Landlord Issues: Should he raise my rent just because I am on section 8?
By vokey9472
@vokey9472 (1486)
United States
April 2, 2007 8:44pm CST
Ok, first off let me explain section 8. This is housing assistance for low income to moderate income people. It helps them find affordable, decent housing. The client (that is me) pays a percentage of their rent and the housing authority pays the other portion directly to the landlord.
Here is the issue, currently my rent is $550 a month for a tiny 2 bedroom house. The house has all kinds of issues that need to be addresses, such a the huge hole in my kitchen floor. Well, I told my landlord that I would be moving as I finally got my section 8 voucher. He informed me that my current house is on the section 8 list and that we can just fill out the paperwork, get the house we are already in approved and then we wouldn't have to move. The catch is that he wants to fill out the paperwork stating that our new rent (for the new lease) is $797 a month. This amount just happens to be the amount on our voucher. I don't think it is right that he wants to raise my rent by $247 dollars just so he can get that extra money from the housing authority. I mean, he rents the house to non-section 8 renters for $550. Shouldn't he rent it to people on section 8 for the same amount?I just don't feel like it is honest of him to raise the rent just so he can get that extra $247 dollars. I feel like he is cheating the system, but it's the people on assitance who always get blamed and accused of cheating the system. What do you think about this? Should I just keep my mouth shut or should I say something about it?
12 people like this
29 responses
@nascar_girl_4jr (315)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I would ABSOLUTELY NOT tolerate that. Its a good thing that we do have a system in place to help lower income families. By this guy doing this, it may end up screwing someone else out of getting help in the future because the budget will be eaten away by scam artists. If you think about someone else being turned away with 3 kids and no food while your landlord is living "high on the hog", I am sure you will do the right thing.
This happens more than with just housing. If you go to the Dentist/Doctor and tell them that you have no insurance, they will usually give you a cheaper rate. But if you have insurance the insurance company will get a bill for 5 times more than you paid cash for. Its a way for people to get more money for the same thing. I think that Dr's dont believe that it harms anyone and gives them more money. But if they would think about WHY people cant afford insurance then they would see that their high charges to insurance companies would be a huge part of the high rates passed on to us for the insurance.
I think you would be doing a good thing by turning this guy in. I would call the housing department and have them check the hole in the floor as well. If they see it unfit, he WILL have to fix it before anyone else would be allowed to move in. It would be condemned until he makes it up to code.
Good Luck..
4 people like this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I agree with you. I am just being conflicted because I hate to get a bad rental referernce. But what he is doing isn't right.
I know what you mean about the doctor. I love my doctor and she has always been good to me, but when I didn't have insurance the cost to see was $60 no matter what she did. Now, we get itemized statements from our insurance company and she charged $486 for a diabetes visit, plus $250 for lab work. I was shocked. She had charged me $60 for the same things last year when I didn't have insurance. Then the insurance and I had to fight because they said it was a pre-existing condition and I hadn't waited the required 6 months for it to be covered. I had to go back to the paystub with the first premium on it. Meanwhile the doctor's office sent me a bill for the same amount that the insurance refused to pay.
I asked her about the bill and she told me that those are the fees set by the insurance company for the services. The insurance finally paid, but I found out that those are the MAXIMUM fees set by the insurance that they will pay. But that is another discussion topic. :)
3 people like this
@soccermom (3198)
• United States
3 Apr 07
Here's what I believe to be the reason your doctor charged the insurance company more than what she charged you. Besides out of the kindness of her heart. I've had the same family doctor for years and when I fell on hard times as a single mom he used to see my daughter for free. Now I am married and my hubby has good insurance, but we just recieved a heck of a bill from the pediatric cardiologist for my son. It was hard to read and I had some issues with it, there were things that were listed as "Insurance Discount" and "Insurance Paid". The bill was over $1800 originally, since the cardiologist was part of the PPO the insurance company had them "write off" about $700 of it, the insurance company paid $300 and we got stuck with the rest because our deductible for the year hadn't been satisfied. The doctors charge vearious insurance companies the maximum of what they can to offset the "write offs" they have to take for being a part of other companies PPO's. It gets pretty confusing, and I work in insurance agency. Also doctors try to get as much as they can in payment because the cost of malractice insurance is ridiculous. We have a policy holder that has a very small dental practice and she pays over $15,000 a year for malpractice coverage. I hope this helped!
