Does anyone have any experience owning a section 8 rental?

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  • DutchV

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2012
    4,702
    A friend of mine had a Section 8 townhouse in Westminster until last year. Not sure if he made any money or not when he sold it. I've helped him fix just about everything at least once. The area is okay; it's the tenants that are the issue. Stuff that has gone wrong includes: front door kicked in, interior doors punched through, drywall punched or kicked through, kitchen cabinets kicked in or had doors pulled off, and one bedroom re-painted completely black. If it can break, the tenants will figure out how to do it. Never mind the typical grief of getting the rent payment on time. Some renters are covered by the Section 8 voucher almost completely; others have to pay quite a bit, depending on their income. Getting their part out of somebody who feels entitled to free rent can be a drag. You have to know the system and file the paperwork exactly the right way in order to sue someone or get them evicted.

    I second the idea of going with a REIT or other investment vehicle. A bad rental can be a lot of hassle.
     

    FrankOceanXray

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 29, 2008
    12,028
    not to mention kitchen cabinets, appliances, carpet, doors - you name it.... and then there is the filth and cockroaches...


    Bed bugs, too! MD and DC are top ranked.



    Know an attorney who left the defense side for similar reasons: constant trouble tracking down payment.
     

    Hakuna Matata

    Active Member
    May 14, 2014
    196
    I considered sec 8 for a rental TH that was vacant for about 3 months or so....I already heard the horror stories and was aware of the risks (or so I thought) so I decided to attend the new landlord briefing they require all new landlords to attend and let me tell you, after learning how the program actually works in regards to rules/regs/laws AND knowing what I know about the type of tenant I was bound to get I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Helllll NO! I was more than happy to pay the rent myself and leave the property vacant until I found a tenant. Never will I ever
     

    MocoJed

    Active Member
    Nov 16, 2015
    474
    Loco Moco
    Selling mine after 9 years of section 8. Replaced dishwasher with new unit, one year later replace new unit's spray arm, 6 months later, replace spray arm again... Replace 7 year old garbage disposal, two years later, replace disposal again... Replace dryer, replace the new dryer's starter switch 3 times in 4 years... Repair multiple drawer faces pulled off kitchen drawers, repair again every 2 years... Repair bannister, repair again 3 months later. Get notice that window is broken (claim it is from a tree branch that flew against it...), order repair from glass company, glass company drags its feet, housing authority decides not to pay 6 weeks of rent due to broken window...

    Any idea why I am selling? How about no more calls in the middle of my vacation time about BS that I really just don't feel like arguing over whether or not it is "ordinary wear and tear."

    Oh, and if the property is in Moco, definitely don't do it, the housing authority and tenants always win.
     

    jrumann59

    DILLIGAF
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 17, 2011
    14,024
    At least in MD if you own property Section 8 is a fitting term, you would have to be Section 8 to rent your house out Section 8.
     

    Bboarder

    Me Myself & I
    Mar 7, 2010
    1,200
    Reisterstown
    We have about 70 units, about 30 of them are section 8, county and city.

    PM if interested in learning a little. We are also a management company who handle all aspects of managing rentals for others.
     
    If Maryland doesn't recognize the US Constitution how can you expect them to recognize any other legal document?





    I have 6 units. It is very difficult to get a return in a non-appreciating economy. Regardless, I believe it is impossible to turn a profit if you buy a rental at market price and repair using licensed and bonded maintenance personal. You have to be willing to essentially pay yourself. Rarely do you get even a minimum wage equivalent. And the court won't pay you when calculating damages, So, you fix it yourself, or run the risk of not getting paid if you outsource. I should also state that laws for landlord tenant relationships favor the tenant. A simple screw up from the landlord like failing to provide a receipt, or failing to give a damage letter at the conclusion of the rental period will result in treble damages. Three times the deposit back to the tenant. As for Section 8, I have had one. She always paid on time, but the section 8 housing vouchers were often late. Even though the housing office had late fees in their contract with the landlord, they don't pay them. People say, just get a lawyer and go to court to get them, you have a contract. Maryland courts don't seem to recognize leases as valid contracts and it's not worth the effort. I used to enjoy being a landlord. I had good tenants and they paid in time. Only recently has this exercise changed to being a PITA.
     

    cool_t_1

    Member
    Sep 14, 2016
    56
    AA County MD
    If you are still looking for information on rentals and Section 8 pm me. I manage a ton of rentals and have both market and voucher tenants. They are some tricks to navigating the Section 8 program. Also depends on the area. I deal mostly in Baltimore City.
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    Not my experience...my Dad's from quite a few years back. I'm guessing mid-80s or a little later. He rented an investment home via Section 8. Started out great and payment was virtually always on time unlike some renters who will pay anywhere from a few days late to pushing the grace period (or even just not making a payment at all). When damage happened to the property and some lease infringements happened, it was much harder than usual to get rid of the tenant and ended up taking like 3 months (tenants are often a bit difficult to remove and do take some time BTW. However, they can usually be removed a bit quicker....as in evicted...for non payment or other issues as he could simply cancel their contract with a 45 day notice back then). Obviously, he was receiving payment and on time. He actually had to go to court to make a case to have them removed for excessive damages, plus violating lease requirements as to who lived there as well as keeping junk cars on the property in violation of the rental contract as well as zoning. He never went that route again. He had a significant number of repairs to make before the property was in shape to be rented again and had to have 2 non-functioning vehicles removed from the property. . Have no idea if there was any 'help' (although I doubt it) from any government program to cover the expenses from damage after the tenant was gone. I really wasn't directly involved so I knew few exact details, but I know he ended up feeling aggravated by the circumstances.
     

    A1Uni

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 28, 2012
    4,842
    I have four houses in Richmond, VA that have been rented to Section 8 people for decades.

    The rent gets paid but the houses get TOTALLY TRASHED on a regular basis.

    I got so sick of dealing with it that I just hired a management company to handle it. Some months expenses exceed income; some months I get a check.

    DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.
     

    Worst nightmare

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Feb 18, 2017
    104
    I've got a friend that does this. He has close to 8 total. I've asked him to teach me about doing this too. I'm handling some things for him on these properties now but I'm considering it too.
     

    Sgt. Psycho

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 1, 2009
    1,915
    not to mention kitchen cabinets, appliances, carpet, doors - you name it.... and then there is the filth and cockroaches...

    ....and drug dealers and hos....oh wait, you already listed filth and cockroaches.

    Anyway, if you can get a decent rental property in a decent area (not a townhouse in The Orchard, aka Pioneer City) within a reasonable distance of Ft. Meade, try renting it out to military personnel. They get BAH toward their rent, and you have recourse through JAG if they really mess up your property or fail to pay you. One of my neighbors had to move to CA, and they have rented their house out to military-only ever since. All of the renters have been decent so far.

    The Section 8 house up the street was a drug haven years ago until AACP raided them a few times. Things calmed down for about a year, but now the house has renters with PG County "connections" again, so the obvious drug traffic has started back up.

    Rent to military personnel if you can, and save yourself some hassle by using a management company if you can do so and still turn a profit.
     

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