.
The rent amount you list on the RFTA and Rent Reasonable Valuation form (or Contract Rent Increase form) should be the BASE RENT for the unit. Please do not include any fees that you charge (such as smart home fees, community fees, pet fees, parking fees, etc.), regardless of if those fees are mandatory. The tenant is responsible for any fees beyond the base rent, so voucher-holders may gravitate toward units without significant additional fees in order to avoid struggles with their monthly budgeting.
RHA considers a tenant responsible for a utility if they are required to pay it directly to the service provider AND/OR if they are billed for the utility by their landlord. This includes dollar-for-dollar billing (such as passing on the $32.58 trash bill to the tenant as a lease charge) and flat-fee billing (such as charging them $50 per month for sewer and trash).
Tenants are provided a utility allowance to account for the number of utilities they will be responsible for, to ensure they are able to afford both their portion of the rent and their utility costs. This utility allowance is not money given to the tenant; rather, RHA subtracts this amount from their portion of the rent (based on 30-40% of their income) so that their income can cover both expenses.
A calculated amount that is subtracted from a tenant’s rent to account for their out-of-pocket utility expenses, with the intent of ensuring housing costs (including utilities) remain affordable for tenants.
The Utility Allowance DOES NOT represent the actual amount of the tenant’s utility bills. Instead, it’s designed to represent the average utility costs for energy-conscious households.
A payment standard is the maximum amount of assistance that RHA could pay for a unit (before deducting the total tenant payment by the family).
- Renting a unit where the gross rent (rent + utility allowance) is at or below the payment standard will ensure the family pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities.
- Renting a unit where the gross rent (rent + utility allowance) is above the payment standard (up to the maximum budget they are provided) will cause the family to pay between 30-40% of their adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities.
There are many different payment standards depending on what zip code the unit is in and what size voucher they are issued.
We strongly caution our clients against this. If the tenant moves in before the unit passes inspection, they are responsible for the full rent during this period. RHA cannot pay for a period before the inspection passes.
RHA’s subsidy standards determine the voucher size to issue, and state that there will be 2 people per bedroom, with a minor child not having to share a room with an adult. RHA does not make distinctions for the gender or generation of the people assigned to a bedroom on the voucher. RHA does not require tenants to maintain these sleeping arrangements in the actual unit. They are just for determining the size of voucher to issue.
A tenant may rent a larger or smaller unit than what is listed on their voucher, as long as the space is appropriate for the number of people in the household and the gross rent fits within their budget. PLEASE NOTE that if a tenant is looking to rent a smaller unit than what is listed on their voucher, their budget will need to be adjusted.
- Fill out the tenant’s RFTA packet completely and return it to them. They are responsible for turning it in to the RHA.
- Upon receipt of a RFTA, RHA will check that the unit is affordable for the tenant and the rent is reasonable compared to the market. If it meets both of these criteria, the RFTA will be forwarded to our Inspections department for scheduling.
- Depending on the date the unit will be available (which you fill out on the RFTA), RHA has up to two weeks to schedule and perform the initial inspection.
- If the unit fails the initial inspection, you will be provided with a list of items to correct. Once corrected, please contact our office to schedule a re-inspection as these are NOT automatically scheduled.
- If you choose not to make the corrections, please notify our office so the RFTA can be canceled and the tenant can be provided the paperwork to continue their search.
- Once the unit has passed the inspection, RHA must compare the information on the inspection (such as unit size and amenities) to the information used for the rent reasonableness check to ensure the data and rent determination was valid.
- After the unit has been found affordable, passed the inspection, and rent reasonableness confirmed, you and the tenant will be given the approval to sign a lease and move-in.
- As soon as you have a signed lease, please provide a copy to the RHA (leasing@renoha.org) so the HAP Contract can be generated.
- RHA staff will perform a Quality Control (QC) check of the HAP Contract, lease, and RFTA to ensure all information matches, and then you will be contacted to sign the HAP Contract.
- Once the HAP Contract is signed by the landlord and executed by RHA management, you and the tenant will be sent a copy for your records.
- The HAP payment (retroactive to the approved lease start date) will go out on our next bimonthly check run (usually the 1stand the 15th of the month).
- RHA is allowed take up to 60 days for this first payment (depending on the time it takes to get the lease and signed HAP contract), but we’re usually able to make the first payment within 2 weeks.
- RHA is allowed take up to 60 days for this first payment (depending on the time it takes to get the lease and signed HAP contract), but we’re usually able to make the first payment within 2 weeks.
(please reference the lease up process for further detail)
RHA will inspect the unit before the tenant is approved to move-in (or before the assistance starts if they are leasing in place), and then every two years after that.
Because we must inspect the unit before the end of the two years, RHA will schedule the biennial inspection approximately two months before the official date. This gives us time to reschedule, if needed.
RHA may also conduct Special Inspections in between the biennial inspections if requested by either the tenant or landlord. These Special Inspections will only look at the items of concern and are not full inspections.
