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Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher · Project-Based Vouchers · Property owners and managers

Listing your unit with HACSC.

HACSC administers federal rental assistance for 5,800+ households in Santa Cruz County. We pay the bulk of the rent directly to you on the first of every month, on time, by ACH. Your tenant pays a smaller portion to you. This page is the consolidated landlord onboarding, payments, inspections, AB 282 protections, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Quick links

List your unit

Add a vacant unit to HACSC's listings shared with voucher holders looking to lease.

HAP payments

How HACSC pays you, on what schedule, and how to set up direct deposit (EFT) and W-9.

Inspections (HQS)

Initial and biennial Housing Quality Standards inspections. What we check and how to prepare.

AB 282: your obligations

California law makes source of income a protected class. What this means for advertising, screening, and lease decisions.

Why partner with HACSC

The pitch from HACSC's perspective is simple. With a Section 8 voucher tenant in your unit:

  • HACSC pays the bulk of the rent directly, typically 60–70% of the contract rent, sometimes more, depending on the tenant's income. Payment is by ACH on the first business day of every month.
  • You set your own rent, subject to HACSC's rent reasonableness review (we compare to nearby market rents).
  • HACSC inspects the unit on a regular cycle, initial inspection before move-in, then biennial inspections. The inspections are not optional but they are predictable and we provide checklists in advance.
  • You can screen the tenant for the things you screen any other tenant for, rental history, employment, references, subject to AB 282 (no screening on source of income) and Fair Housing.
  • If the tenant moves out, HACSC's portion of the rent stops when the lease ends; HACSC does not pay vacant units.

HACSC offers a Landlord Incentive Program in some circumstances (signing bonus, damage mitigation fund). Ask your assigned HACSC liaison.

List a vacant unit

The fastest way to fill a unit is to list it through Affordable Housing Online or directly on the HACSC vacancy list. Voucher holders looking to lease will see your unit alongside other open listings.

  • HACSC vacancy listing: Submit your unit through the landlord portal (link below). Your listing is reviewed within 2 business days.
  • Affordable Housing Online: A free public registry HACSC voucher holders search. affordablehousingonline.com
  • GoSection8.com: A private listing service HACSC voucher holders also use.

Open the Landlord Portal →

HAP payments: how you get paid

After your tenant has signed a lease and passed the initial HQS inspection, HACSC executes a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with you. From that point forward:

  • HACSC pays the HAP portion of the rent on the first business day of every month by ACH (direct deposit).
  • Your tenant pays you the remaining portion, typically 30% of their adjusted income.
  • You receive a monthly statement summarizing payments, available in the landlord portal.
  • Annual income re-certifications happen on a fixed cycle; your HAP portion may change after each one.
  • If you want to raise the rent, you submit a written request to HACSC at least 60 days before the rent increase would take effect. HACSC reviews for rent reasonableness.

What you need to provide HACSC before the first payment

  1. W-9, IRS tax form so HACSC can report payments. Submit through DocuSign PowerForm (the redesign replaces today's PDF mailer).
  2. EFT authorization + voided check, for direct deposit setup. DocuSign PowerForm.
  3. HAP contract, signed by you and HACSC. DocuSign.

All three documents are available through the landlord portal. If you prefer paper forms, HACSC will mail them on request.

Inspections: Housing Quality Standards (HQS)

HACSC inspects every HAP-assisted unit on a regular cycle. The inspection is not a hassle inspection; it's looking for safety and basic livability standards set by HUD under 24 CFR 982.401. Most units pass on the first try.

What inspectors check

  • Working smoke detectors on every floor and in every bedroom
  • Working carbon-monoxide detectors near sleeping areas
  • Heat sufficient to maintain at least 65 °F in living areas
  • Hot and cold running water with safe pressure
  • Working stove and refrigerator
  • Doors and windows that close securely with working locks
  • No broken windows, no exposed wiring, no major plumbing leaks
  • Stairs and porches with secure railings
  • Free of significant rodent, roach, or bed-bug infestation
  • Adequate egress in case of fire (two ways out of each bedroom)
  • For pre-1978 units: documented compliance with lead-paint requirements

If the unit doesn't pass

You'll receive a written report listing each failed item with a deadline to correct (typically 30 days; safety items shorter). After repairs, you request a re-inspection. There's no fee for re-inspection. If you're not sure how to address a finding, call HACSC's HQS team, we'd rather coach you than fail you twice.

AB 282: your obligations as a California landlord

Source of income is a protected class in California.

Under California Government Code §12955(p), a landlord may not refuse to rent to a prospective tenant because some or all of the rent will be paid through a Housing Choice Voucher or other rental subsidy. This applies to advertising ("no Section 8"), screening (rejecting an applicant solely because they have a voucher), and lease decisions. HACSC's board endorsed AB 282 in 2025.

You can still screen Section 8 voucher holders for the same things you screen any other tenant for: rental history, credit (where allowed under California law), employment or income (with appropriate adjustments because the voucher pays the bulk), references. You just can't refuse to rent because they're using a voucher.

If you have questions about your screening policies, the Fair Housing Coalition serving Santa Cruz County offers a free legal consultation for landlords: fairhousingsantacruz.org.

When something goes wrong

Your tenant isn't paying their portion

HACSC pays our HAP portion regardless of whether the tenant pays their portion. If the tenant fails to pay their portion, you handle that the same way you would handle a non-paying tenant in any unit, written notice, then unlawful detainer if necessary. HACSC does not represent landlords or tenants in eviction proceedings. We will, however, notify HACSC's hardship-rules team if you give us notice; sometimes there's a reason (loss of income, medical event) that triggers an interim re-certification and reduces the tenant's portion.

The tenant has damaged the unit beyond normal wear and tear

HACSC's Landlord Incentive Program includes a small Tenant Damage Mitigation Fund. Submit a claim through the landlord portal with documentation (photos, repair receipts, lease move-out checklist). HACSC reviews and may reimburse damage above the security deposit up to a per-claim cap.

You'd like to terminate the lease

HACSC's tenant has the same lease protections as any other California tenant, good cause for termination, statutory notices, and the unlawful detainer process. HACSC does not have a quicker termination path because of the voucher. If the termination is because of a serious lease violation, you give the tenant written notice and copy HACSC.

You'd like to leave the program

You can end the HAP contract at the end of any lease term. Give HACSC and your tenant written notice. HACSC will work with the tenant to use the voucher elsewhere if they wish.

Contact

The landlord liaison team is here to answer questions and resolve problems quickly.