@grandkids08 (246)
• United States
3 Apr 07
i know waht you are talking about. first you need to notify the housing authority taht you got you voucher from..and let them know about the floor, and have them come out and inspect it. the building has to be approved and investigated.. 2nd you need to tell the voucher people what you were paying and what the land lord is doing by jumping up the rent, whcih is not allowed, you might also want to talk to the states attorny about fraud on the landlords part, which is is. its called to me screwing the government.. i would do it asap..
4 people like this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
i know. i mentioned that problems with the house to him and his response was "i can fix it so it passes the inspection". I really don't want to deal with it, but I really don't want to go through the hassle of moving either. I am still conflicted about this.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45476)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
3 Apr 07
He should make sure it's fixed properly and to code, not just so it "passes." Talk to the authorities. He is trying to make a few extra dollars however he can. I bet he would do the repairs, or get a friend to do them, and claim it cost more than it did when he was doing his taxes.
1 person likes this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
3 Apr 07
He really is taking advange of the situation and I believe I would be saying something and if he doesn't like it then you can move to the other place as you know that you have been approved and want to be able to deal with someone who is at least agreeable and not someone who is trying to find the quickest way to make a buck off people who do not have that much money to begin with .
Best of luck in whatever you decide :)
3 people like this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I feel that he is trying to cheat the system and me. By raising the rent, my portion of the rent will be higher than if he leaves the rent where it is at. The whole point of the voucher is to help relieve our rental burden and help us save up some money so we can become self sufficient again.
1 person likes this
@Michele21 (3093)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I wouldn't agree, especially with all of the problems you are having with the house and him fixing things!! I would move to a new place with a hopefully nicer landlord! Good luck with everything!
2 people like this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
That would be nice, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. The all mighty dollar rules in America. Sad, but true.
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
3 Apr 07
I think that you should say something about it. Half as much again is a very significant rent rise and would demand much better accommodation than you have already.
I think that the authorities who dealt with your Section 8 application should be told exactly what your landlord proposes, supported of course by your current rent statements.
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I would even be willing to deal wtih that much of a rent increase if he was putting in a central heat/air unit, but he isn't. We have to supply our own window units and Texas summers mean that those window units only cool the room they are in and increase my electric bill. Last year we had a bill for almost $500. My mother's house is twice as big as this one and her bill was only $180 for the same time. She has central air.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
14 Apr 07
You can't really do anything about him wanting to raise the rent as long as he gives a 30 day notice for the new lease change. And it doesn't really effect you when he raises the rent because Section8 pays for it and will work with what you can afford. He doesn't even have to accept Section8 if he didn't want to. So I wouldn't worry about that part because there isn't much you can do about it.
But with the whole thing about him not fixing things, well you are suppose to report that to Section8 and they send people out to look at the place and if it needs fixed they will make sure the landlord fixes it and if not they make more visits and he can get in trouble himself. If all else fails, the Section8 is suppose to set you up with another place to live if the current place is unliveable.
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
3 Apr 07
Wow that is a big increase in rent. He could make you pay extra but not that big increase in your rent. Oh yes he sounds like he is cheating the system to me to but I do not think that you personally can do anything about it. Well if you said anything about it you would have to be careful of the implecations behind it.
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
exactly. i am afraid that he will give us a bad rental reference or try to evict us before we find something else. i feel rather trapped. i know it's wrong and i have to report it. i just wish he was an honest guy. i actually like him as a person but this speaks volumns about his character or lack thereof.
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
Suprise, suprise. My landlord sent over the handy man to take measurements and stuff this morning. He is going to rip out all my old floors and put in new ones over the next two weeks. He is also going to finally fix the issue of my backyard flooding every time it rains. He sent someone to look into that issue too. He is also going to paint my house and put in new screens and finally put in a new window where my dog went through it one time during a storm.
He does want to raise my rent, but he actually sent out contracters and stuff today to take measurements and stuff and the yard guy wants to start on Monday. So, since it takes 30-60 days to get everything taken care of with section 8 (inspections and such) I will wait to see if he really does start working on the house. The house has to pass inspection before he can get my voucher, so...I think I will wait and see what happens. I do know that if they approve him, he only gets paid so long as the house stays livable. They do suprise inspections and the client (that is me) can request an inspection if an issue is not addresses with in 10 days of notifying the owner about the issue.
@retardedrugrat (4791)
• Canada
3 Apr 07
I think this is wrong and if I were in your shoes I would definitely be saying something and moving anyway.
What he is doing to cheat the system is incredibly greedy of him - not to mention dishonest. Is there a housing association officer that you could talk to about this at all? It might be an idea to talk to them to try and stop him from scamming other people in the same way once you have moved.
