HAPP Informational Brochure (2022)

10 HCV HAPP Program - What is it Housing Choice Voucher Housing Assistance Payments Program A Federal Program designed to assist very low income families , the elderly , and the disabled to be able to afford Decent , Safe , and Sanitary housing in the pri - vate market Giving private Landlords the opportunity to collect guaranteed income while providing much needed affordable housing to those most in need in our community 107 E Johnston St PO Box 1515 Smithfield , NC 27577 919 - 989 - 5070 Benefits for Owners ? Guaranteed Rent payments from HAPP Our HAPP portion is paid monthly via Direct Deposit The Ten - ant ' s portion of the total rent is based on their in - come Anytime they have an increase decrease we have the ability to adjust their portion and we make up the difference Meaning they should not have a problem paying their portion each month ? Tenants who do not pay their portion to the Landlord risk losing their Housing Assistance once we are made aware of it Hence , if we receive notification a Tenant hasn ' t paid their rent we will assist in pushing them to pay or risk losing their Housing Assistance through our office Many owners find this to be a huge benefit over non - program participants ? HAPP versus Traditional Tenants Participants on our program have incentive to pay their portion of rent if any timely , keep the property clean , and to not do other things to cause them to be evicted Lease Viola - tions for certain types of criminal activity , damage to property , or failure to pay their portion of the Rent are grounds for termination from the program ? Potential Owners Landlords will be helping a cost burdened low income individual or family obtain decent , safe and sani - tary housing ? Initial & Annual Property Inspections are conducted by our office We report any issues or deficiencies we note to Own - ers ASAP HAPP always suggests Owners Inspect their proper - ties more often ? Owners have the ability to use their own pre - screening crite - ria credit , criminal , rental history , etc and to charge a rea - sonable application screening fee to potential Tenants as long as it falls within Fair Housing Guidelines The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits the denial of housing to a person based on the person ' s membership in one or more of the classes protected under the Act The protected classes are race , color , religion , national origin , sex , familial status , and disability NOTE Owners and or their agents are encouraged not to deny any applicant the right to rent housing based ONLY on the fact that the applicant is a participant in the HCV HAPP Program This can be used as part of their screening criteria , but we encourage Owners to not make this the sole reason for deny - ing an application if the applicant passes all other screening criteria ? Comparable rents and rent increases are based on the local market and HUD ' s annual FMR Fair Market Rent Schedule for the local area We consistently run market comps at move in , plus each time a Landlord requests a rent increase Own - ers can request an increase as frequently as every 12 months We welcome and encourage this practice Annual rent in - crease approval is based on both market conditions and annu - al budgeting guidelines PageBenefits the community By providing housing to Tenants who are on a limited income and do not have the resources to be able to afford the rising rents in our area you are helping them to have a decent , safe and sanitary place to live When you say " yes " to a HCV participant this puts money into your pocket as the Owner , and it puts additional dollars into the community After all this is where the participant will live , shop , work etc How can I participate ? Advertise your vacancies with our office It ' s FREE ? Set your own Rent amount Note We will be happy to assist you when necessary with market comps ? Set your own Security Deposit NC Tenant Landlord Law says you can charge anywhere from zero up to a month and a half of what equals the initial total monthly rent amount This applies to Owners who use a 12 month lease term and then let it roll into a month to month after the initial 12 months ? Set your own criteria for screening potential appli - cants as outlined on the previous page ? Ask for a copy of our Inspection Guidelines or go to our website We are happy to share a checklist with you regarding HUD ' s Housing Quality Standards ? Ask for an Owner Landlord packet which will in - clude documents such as W - 9 , Direct Deposit Au - thorization and other Owner information we will need once you have selected your HCV Tenant and are ready to proceed with the rental process Have Questions Give us a call , or visit our website for more information Johnston County Housing Assistance Payments Program Physical Address 107 E Johnston St Smithfield , NC 27577 Mailing Address PO Box 1515 Smithfield , NC 27577 Phone 919 - 989 - 5070 Fax 919 - 989 - 5421 Webste https wwwjohnstonncgov happ Page