Dear Landlord Partner:
At Fort Worth Housing Solutions, we have taken numerous measures to protect the health and safety of residents and staff and to slow the spread of COVID-19.
We want to assure you that there will be no interruption to your regular housing assistance payments. Our staff is hard at work, with some employees teleworking and others staying in our offices. Our main office building is closed to the public.
We ask that you be patient with tenants who are receiving housing assistance. Housing Choice Voucher tenants who have experienced a job loss and/or a reduction in income are required to report the change to us so that we can adjust their portion of rent accordingly. The effective date of the change in the tenant’s rent portion is the month after the tenant reports the change. It may take us longer than usual to process the action.
Temporary Federal Eviction Moratorium
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a temporary federal moratorium on evictions through Dec. 31 2020, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Fort Worth Housing Solutions tenants, voucher holders and landlords should not be affected by the CDC order as the agency may adjust rental assistance for tenants who experience a loss of income.
The federal moratorium affects individuals who will earn no more than $99,000 in 2020, or no more than $198,000 for those filing a joint tax return.
The moratorium does not relieve tenants from the obligation to pay rent or alter the cumulative amount that will need to be paid. Tenants must pay the balance owed in full. Landlords also may assess fees, penalties or interest while rent is not paid.
A link to the order and the related declaration form are available online at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-eviction-declaration.html.
FWHS Change of Income Form
FWHS clients who have experienced a reduction in income due to the COVID-19 pandemic should report the change immediately through our online form at https://www.fwhs.org/income-reduction-notification-covid-19/. FWHS may adjust your rent portion based on individual circumstances.
FWHS encourages residents and landlords to collaborate to make sure any unpaid balances are paid, even if a payment plan is necessary.
Two select guides are available for download here:
HUD’s Tenant Brochure can be distributed to tenants to prevent eviction for non-payment of rent. This document also includes helpful updates on COVID019 information and safety concerns, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) protections, and resources related to tenant needs.
HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Landlord Flyer can be shared with HCV landlords to encourage them to coordinate with the PHA and engage with their tenants before the end of the eviction moratorium. The flyer also encourages landlords to set up a repayment agreement if the household cannot repay unpaid rent in a lump sum by July 24, 2020.
As the result of COVID-19, HUD has allowed housing authorities to implement certain waivers. Consequently, FWHS is not doing any onsite physical inspections of occupied units at this time. We are conducting initial physical inspections of vacant units. In some cases we will conduct a virtual inspection or use an alternative inspection. When scheduling an inspection, the Inspector will discuss options with you. We will delay physical annual and biennial inspections until June or July, with the plan to have all of them completed by October 31, 2020, subject to it being safe to do so. As with initial inspections, we may be able to conduct some annual and biennial inspections virtually. Please let us know if you have any questions. You may always contact us at Inspections@fwhs.org. There may be a delay in receiving approval for any rent increases.
If you have any questions, please contact our landlord liaison, Ravonda Thompson, at rthompson@fwhs.org, 817-333-3667. While there may be some delay in response time, she will be available to assist.
Sincerely,
Selarstean Mitchell, Vice President of Assisted Housing
Frequently Asked Questions
I am a landlord whose Section 8 tenant is refusing to pay her portion of the rent. What do I do?
You should respond as you would with any tenant. However, please be aware that federal law requires a temporary moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent through July 25, 2020. This is part of the relief bill that Congress passed and the president signed into law.
HCVP tenants who have experienced a job loss or other reduction in income are still required to report the change to us. If they report it to us in a timely manner, we will adjust the tenant’s portion of rent. It may take longer than usual .
I am a landlord and have asked for a rent increase. When will I receive a response?
We are still processing rent increases. However, it may take longer than usual to receive a response.
Are you still processing Requests for Tenant Approvals (RFTAs)?
Yes, we are processing them and scheduling move-in inspections.