I wish you all the very best of luck in finding somewhere new to live and in sorting this situation out.
2 people like this
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
3 Apr 07
First of all, you have the right to have good hoousing,and if he can't give you better housiing and fix up the house, MOVE!! I have been trying to get Section 8 for the longest, but it's a long wait on those bad boys. At this time I sure could use one because I live with my folks and I want my own space with me and my two girls; I would let him know your issues because after all, you have rights as well, and if he can't help you, MOVE!!!
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
We applied for section 8 in 2003 right after we both had lost our tech jobs and our son was born. At the time we were about to lose our house. That was in March of 2003. We ended up selling our house for $300 over what we stilled owed on the mortgage. We were homeless and had to live with my sister. I totally understand the frustration of waiting on the housing authority.
We finally got the letter to come in and fill out our voucher paperwork in December of 2006 and we didn't get our voucher until March 2007 (last week). The wait is so long that many people just give up. We have been living hand to mouth for years. No one would give us jobs at first because everyone thought we would leave the minute the tech field turned around. I still cannot get a job because my last salary, 5 years ago, was more than most of the managers I interview with have ever made. Hang in there, you will eventually move up the list and get your voucher.
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I apologize for my spelling. I was a bit mad on what you said; Get some advice from the housing folks too and the best to you.
1 person likes this
@Writerbob (572)
• United States
15 Apr 07
I think everyone else has already contributed solid advice. I would just add that it's an issue where he's trying to make you complicit in his scheme to get the extra money. It's like you would become allies in this secret, and arrangements like that never fair well. If things go wrong in the future, he has no motivation to fix things quickly or properly.
So my advice would also be to find a better residence. I was in the rental matrix for years and know how hard the pulling up and leaving syndrome is, but as a homeowner for the past twenty I can attest that there are equivalent problems with that too.
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
3 Apr 07
You would be suprised just how poor some people are. There is a huge poverty problem in our suburbs. You just don't see it because these people are working 2 jobs to make the house payments and car payments, but because of the money they make, they cannot get any help so they don't eat or go to the doctor. It's called "hidden poverty".
Then you have people like us who make enough money to survive, pay all our bills on time and try to have no debt, but the cost of housing eats all our money up and there is nothing left over to better our lives. I think it is sad when a simple 1 bedroom apartment can cost over $650 a month plus utilities. My grandmother cannot afford to live on her own because her retirement check is just uder $1000 but it's not enough to cover rent, utilities, and food.
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
11 Apr 07
Landlords need to comply with the contract too. If this guy isn't fixing what is needed to make the housing a safe place to live he would not be approved to receive the section 8. In our state they inspect the housing to make sure it is up to code. If he is trying to cheat the system by asking for more money you should alert the authorities at section 8. He obviously gets away with it because nobody wishes to rock the boat. If it were me, I would look for other places that would take the section 8. Huggers to you and best of luck!
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
3 Apr 07
Yes it is people like him-- Which from the way you descirbe he he sounds like a slum lord-- Doesn't keep the houses up to date- and take care of the issues. I would certainly move-- There is not reason that he should raise the rent because the housing authority is paying part of it now. How crazy is that- It's nice to see the other side of the issue- You are right - most people think that the people who get the help should get up and work more, etc. I don't feel that way- I say if you need help- I'm glad it is there.
I would turn him in- Although its just your word against his.. He didn't put anything in writing..
I'd still move and let him find another renter. And you find a nicer place!
@sweetsue (758)
• Philippines
3 Apr 07
What a crap your landlord is not being reasonable go get yourself a new pad my friend. Your trouble with that house will never stop. With all those problems you've mentioned let go of it and find some new good place.
Good luck and make up your mind.
1 person likes this
@Gemmygirl1 (2867)
• Australia
5 Apr 07
Ok, i don't know much about these things being i'm not in the USA but it does sound very wrong that he wants to cheat the system.
I would suggest informing him that you'd like to live somewhere else due to the current house having so many issues that need to be addressed. Also that you don't believe that the current property is worth what he's asking for or that you think you're currently paying enough for rent.
It might mean you'll have to move but then you could look for something that's perfect for you, where you want to be & without the holes in the kitchen floor!
Good Luck!
1 person likes this
@houdini16409 (192)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I would agree with others and suggest to you that you try and find another place. He is just trying to make an extra buck or two, which isn't right. Sounds like he is not willing to work with you on the repairs need around the house so I would want to get out of there anyways. Good luck on the home search, I hope you find a better place and something that would suit you better.
