Rental Property Owners & Managers

Are you interested in becoming a landlord to Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) participants? Rental property owners in Dakota County can participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8) by providing affordable, safe and adequate housing for Voucher Program participants.

The process of renting to a Housing Choice Voucher Program participant is similar to renting to a family in the private market. You are still able to screen and select your tenants for credit, criminal and rental history. You will also collect the full amount of rent and continue to maintain your property.

The goal of the Housing Choice Voucher Program is to offer expanded housing opportunities to low income individuals or families by subsidizing rents for units in the private rental market. This enables Housing Choice Voucher participants to rent all housing types throughout Dakota County.

Thank you for your continued support and participation in the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program. Your participation by providing affordable housing through this program is key to its success in Dakota County.

How to rent your unit

In order to correctly set up your owner account with a CDA rental assistance program, we need to obtain the following information:

Verification of Federal ID W9
Property Classification Certification (when applicable)

Please note: We will need your Tax ID number on the IRS W-9 form for purpose of filing taxes. If you will be operating as a sole proprietor or have not registered your business with the IRS, we will need your personal social security number.

Moving from a Homestead

All property owners are required by law to notify the Dakota County Assessor’s Office if they have moved from the property or if the property is no longer their primary address. Use the County Assessor Notice below to notify the County Assessor if you have moved. The Dakota County CDA needs to receive a copy of the confirmation letter you received from the County Assessor’s office or a copy of a completed self-certification to verify that you have complied with state law.

County Assessor Notice

Visit the Dakota County website to review additional information about the Dakota County Homestead Program.

Verification of Ownership

If you are an owner that is required to provide Verification of Ownership, provide one of the following forms of ownership verification:

Copy of a recorded warranty deed
Copy of a current property tax bill
Copy of a current property insurance bill
Copy of a current mortgage statement for the property

If you have a question, please contact the Housing Information Specialist at 651-675-4533.

Online Portal

Resources for Owners & Managers

The CDA has many of the forms online that landlords must complete in order to rent to Housing Choice Voucher participants.

Owner Handbook

Direct Deposit Enrollment Form

Replacement Check Form

Owner Address Change Form

Vacancy Listing Request

Repair Recertification Form

Utility Allowance

Voucher Payment Standards

If you have any questions regarding these forms or would like a paper copy sent to you, please contact the Housing Information Specialist at 651-675-4533.

Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections

When a Housing Choice Voucher participant chooses a unit, the unit must be inspected by one of the CDA’s HQS Inspectors to ensure the unit meets Federal Housing Quality Standards (HQS). These standards were developed to ensure that housing units assisted through Housing Choice Voucher program are decent, safe and sanitary.

HQS inspections take place at the time of move-in and annually after that. Units must pass an inspection before the Housing Choice Voucher participant is able to move in.

The CDA’s Housing Quality Standards presentation will help you to understand everything that an HQS Inspection entails.

Housing Quality Standards Presentation

HQS Checklists:

The Federal Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspection is in place to ensure that families moving into your rental units are safe.

The most commonly failed items are:

Nonfunctioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Loose, missing or cracked electrical switch plate and outlet covers
Inoperable bath fans
Burners on kitchen stove or range not operating as designed
Leaking faucets and plumbing
Cracked and/or broken window panes
Carpet and vinyl conditions are unsafe
Missing or damaged window screens
Garbage disposals not operating or missing flanges
Missing globes on light fixtures or missing bulbs
Broken toilet seats
Missing tiles in bath, slow drains and mold
Emergency back-up lights failure

Inspectors will inspect the unit and it must pass Housing Quality Standards (HQS) before a participant is able to move in.