My First Section 8 Check as a Landlord

Yeah, baby! As the landlord of a few rental properties, I opened the mailbox yesterday and pulled out my first Section 8 check.

What is Section 8:

Using Georgia as an example, the Section 8 Program is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. It is a program that assists low-income individuals in renting safe, decent, and affordable housing.

The program was created by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. It's funded by HUD, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Click here for more information for the Georgia program. Simply do an Internet search to find your state's information if you're not in Georgia.)

I recently rented one of my properties to a Section 8 tenant. It's a small house in an Atlanta bedroom community. Section 8 pays most of the mortgage for the young mother and her two-year old son, and the tenant pays me the rest every month.

The Tenant moved in June 1st, so this first check from Section 8 was late. They told me it would take one cycle to get my info into their system and coordinated with the department actually sending out the checks. My tenant's case worker told me the check would be put in the mail on June 26th for June's rent, and low and behold, yesterday was June 26th and the check was already in my mailbox.

The next check for July's rent will be mailed out on the last day of the month, so I should get it by the first of the month. I can live with that. (If you've ever experienced a tenant telling you, "The check is in the mail," you understand my excitement. Man-oh-man! Guaranteed rent!

I did my research before going the Section 8 route. From what I could gather, there are definitely some pros and cons worth considering. Visit the landlord's info page for specific info in Georgia. Also, the FAQ section is pretty thorough.

Pros of Renting to Section 8 Tenants: