Subsidized housing
Tenants in subsidized housing must follow the program’s rules and requirements to keep their subsidy, and also may file a grievance and ask for a hearing to dispute Housing Authority actions.
1. Fast facts
Subsidized housing includes many different programs where tenants receive rent assistance or pay a reduced amount of rent. Tenants in subsidized housing usually pay about 30 – 40% of their household income in rent.
Some rent assistance comes in the form of a portable voucher, like a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. Voucher holders rent from private landlords and pay only a portion of the rent, while the Housing Authority that issues the voucher pays the rest.
This guide is about project-based subsidized housing, where rent assistance is attached to the rental units or building and do not move with the tenant.
All tenants in subsidized housing programs are covered under Washington’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. In general, tenants in subsidized housing have some additional protections that tenants who do not live in subsidized housing have. But tenants in subsidized housing may have additional requirements or rules to follow or they may lose their subsidy.
Many subsidized housing projects are administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including:
- Public housing which is managed by a public Housing Authority
and
- Project-Based Section 8 Housing (sometimes called HUD Housing)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also administers some subsidized housing projects through the Section 515 Rural Development Multi-Family Housing program.
There are also Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, which are privately owned but have more affordable rents.
Sometimes it can be difficult to understand which program administers the property where you live. You can ask your landlord and read your lease which should say which program’s rules apply to you.