F.A.Q.

Can I get evicted if I can't pay rent because of COVID-19?

In many cases, no you cannot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily halted evictions for most Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic until June 30, 2021.

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Called a moratorium on evictions, it means that qualified renters are be protected from getting evicted until the moratorium is lifted.

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The CDC moratorium was most recently scheduled to expire on March 31, 2021, but was extended in March.

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What is Section 8?

An eviction is when a landlord who owns a property removes a tenant who is occupying that property. A formal eviction requires the tenant and landlord to go through a legal process.

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The term section 8 is usually used to describe the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs. 

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I got a job, what do I do?

Contact your Housing Case Manager in writing within 14 calendar days of the change of income or change of employment.  Your Case Manager will send you a letter scheduling a date and time for you to come in to complete the re-examination of your assistance.  ALL income changes must be submitted in writing to your Housing Case Manager.

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Who is allowed to live in my unit?

Only the persons listed on your assistance with DMMHA are allowed to live in the unit.  All other persons require prior approval by the Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency and must be approved by DMMHA prior to moving in.   To request to add someone, submit the request, along with the name, date of birth and social security number to your Housing Case Manager.

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I'm getting married, what do I do?

Contact your Housing Case Manager for approval to add another family member as occupants of the unit BEFORE that person can move in.  Requests must be received at least fourteen (14) days prior to the effective date of the new member being added to the lease.  This will require a police screening of the new occupant and approval by the property owner/landlord.

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How long can a visitor stay with me?

Visitors can stay with you for up to 14 calendar days in a year. 

Note:  Check your lease agreement with the owner to ensure they do not have a shorter timeframe for their requirements.

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I want to move, what do I do?

If you would like to move and continue your assistance under the Section 8 Program, you must give your owner/landlord AND your Case Manager a written 30-day notice PRIOR to vacating the unit.  These notices must be delivered to the owner/landlord and your Case Manager BEFORE the first of the month.

NOTE: You cannot move until your current lease allows you to do so.  If you are currently in a one-year lease agreement, your owner/landlord must agree to terminate your existing lease and contract.  This agreement must be submitted to your Case Manager in writing.

You must be in good standing with the agency in order to be approved for relocation.  You will not be approved for relocation while your file is under investigation for a Program violation that is grounds for termination from the program.

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How often will my unit be inspected?

At least once per year.  Possibly more if your unit is selected in the Quality Control Inspection process.

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Will affordable housing cause too much traffic?

No, people who live in affordable housing own fewer cars and drive less. Two-thirds of renters and over three-fourths of the households living below the poverty line own no vehicles or only one, car, compared to 54 percent of all households and 44 percent of homeowner households. With lower car ownership rates come fewer trips, and fewer single-occupant auto commutes, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission found in the 1990s that low-income households make an average of 3.6 trips per day, compared to 6.8 trips per day for medium- and 9.9 per day for high-income households.

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Will affordable housing drain the city of resources?

No, people motivated by these concerns may just need to "meet" the residents of high-density and affordable housing. Residents often have been members of the community for a long time, and will continue to make contributions to their neighborhoods.

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Will affordable housing reduce property value?

No, many of your neighbors live in low-income housing. You can’t look at a neighbor and know that they are low income. There are many Public/Section 8 Scattered Site homes that are low income, these properties are usually owned by the cities' Housing Authorities and are kept in as good or better condition than most of the homes that are owner occupied.

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Will affordable housing increase crime?

Affordable housing does not cause crime. For many years social scientists have asked whether high affordable housing causes crime. Not one study has shown any relationship between population or housing density and violent crime rates; once residents' incomes are taken into account, the effect of density on non-violent crime decreases to non-significance.

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What does eviction mean?

An eviction is when a landlord who owns a property removes a tenant who is occupying that property. A formal eviction requires the tenant and landlord to go through a legal process.

Evictions may occur if the tenant does not follow the rules agreed to in the landlord’s lease, and in some areas, landlords do not need a reason to evict. Tenants may be evicted for a number of reasons, including not paying rent, destruction of property, illegal activity, disrupting other tenants on the property, or violating rules of a lease.

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Why is the wait so long?

Because of the high demand of affordable housing, and comparatively low supply, it is not rare to be on a waiting list for several years. For example, in some areas, 20,000+ people may apply through an office that is only placing 1,000 of those applicants on the waiting list. Generally, large metropolitan areas have long waiting lists, while lower populated areas have shorter waiting lists. There are housing authorities and apartment communities with very short waiting lists, or no waiting lists at all, but these opportunities are extremely rare.

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Also, the Section 8 and Public Housing programs tend to have the longest waiting lists. Affordable housing properties that offer other programs, such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, likely have shorter waiting lists than Section 8 and Public Housing.

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What is HUD?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, commonly abbreviated as HUD, is the main agency that oversees federal affordable housing and community development programs. It was created as a cabinet-level department in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty.

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You can find more information on eviction policies during the COVID pandemic here

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