Updated August 17, 2026
A Housing Choice Voucher, commonly called Section 8, is a federal rental subsidy administered locally — in Los Angeles by HACLA within the city, or the county housing authority elsewhere — under which a housing authority pays part of the rent directly to the owner.
The owner enters a Housing Assistance Payments contract with the authority. Contract rent is set through a rent reasonableness process, units are inspected on a schedule, and the tenant pays the balance.
The HAP contract runs with the unit and transfers on sale, so the buyer steps into the owner's side of it. The recurring practical failure is the change-of-ownership packet: authorities pay the owner of record, and if the paperwork is not processed the first post-closing payment can miss. Start it during escrow.
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