Are Section 8 Tenants Bad

Q: My tenant just moved out. I found someone else who is interested in renting my place but he has a section 8 voucher. I heard that section 8 tenants are bad. What do you think? Janet, Roselle, NJ

A: Section 8 is a HUD supervised rental assistance program that helps low-income households pay rent. In New Jersey, it’s illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to someone because they have a Section 8 voucher. That said, being a successful landlord among other things demands screening tenant applicants thoroughly, which means that you should screen a tenant applicant with a section 8 voucher like you would any and all tenant applicants. Obviously some section 8 tenants are better than others. The benefit of the section 8 program to landlords is that the government paid portion of the section 8 tenant’s rent is guaranteed. Also, it’s not that easy to get a section 8 voucher so most tenants who have a section 8 voucher don’t want to lose the privilege of having the government pay for all or part of their rent. Thanks for your question, Janet.

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