HCV Program Features

Becoming a HCV Program Landlord can give you the satisfaction of empowering low-income families to afford decent, safe and sanitary housing. 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

• Families are awarded a Housing Choice Voucher, permitting them to find suitable housing of their choice from private market and non-profit landlords. 
• Columbia Housing pays a set amount of rent, directly to the landlord, and the renter pays the difference. 
• Other than expecting a portion of the rent regularly each month from Columbia Housing, you have the same type of renter-landlord relationship that you have with non-HCV renters.
• The HCV Program contributes over millions in rents into Richland County annually. Over 4,500 landlords and nearly 3,750 households currently participate. 

PROGRAM FEATURES FOR LANDLORDS

• You can receive reasonable rent increases.
• You may require reasonable security deposits and late fees.
• You are able to effectively screen and select tenants. 
• Strict renter responsibilities are defined in the lease addendum. 
• You will experience low tenant turnover; high tenant demand promotes full occupancy and longevity.
• You have the discretion to not renew a tenant's lease when the lease expires.
• Columbia Housing conducts annual or biennial inspections of the leased unit.
• On-time direct-deposit payments from Columbia Housing, increasing your rent security. 
• You will receive guaranteed, on-time payment of rent when circumstances such as tenant job loss or family hardships occur. 

RENTER RESPONSIBILITY
Columbia Housing has made responsibility part of our contract by including landlord and renter obligations. The obligations on the part of the renter are:

• Pay the tenant share of the rent to the owner in a timely and consistent manner.
• Meet all the conditions of the lease.
• Pay a security deposit.
• Permit reasonable inspections by Columbia Housing and by the property owner.
• Give Columbia Housing notice of any change in income, household size, or intent to move as per HUD regulations.
• Cooperate with Columbia Housing's review of income and avoid criminal activity. 

HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS
As part of our commitment to provide safe, sanitary, and affordable housing to our participants, we maintain certain Housing Quality Standards. When a HCV participant is interested in renting your unit, it must be inspected by Columbia Housing. Once you have agreed to accept HCV rental subsidy, an inspector will contact you to make an appointment for inspection.

Items which will violate Housing Quality Standards include such things as: peeling or flaking paint, unsafe or rotted porches, windows that are cracked or broken, leaks, lack of proper ventilation of flue on hot water tank, weak or broken floor boards, extension cord outlets, exposed plumbing, missing electrical outlet covers or switch plates, and inoperable smoke detectors.

WORKING WITH COLUMBIA HOUSING 
Columbia Housing has dedicated staff to provide assistance directly to landlords. Other resources include:

• Landlord Trainings: These opportunities are scheduled periodically, covering things such as South Carolina landlord/tenant law, HCV procedures, unit maintenance, lead-based paint issues, etc.
• Compliance Investigator: To ensure a fair program for everyone, we actively investigate reports of program abuse. Please email us.