Step 1: Schedule the Inspection
If you choose to rent to a family with a Voucher, complete the Request for Tenancy Approval form and have the family hand deliver the form back to BHA. Three days after the form has been submitted, call (617) 522-0048 to schedule an inspection.
Step 2: Agree on Rent
After the inspection has been conducted and the apartment has been approved, you will make a rent agreement with BHA and the tenant. At this time, you will know how much BHA will pay you each month (the Voucher amount) and how much the tenant will pay you. This amount should add up to the total rent.
Step 3: Sign the Lease
Once the rent is agreed on, you will sign a lease with the family. This will be done at BHA's central office at 52 Chauncy Street in Boston.
Under Massachusetts law, you may take a security deposit equal to one month's rent once the lease is signed. The lease is between you and the family.
Step 4: Sign the Housing Assistance Payments Contract
The Housing Assistance Payments Contract is your agreement with BHA. It guarantees you the subsidy payment and other benefits as long as the family remains in the apartment and the apartment remains in compliance with the State Sanitary Code. BHA will also ask that you certify that you are the present owner of the property and provide a copy of the registered deed with the book and page number listed by the county's Registry of Deeds. If the deed is more than 10 years old, BHA will ask you to provide a copy of the property’s current tax bill.