Section 8

Eligibility for the Section 8 housing program is determined primarily by the applicants' income and household size. Families, elderly, disabled/ handicapped people and single people may be eligible.  

The City of Miami participates in both the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program which is a project-based program where the assistance is given to eligible participants occupying specific multi-family apartment buildings, and in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which is a tenant-based program in which the participants can choose the unit where they will live.

If you are a currently a Section 8 client with the City of Miami and are looking for a residence, you may go to www.affordablehousing.com (1-866-466-7328) for an up-to-date listing of available properties. All Section 8 properties are inspected regularly for compliance to federal Housing Quality Standards regulations.  

Also, if you have rental property within our jurisdiction you wish to list with our office, please do so at www.affordablehousing.com (1-866-466-7328). 

Information for Landlords   

 If you are interested in becoming a Section 8 landlord, the following information will help you understand the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program:

City of Miami Section 8 Landlord Outreach Guide

Also, if you have rental property within our jurisdiction you wish to list with our office, please do so at www.affordablehousing.com on the web or by calling 1-877-466-7328

About the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA)  "" What Section 8 Landlords/Owners Need to Know   

On March 7, 2013, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act 2013 (VAWA 2013) was signed into law. VAWA 2013 protects individuals who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, regardless of sex, gender identity or sexual orientation, from being denied housing assistance on the basis of, or as a direct result of, the applicant or resident being a victim. A final rule, effective December 2016, implements the requirements of VAWA 2013. The law was enacted to ensure that Housing Authorities and Landlords/Owners of HUD-Assisted Housing (Section 8) are consistent with HUD's nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements. To ensure that owners/landlords are compliant with this VAWA Final Ruling, please see the NOTICE OF LANDLORD RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT (VAWA), as issued by US HUD.

You can find HUD's final VAWA rule, in its entirety, at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/11/16/2016-25888/violence-against-women-reauthorization-act-of-2013-implementation-in-hud-housing-programs

Section 8 Tenant Rights & Responsibilities

THE CITY OF MIAMI HAS A SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM (HCV)AND A SECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED PROGRAM. BOTH PROGRAMS ARE PRESENTLY CLOSED AND NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

What is the Section 8 Program?

The Section 8 program is a federal housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD provides funding to communities across the country that then operate the program as per federal regulation. Section 8 subsidizes rental assistance to meet the housing needs of qualified very low, and low-income income persons and households. 

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is a tenant-based program in which the participants can choose the unit where they will live. The Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program is a project-based program where the assistance is given to eligible participants occupying specific multi-family apartment buildings. Both of these programs operate based on an advertised, application period where people are advised of when/where they can apply by a deadline, and then a lottery establishes a subsequent waiting list of applicants, which is processed as a slot/position opens.

 All the cities/counties that operate a Section 8 program open their application periods independently, and manage their own, separate waitlists.

How do I apply for Section 8?

The City of Miami is not accepting applications. At the following link, you’ll find an extended list of all the housing authorities in Florida and a listing of the types of housing programs each offers; you can contact them to see if applications are presently available in their community -- https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/PHA_Contact_Report_FL.pdf

How do I Check my application or update contact information?

The City of Miami’s application period for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program closed in October 2014 and the City is working through its waitlist. If you received written communication that you were on that waitlist, and your contact information has changed, please call 305-416-1572.

The City of Miami Project-based Program has a separate waitlist. If you are on that waitlist and your contact information has changed, please call 305-416-1572.

What are SAFMR?

SAFMR stands for “Small Area Fair Market Rents.” SAFMRs are estimates of the typical rent  (including the cost of utilities, except telephone), for different unit sizes within a specific ZIP code. SAFMRs are established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) each year. The City of Miami’s Section 8 program must begin to implement SAFMRs in their Housing Choice Voucher program no later than January 1, 2025.

Additional SAFMR information.

NSPIRE replaced Housing Quality Standards (HQS)

In May 2024, the Department sent a letter via US Mail to all landlords in the Section 8 program advising them of the transition to NSPIRE in relation to inspections of Section 8 units. In 2023, the US Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register indicating that the National Standards for the Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) would replace Housing Quality Standards (HQS), updating HUD’s inspections process by implementing inspections that better reflect the true physical condition of the property. Inspections are a critical tool for helping HUD and landlords ensure that they provide safe and sanitary housing for assisted housing tenants.

The final rule and standards creates a unified assessment between the HCV, HUD Public Housing, and Multifamily Housing Programs. Additional NSPIRE guidance was published in September 2023 under HUD PIH Notice 2023-28 and updated in August 2024 under PIH 2024-26, REV-1. Housing agencies, including the City of Miami, are required to adopt the new NSPIRE inspections methodology for their Housing Assistance Programs, for newly assisted units, no later than October 1, 2025, which was our Department’s compliance date. For a sample Inspection Checklist (this is an optional reference tool and is not a required document), visit www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/NSPIRE_Checklist.pdf

The inspection requirement for the tenant-based program only applies to units occupied or to be occupied by HCV participants, and common and exterior areas which either service, or are associated with, those units. For more information on NSPIRE, visit www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/reac/nspire.