Policies & Compliance

All calls are to be directed to 313-561-2600.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.

  • Inkster Housing receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.

  • A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. The unit may include the family's present residence (called leasing in place). Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the PHA.

  • A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

January 2020 a computerized random lottery was completed, 2,500 households selected and added to the Inkster Housing Choice Voucher waiting list. All applicants received information indicating the status of their application and was informed by U.S Mail and email when their name was placed on the Waiting List.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental subsidies to lower-income families that meet federally established income guidelines. Program participants find their own rental housing and use the vouchers they receive from the Inkster Housing Choice Voucher Program (IHCVP) to help pay the rent. Funds for the program are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). When a family finds a suitable l unit and the property landlord agrees to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program, the family submits the following information to the IHCVP:

  • A Request for Tenancy Packet, signed by the Landlord/Property Management Company and the family.

  • A copy of the proposed lease. The lease must include, word for word, all provisions of the Tenancy Addendum required by HUD. After the IHCVP receives the Request for Tenancy Packet and the proposed lease. Staff will process the paperwork and orders the inspection of rental unit to ensure that it meets HUD Housing Quality Standards. There is no charge to the property owner or the tenant for this inspection. If the IHCVP approves the unit and the lease, we will notify the family and the property owner, and we will furnish a HUD Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract to the owner. The owner must sign the HAP contract and return it to the IHCVP.

Property Owner Responsibilities

  • Rental property owners who participate in the IHCVP program must:

  • Screen and select tenants.

  • Provide a lease that conforms to all state and local laws as well as to the Housing Choice Voucher program’s HAP contract.

  • Maintain the rental unit in compliance with HUD Housing Quality Standards.

  • Collect the tenant’s portion of the rent. The IHCVP pays the subsidized portion of the monthly rent directly to the owner—generally this is the difference between a predetermined payment standard and 30 percent of the tenant’s adjusted monthly household income.

  • Comply with all requirements of the HAP contract and lease. The terms of a lease cannot be changed without the IHCVP’s written acknowledgement.

Per federal requirements, property rented to HCVP tenants is re-inspected annually by the IHCVP. It is illegal for property owners to discriminate based on prospective tenants’ age, race, sex, religion, disability or national origin. It is also illegal to deny tenancy based on the fact that a household has a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher subsidy.