Participation Requirements

couple with realtor outside house

Requirements for landlord participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program are:

  • Willingness to participate in the program and comply with program regulations.
  • Provide a federal tax identification number.
  • Taxes must be current for all properties contracted under, or proposed to be contracted under, JCHA's Housing Choice Voucher Program.
  • Willingness to have units inspected to meet minimum Housing Quality Standards.

Landlords with criminal histories involving illegal drugs or violent criminal behavior may be denied participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. This decision is made at the discretion of JCHA.

Steps to participate in this program

Participation on the part of landlord is purely voluntary. The unit must be located within the Johnson County Housing Authority jurisdiction (which is all Cities within Johnson County, excluding the City of Olathe Housing Authority).

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Step 1

A family who has been issued a Housing Choice Voucher contacts owner/landlord.  Ask to see the Housing Choice Voucher and check the expiration date (found in upper right hand corner.) If the date is current, the family is eligible for assistance. Return the voucher to the family.

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Step 2

Owner/landlord screens the family to ensure rental qualification criteria are met.  Please note that JCHA only verifies family income and composition. 

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Step 3

After owner/landlord approves the family, the family and landlord fill out the Request for Tenancy Approval (Form HUD-52517), provided to the tenant by JCHA. The Request for Tenancy Approval must be completed in its entirety and signed. JCHA will review the signed Request for Tenancy Approval and determine if the rent is affordable based on the family's income, and if the rent is reasonable when compared to units in the private market (Rent Reasonableness). The landlord may be asked to provide documents showing the rent is comparable to other unassisted units.

A vendor form and W-9 form will also need to be filled out and signed by a first-time program participant landlord.

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Step 4

Once Step 3 is completed and the unit is determined affordable and meets rent reasonableness requirements, the owner or landlord will receive a notification by telephone regarding the date and time of the inspection date and time for the initial Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection.

If the unit does not meet HQS requirements, the owner/landlord will receive a list of required repairs and a deadline by which those repairs need to be made before re-inspection.

Once the unit passes inspection, the landlord and tenant should call the case manager assigned to the tenant to determine the appropriate date on which to begin a legal lease agreement. JCHA will then enter into a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract with the owner/landlord, and the family will enter into a lease with the owner/landlord for the same day. After the contract and lease have been executed, JCHA will begin making payments to the owner/landlord for JCHA's portion of the rent which will be effective as of the date of the HAP Contract and Lease Agreement.  

JCHA will prorate the first month's contract rent payment (according to the days left in the month) and make all other payments in a timely manner.