If the failed items were marked tenant-responsible, your tenant should reach out to you regarding the repairs (as some landlords require all repairs to be conducted by a contractor/maintenance person. You may charge the tenant for repairs as allowed by your lease.
If the failed items were marked landlord-responsible, you will need to make the listed repairs.
Most items allow 30 days for repairs to be made. If any items were considered Life Threatening, those have to be repaired within 24 hours.
If you or the tenant need more time to make repairs, either of you may submit an Extension Request form (link to forms page).
If the repairs are not made within the given timeframe (and any extensions), RHA will begin withholding HAP (known as abatement) for landlord-responsible items, or issue a notice of termination for tenant-responsible items. Abated HAP may not be charged to the tenant and must be written off.
Landlords can request a Contract Rent Increase once per year and must provide the RHA with at least 60-days’ notice before the increase is to take effect (even if the tenant is month-to-month). This allows RHA time to check the reasonableness of the requested rent, process the change to the tenant’s file, and send both you and the tenant a Notice of Rent Determination showing the change to the HAP and Tenant Rent. (Yes, a tenant may be responsible for all or part of a Contract Rent Increase. RHA cannot guarantee we will be able to absorb the increase.)
Contract Rent Increases may not take effect during the term of a current lease.
You may not begin charging the increased rent until you have received notification from the RHA that the rent amount has been approved.
You do not need to execute a new lease when increasing the contract rent; however, if you do sign a new lease with the tenant, a copy must be provided to RHA so a new HAP Contract can be generated.
If the tenant is late paying their portion of the rent and your lease allows for late fees, you are welcome to charge late fees!
RHA cannot be charged late fees for the HAP if the late payment was outside of our control (such as due to the timing of when we receive our funding, or delays with the mail).
The RHA highly recommends that you enforce your lease as you would with any other tenant. Issue lease violations, eviction notices, schedule a walk-through, etc. RHA will assist by contacting the tenant to counsel them on the violations or evictions, and in some cases, begin the process to terminate their assistance. Please send all lease violations and evictions to landlords@renoha.org.
No. The tenant can only pay 30-40% of their income in rent plus utilities, which is what their budget represents. They cannot pay the extra on the side, as this would cause them to pay more than the HUD-allowed amount. If they do, they risk losing their assistance.
- Perform your own screening (such as credit history, rental history, etc.) in accordance with your tenant selection criteria. Voucher holders should not be screened for anything more than an unassisted tenant would be.
- A background check is completed by RHA before a client can receive a voucher. This screening ensures there is no violent or drug-related criminal history in the last 3 years, and that no household members are required to register as a sex offender.
- Enter into a HAP Contract with RHA.
- Perform all necessary maintenance and repairs as defined in the Lease Agreement and NRS.
- Comply with NSPIRE inspections.
- Enforce your lease and all addendums.
- Collect family portion of rent as stated in any rent change notices by RHA.
- Provide the RHA with copies of any lease violation notices or eviction notices issued to the tenant.
“HAP” is the Housing Assistance Payment that the RHA pays the landlord on behalf of the tenant.
The RHA determines the HAP through a standard formula, which takes into consideration a number of factors including, but not limited to:
- Family income.
- Contract rent for the unit.
- Payment standard based on voucher size.
- Size of the unit.
- Utility allowance based on unit size and structure type.
Once a HAP Contract has been executed, you’ll receive the HAP for the family each month. Payments go out on the first business day of the month. RHA encourages landlords to take advantage of our Direct Deposit program to provide the fastest access to the monthly HAP.
- CRI – Contract Rent Increase: an increase to the contract rent for the assisted unit, requested by the landlord.
- HAP – Housing Assistance Payment: the portion of the rent RHA is responsible for paying to the landlord.
- HCV – Housing Choice Voucher: the most common of the many voucher programs that are offered. Used to be known as Section 8.
- HQS – Housing Quality Standards: HUD standards for assisted housing.
- HUD – US Department of Housing and Urban Development: the federal department that governs housing authorities.
- NSPIRE – National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate: the new inspection protocol used by HUD.
- PHA – Public Housing Authority
- RFTA – Request for Tenancy Approval: the form used by the landlord and tenant to tell RHA about the unit to be rented.
- RHA – Reno Housing Authority
- UA – Utility Allowance: Average cost of utilities for the size and type of unit. Used in the calculation of your portion of the rent to ensure rent and utilities paid by the tenant are reasonable.
Click on the Rent Café drop-down at the top of our website and select Landlord Login.
Select Click Here to Register.
If you have a registration code (which you can get from the Landlord Liaison), select the link and enter the information. Otherwise you can select the option to proceed without a registration code.
Your primary point of contact is our Landlord Liaison, who can be reached via email (landlords@renoha.org) or via phone (775-329-3630 ext. ___).
Have questions or need a particular form?
Contact us using this form and the Reno Housing Authority will respond as soon as possible.
Contact E-mail:
landlords@renoha.org
You can find all of the Landlord Forms here: