HOUSEHOLDS CURRENTLY RECEIVING SECTION 8 BENEFITS

Households currently on Section 8 Rental Assistance can report changes in income and changes of household members by filling out the Carlsbad Housing Agency Change Report Form.

Changes in Income

When receiving the Rental Assistance Program, you must report all increases or decreases in income to our office, in writing, within 15 days of its occurrence. All information provided must be true and complete. Please mail the completed Change Report Form to our office located at: 2965 Roosevelt St, Ste B, Carlsbad, California 92008. Proof of the increase or decrease in income must accompany the form. Please attach a copy of the supporting documentation for all changes (i.e. check stubs, award letters, resignation letters, canceled checks, notices or Employer's Name and complete mailing address). If you have any questions, please contact your Housing Specialist.

Adding or Deleting a Household Member

As a Section 8 Participant, you must notify the Housing Agency, in writing, within 15 days of the birth, adoption or court-awarded custody of a child. If a person is moving into the household, you must have the Housing Agency and Owner/Agent's approval before the person moves in. A statement indicating why this person is required to be added to your household must accompany the Change Report Form. If you have any questions, please contact your Housing Specialist.

Portability and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

Broad Choice In Where To Live

Now that you are receiving federal housing assistance, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wants you to have a broad range of choice in where to live. One of the top priorities of HUD is to broaden housing choices for low-income families. The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program does not restrict where in the city, county, state, or country you may live. Often families with low incomes are restricted to high poverty areas. If you live in such an area, your Voucher provides you with the means to move, and you are encouraged to do so.

Moving out of areas of high poverty or low opportunity offers significant advantages to families. Moving will allow you to select a home in close proximity to better education, jobs, public transportation, public services, and shopping. You can select a home within a neighborhood that offers the amenities you desire, low crime rate, and/or a home in proximity to the school of your choice for your children. HUD studies show that when families move from high poverty areas, children reach higher levels of school achievement.

Where A Family May Move!

Portability enables a family to move nationwide from one local Housing Agency's jurisdiction to another. The Carlsbad Housing Agency will coordinate with the Housing Agency in the jurisdiction to which you would like to move. You must check with the new Housing Agency in the area where you wish to move before assuming the transfer will be automatic. You should find out if there is a Section 8 Program operational in the community you wish to move to and the name, phone number and address of the Portability Coordinator. If you are unable to obtain this information, go to www.hud.gov or www.espanol.hud.gov to locate the Housing Agency's information.

Transferring (Porting) your Section 8 Voucher out of Carlsbad

If you are currently receiving Section 8 Rental Assistance from the Carlsbad Housing Agency and you would like to transfer your Voucher to another city or state, please read the following helpful information.

Getting Started

If you want to use your rental assistance outside of Carlsbad, you will need to use the “Portability” feature of the Section 8 Program by doing the following:

  1. You must give a written 30-day notice to the Owner/Agent of your current rental unit.
    NOTE: If you are currently in a lease, you must obtain the Owner's permission to break it. You and the Owner/Agent must sign a Mutual Rescission of Lease Agreement. You must provide a copy of all notices to your Housing Specialist.
  2. You need to complete the Request to Utilize Portability identifying the new Housing Agency’s information and a contact person. You can find the Housing Agency’s information at www.hud.gov. You must submit this form to your Housing Specialist.
  3. All money owed to this or any Housing Agency must be resolved before you move.
  4. You must contact your Housing Specialist to confirm that all required documentation is completed.

Once you have provided all the information, we will send your portability paperwork to the new Housing Agency.

Please Be Advised!

Each Housing Agency sets their own payment standards and occupancy standards. Be aware that you may not be funded with the same bedroom size at the new agency We recommend you check with them before securing a rental unit.

Some Housing Agencies will not accept your paperwork from our office if you have less than 30 days left on your Voucher.

Basic Procedures for Transferring Your Rental Assistance to the Carlsbad Housing Agency

Did you know the entire City of Carlsbad is an area of greater opportunity for you and your family? If you have chosen the beautiful City of Carlsbad as your new home, you can transfer your Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher to the Carlsbad Housing Agency IF your current Housing Agency approves. The Carlsbad Housing Agency is NOT absorbing transfers at this time. You can only transfer to the City of Carlsbad if your current Housing Agency will allow us to bill them.

  • You will need to contact your current Housing Representative to make sure their Agency will accept a monthly bill from our office for the Section 8 portion of your rent.
  • Please be advised that our Occupancy Standards Policy is: One bedroom for the head of household and their spouse, significant other or co-head; and one bedroom is assigned for each additional two people regardless of sex, age or relationship. There are NO exceptions to this bedroom assignment policy.
  • You will also need to let your current Housing Representative know our Payment Standards (Effective 10/1/07):

    Studio payment standard is $1075;
    One bedroom is $1228;
    Two bedroom is $1490;
    Three bedroom is $1976; and
    Four bedroom is $2382;

    When shopping for a rental in our city, you can rent a unit that exceeds these payment standards. How much the rent can exceed the payment standards is based on your current adjusted monthly income. Because you can't pay more than 40% of your adjusted monthly income when you first move in, you will need to speak to your current Housing Representative to get your maximum rental amount. Your Housing Representative can use our Utility Allowance Chart to help determine if the rental amount requested is within your price range. DO NOT ask our staff to calculate this rental amount for you, as we do not have your income and asset information.
  • If your Housing Agency approves monthly billing at our payment standards, you will need to download the Notice of Billing Form and have your Housing Representative complete and mail or fax it to our office.
  • Once our office has received the Notice of Billing Form, the next step is to locate a rental unit in the City of Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Housing Agency's jurisdiction is Carlsbad and La Costa ONLY. This includes zip codes 92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011. You can find local rental information in the classified ads of the North County Times Newspaper located at www.nctimes.com. You will need to contact the Owner/Agent directly to see if they accept the Section 8 Rental Assistance Program. You can also Contact Us | Housing and Redevelopment and ask to receive local rental information. Please make sure to include your mailing address, email address or fax number.
  • Once you have located an approvable rental, contact your current Housing Representative and have your paperwork mailed or faxed to our office. DO NOT send or transfer your paperwork to our office while you are shopping for a rental in our jurisdiction. We accept paperwork for Section 8 Participants that have already located a rental in the city limits of Carlsbad. Once your paperwork is received, we will contact you to set up an office appointment with a Housing Specialist.

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