The RHA has partnered with www.AffordableHousing.com to provide an on-line listing of rental properties. The service is free. The RHA also provides the opportunity to list your property in our office. Contact the Rental Assistance Department to learn more.

Landlords who participate in the program are helping low income Washoe County residents obtain the most basic of needs, which is housing. In addition, landlord benefit from the following:

• Guaranteed receipt of the RHA portion of contract rent.
• Lower vacancy rates and reduced tenant turnover.
• Regular Housing Quality Standard inspections.

Under the HUD HCV Program, landlords must make any necessary repairs to the property, comply with all federal, state and local fair housing laws and permit inspection of the unit as requested by the RHA. Landlords must comply with the terms of the lease, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract, the HUD Tenancy Addendum and all Nevada Revised Statues pertaining to landlord tenant law.

Almost any kind of safe, decent and sanitary housing qualifies. Units can include single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, duplexes or manufactured homes. To be accepted there must be an adequate living area with heating, water and sewer systems.

The home must be free from any conditions that might endanger the health and safety of the participant. To ensure the unit meets these criteria, the RHA must conduct and the unit must pass, a Housing Quality Standard (HQS) Inspection.

Landlords must screen tenants as they normally would. Prior to admission to the program, the RHA will review a criminal background report on all adult members of the household.

As a landlord participating in the program, you must execute a 12-month lease with all new voucher tenants. The lease should include the following:

• Names of the landlord and all members of the household (including children).
• Address of the rental unit.
• Term of the lease and how it will be renewed.
• Monthly rent amount.
• Which utilities are paid by the landlord and the tenant. If the tenant is required to pay certain utilities, they must be able to put the utility in their name, otherwise it should be included in the base rent of the unit.

As a landlord participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program there are certain steps that must occur before executing a lease with the voucher tenant. A Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) must be completed by the landlord and submitted to the RHA by the voucher holder. The RHA will determine, based on the information provided on the RFTA, if the unit is affordable for the voucher holder. The RHA will also conduct a Rent Reasonableness evaluation to determine if the rent being requested is reasonable based on other comparable units in the area. Once the unit is determined to be both affordable and reasonable, the unit will be scheduled for Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection. Once the unit passes the HQS inspection, the RHA will contact the landlord with approval to execute a lease. The RHA is not able to pay rent on any lease executed before the unit passes HQS. Once the lease has been executed, a copy must be provided to the RHA. The RHA will draft a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract for signature by the landlord and the RHA.

To request a Contract Rent Increase or Decrease (CRI or CRD), the landlord must provide a written request to the RHA. In addition to the request form, a Rent Reasonable Valuation form must be completed and provided to the RHA with the request. The RHA will conduct a rent reasonableness evaluation on the request based on comparable units in the area. Per HUD regulations, the rent must be determined to be reasonable before approval can be given for any CRI or CRD. HUD requires the RHA to determine rent reasonableness to ensure that rents charged by owners to HCV participants do not exceed rents currently being charged for comparable unassisted units in the private market. Only one CRI may be requested during a 12-month period. Landlords will be notified, in writing, of the approved rent amount. If a new lease is executed, the RHA must be provided a copy and new HAP Contracts will be drafted for landlord signature. The RHA requires 60-day notice on all requests for Contract Rent Increase or Decrease (CRI or CRD). Please find the CRI Request form as well as the Rent Reasonable Valuation form in the “Forms” section of this page. A copy of the CRI Request Schedule can also be found in the forms section.