Do I Qualify for Affordable Housing?
SHRA publishes an annual chart that outlines the maximum allowable household income to determine eligibility for affordable housing. In general you must have income at or below 60% of the area median income as outlined on the chart to qualify. The income requirements will vary at each property depending on the owner’s loan program and the regulated targeted income level.

SHRA Income and Rent Limit Table (Current as of July 1, 2021)

What are the Credit and Background Check Requirements?
When screening applicants for housing, property owners or landlords will review their credit and background history and may use some or all of the following screening criteria to determine if an applicant qualifies for housing:

• Credit history
• Current and past rental history and/or evictions
• Banking information
• Job Status/Length of time on the job
• Monthly income
• Rent to income ratio
• Criminal background check

How do the Waiting Lists Operate?
Most of the affordable rental housing projects maintain waiting lists. These lists include pre-qualified individuals who have applied to be considered for housing at the site as vacancies occur. Owners and property managers must follow specific tenant selection procedures when maintaining the wait lists including:

• Tenants must be selected from a written waiting list in chronological order based on the date and time of their application.
• Owners/Property Managers must provide prompt written notification to any rejected applicant and the reason for rejection.

Waiting lists may be extremely long and pre-applicants may wait for long periods of time before being contacted for housing. People on the list often move and leave no forwarding address, or have found other housing. Applicants should apply for multiple lists and update their information as needed so that they can be contacted when apartments become available.

What are the Rent Limits for Affordable Housing?

As with the income limits, HUD also establishes affordable housing rents for Sacramento County which are updated and published each year. A tenant’s rent is based on their income level and the category under which it falls (ie. very-low, low). For instance, a very-low income tenant will pay a 50% or the very-low income rent rate, while a low income tenant will pay 60% or the low income rent rate. Most properties also include a utility allowance (an additional deduction from the rent to assist the tenant to pay for utilities). As a result, renters will pay no more than the maximum allowable rent after subtracting for the utility allowance.

As long as rents do not exceed the maximum as established by SHRA, property managers may implement a rent increase with a 30-day notice. If a tenant has a lease, the rent may not be raised during the lease period. In order to qualify for housing, most owners and property management companies require that the applicant has an income that is two to three times the amount of the contract rent.

What are Other Requirements for Affordable Housing?

In order to rent the unit at the affordable rental rate, owners are required to verify the annual incomes of all applicants prior to move-in. All household members 18 years of age or older must submit income verification documents which must be dated within 90 days of the move-in date. Tenants are also required to re-submit income verification documents to re-certify their income, annually.