+ How does my annual income affect the rent that I am charged?
A Public Housing resident family pays rent based on the family’s annual income. Annual income is defined by HUD as including all monetary and non-monetary amounts that are received, or anticipated to be received, by any family member (even ones temporarily absent) within 12 months following admission or the effective date of the annual reexamination.
Please note that employment income of family members under the age of 18 is not included as Annual Income. Welfare assistance, social security payments, and other non-earned income paid to children are always included in Annual Income.
+ How will my rent and utilities be determined?
By law, a tenant family pays no more than 30% of its adjusted household income for rent, including utilities. In addition to the dwelling unit, the rent payment also includes the use of a range, refrigerator, and trash collection.
In some buildings, all utilities are included. In others, tenants must pay electric and/or natural gas. When tenants are responsible for the payment of utilities, a utility allowance will be subtracted from the family’s income-based rent to determine the amount of the Tenant Rent. The Tenant Rent is the amount the family owes each month to the Housing Authority.
What is an income-based rent?
Income-based rents are calculated using adjusted income. The federal formula for income-based rent provides that a total payment is based on:
- 10% of your monthly income; or
- 30% of your adjusted monthly income.
+ Is there a minimum rent fee?
The minimum rent fee is $50, except where a family has been exempted due to financial hardship.
+ What is a Flat Rent?
The Housing Authority has set a flat rent for each public housing unit. The flat end is determined annually, based on the market rental value of the unit. There is no utility allowance for families paying a flat rent because the Housing Authority has already factored who pays for the utilities into the flat rent calculations.
+ Can I ever change from flat rent to income-based rent?
Once a year, along with the recertification process, the Housing Authority offers families the choice between a flat or income-based rent. At this time, families experiencing financial hardship and unable to pay flat rents because their situations have changed can opt to switch to an income-based rent.
+ Is there an annual reexamination process?
If you are a resident of Public Housing, you must complete, sign and return a reexamination form annually, which focuses primarily on household income and composition. All updated household income information will be verified, and the Housing Authority will determine new rent effective on the reexamination date.