NYCHA Claims Progress in Section 8 Cleanup

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) maintained that it had made substantial progress in cleaning up backlogs and getting its new Section 8 computer management system operational at the latest meeting with RSA staff and property managers. The RSA has been meeting regularly with NYCHA (see RSA Reporter, October, 2011) to clarify communications breakdowns and identify processing backlogs which have left many lease renewals pending since at least January.

NYCHA now says that it has scanned all pending documents into its computer system and that lease renewals have returned to normal backlog. They also indicated that no Section 8 terminations have been issued since January as a result of the processing problems.

NYCHA officials pointed out numerous changes in Section 8 processing of which owners need to be aware of. Some highlights are posted on the NYCHA website and are reprinted in this RSA Reporter. For example, owners should know that Housing Quality Standards Inspections (HQS) can now include problems in public areas, NYCHA forms are now bar-coded and must be submitted as originals, there are new addresses for the submission of leases, fees have been eliminated for the direct deposit of NYCHA payments, property managers are encouraged to sign on to NYCHA’s extranet to view Section 8 status and receive Email alerts and owners can now reach NYCHA through a special telephone number instead of 311.

NYCHA expressed its commitment to cure outstanding problems and the RSA will continue to work with the agency to do so. If you are having difficulty communicating with NYCHA, obtaining lease renewals or have other issues with the Section 8 program, we would like to know. Please contact an RSA Counselor at (212)214-9200 with specifics about your situation.

10 Facts for Property Owners About Section 8

1. If the apartment or public space area fails inspection, please make repairs immediately and fax your certification with BOTH landlord and tenant signatures (where required) before 30 days to avoid suspension.
2. Landlord leases should be sent to: NYCHA, P.O. Box 19197, Long Island City, New York 11101-9197.
3. Fax NE-1 certification letters with bar codes ONLY to the dedicated eFAX number listed on the certification, 718-824-0546. Please do not send other correspondence to this fax number, it clogs up the NE-1 fax and keeps staff from getting to your certifications by having to sort through other correspondence. NYCHA will not respond to other correspondence sent to this dedicated fax, other correspondence must be sent to our correspondence unit at: NYCHA, P.O. Box 19201-9201, Long Island City, New York 11101-9201
4. DO NOT replicate or copy any NYCHA forms! Our forms have 2 distinct barcodes, one that identifies the form and one that is unique to the voucher holder. If you copy or try to replicate the form and/or the barcodes, the form will not be read by our scanners and the form will not attach to the voucher holders case and therefore it will not appear and will be tantamount to never sending it in.
5. We are aware that some landlords assist their tenants in filling out the annual recertification package. This is fine as long as you remember once again, DO NOT replicate or copy the annual review forms. A copy of the form will not allow the 2D barcode to be scanned properly. Whether you or your tenant is filling out the form, please remember to not cross out on the form, do not use white out, or write NA or strike a line across the form. Please do: write clearly, fill out only the areas that pertain to the tenant (do not put NA, just leave blank). And most importantly, make certain that the tenant and all adult family members sign the Affidavit of Income (AOI) and related forms in the package. These are required forms by HUD and failure to sign them creates serious delay in processing. Also, encourage tenants to send in all required documentation at the time they submit their AOI package. If they are employed, send in paystubs, if they receive Social Security benefits; please send the current year’s award letter, etc. This method also applies to any tenant interim changes in income or family composition. Sending in as much documentation as possible with the request for a change allows for more expeditious processing.
6. Your building may lose subsidy due to a public space violation. NYCHA is required by HUD regulations to inspect the public space areas for the safety and well- being of the tenants. Examples of public space violations that will result in a building wide suspension if not repaired in 30 days are: Broken hallway locks, Missing/Rotten Stairs, Infestation, Loose bricks, Debris on or near door, Elevator out of order, Elevator over the ground floor, Elevator not level with floor-severe, Elevator out of order- over the 5th FL.
7. Lease Renewals must be submitted to the new P.O. Box 19197, Long Island City, NY 11101-9197. Lease Renewals must be submitted 60 days prior to the lease effective date. You may request a cover sheet for submission of your lease renewal by calling the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771.
8. NYCHA strongly encourages Landlords to register on our Landlord extranet by logging on to www.nyc.gov/nycha “click on Section 8 assistance”. You may review NE-1 failed unit and public space violations and register for direct deposit. If you experience technical difficulties, please contact Ms. Kantor at 212-306-4122.
9. Communication begins with the Customer Contact Center (CCC), if you have questions. If you feel that you are not getting the responses you need, please note the day and time of your call and the person you spoke with. The NYCHA call center has a sophisticated quality assurance program and we are able to review all calls. This will assist us greatly in determining where we can improve customer service.
10.You must contact the Leased Housing Eviction Review Unit if you wish to commence legal action against your Section 8 tenant. The Eviction Hotline is 212-306-8500.

If you prefer to speak with a NYCHA representative in person, you can visit one of the following walk in centers:

Bronx/Manhattan Leased Housing Office
478 East Fordham Road (1 Fordham Plaza),
2nd Floor
Bronx, NY 10458

Brooklyn/Staten Island Leased Housing Office
787 Atlantic Avenue, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Queens Leased Housing Office
90-27 Sutphin Boulevard, 4th Floor
Queens, NY 11435