Photo by Jacob Mathers on Unsplash

Question:

My daughter and son-in-law are buying a new house in Georgia that has an in-law home on the property. Will they be able to rent to me using my section 8 certificate? I am on Social Security and have disabilities. I now live in Florida with no close family and need to be near family.

Response:

I was surprised when researching your question to learn that you can in fact move your Section 8 certificate from one state to another from Florida to Georgia. Here’s what the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website says:

“Under the voucher program, new voucher-holders may choose a unit anywhere in the United States if the family lived in the jurisdiction of the PHA issuing the voucher when the family applied for assistance. Those new voucher-holders not living in the jurisdiction of the PHA at the time the family applied for housing assistance must initially lease a unit within that jurisdiction for the first twelve months of assistance. A family that wishes to move to another PHA’s jurisdiction must consult with the PHA that currently administers its housing assistance to verify the procedures for moving.”

The way I read this is that you should contact your housing authority (PHA) to ask it for the procedure for moving. If you need to show them the website from which I took the quote, here it is: https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8#hcv05

The other issue is whether your daughter and her husband can act as your Section 8 landlords. There’s a general rule against relatives serving as landlords for Section 8 tenants. However, there is also an exception where the tenant is disabled. Here’s a website that provides valuable advice on how to qualify for this exception, including a sample letter to the housing authority: https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/how-to-make-a-request-to-rent-from-a-family-member-housing-vouchers/

Unfortunately, your situation is complicated. You’ll have to contact your local housing authority in Florida to learn the process for moving your certificate to Georgia and then the local Georgia housing authority about the process for applying for a disability waiver so your daughter can serve as your landlord. Good luck.

Related Articles

Can Mother Get Section 8 if Daughter Owns her Apartment? Are our South Carolina Wills Still Good Now that We Live in Georgia? Can My Parents Use Section 8 Voucher to Rent from My Mother-in-Law?