What vouchers do not cover
A voucher is powerful help with rent, and it is easy to overestimate it. This guide sets out what the voucher does not pay for, so you can budget for the rest and avoid a shortfall in your first month.
The security deposit
The voucher does not pay your security deposit. The deposit is your responsibility under the lease, subject to state and local limits on how much a landlord may charge. Some PHAs and local charities run separate deposit-assistance programs, and some landlords accept deposit instalments, but that help is separate from the voucher and is never guaranteed. Budget for the deposit before you start searching, because it is often the largest single cost of moving in.
Buying a home, and mortgage payments
A standard Housing Choice Voucher pays rent, not a mortgage. A PHA may, if it chooses, operate a homeownership voucher option that lets an eligible household use voucher assistance toward homeownership costs, but that option is offered only by PHAs that adopt it, only to households that meet its additional requirements, and only under its own rules. Do not assume your PHA offers it: ask directly, and do not sign a purchase agreement expecting voucher help unless the PHA has approved it in writing.
Moving costs, furniture, and household setup
The voucher does not pay for movers, trucks, storage, furniture, appliances beyond what the lease includes, or setting up a home. It does not pay application fees charged by landlords, although some PHAs and local programs help with those costs separately. It does not pay for utilities above the utility allowance, for cable or internet, or for parking, pet fees, or amenities that are not part of the approved rent. Read the lease's utility and fee schedule carefully, and work out the full monthly cost, not just the rent share, before you commit.
Rent above the approved amount
The voucher pays only up to the approved rent, and only up to the payment standard. Rent above the payment standard is your responsibility, within the 40% cap at initial lease-up, and rent above the approved amount cannot be charged at all. Side payments, where a tenant quietly pays extra to the landlord beyond the approved rent, are prohibited. They can lead to termination of assistance and to enforcement against the landlord, so never agree to one, even if a landlord suggests it as a way to secure a home.
Homes the voucher cannot be used for
Several kinds of housing are generally excluded. A voucher normally cannot be used for a unit owned by a close family member, such as a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sister, or brother, although an exception can be made as a reasonable accommodation for a person with disabilities. It cannot be used for a second home, for a vacation property, or for a hotel or motel stay as a substitute for a home. It cannot be used for a home that fails inspection or whose rent fails the reasonableness check. Shared housing, where a voucher household shares a home with another household, is allowed only under the PHA's shared-housing rules, with the rent and subsidy calculated accordingly: ask your PHA before assuming a shared arrangement will be approved.
What happens if you stop paying your share
The voucher does not forgive your share. If you stop paying it, the landlord can pursue eviction under the lease and local law, and the PHA can terminate your assistance. If your income falls, the correct step is to report the change to the PHA at once and ask for an interim reexamination, which can lower your share, rather than simply stopping payment. The program is designed to adjust when circumstances change, but it can only adjust to changes it knows about.
Other help that may fill the gaps
Deposit assistance, moving help, utility assistance, and furniture programs exist in many areas, run by PHAs, local government, charities, and community organisations. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, for example, helps with energy costs in many states, and local emergency assistance programs may help with deposits or arrears. Ask your PHA for a referral list when you receive your voucher: it will know which local programs are currently funded, and a referral from the PHA carries weight with the organisations it names.