PORTABILITY AND MOVING INTO OR OUT OF THE HACCC JURISDICTION Q&A

(including Pittsburg, CA)

  • Make sure your lease allows you to move now.
  • Give your landlord the proper written notice before you move and forward a copy of this notice to the Housing Authority. The notice should state the date, date of move out, tenant and owner name and address.
  • Pay your rent through the last day of your lease and leave your unit in good condition. Your landlord will be asked to certify that you have maintained the lease agreement, prior to you being issued a voucher to move and prior to the new landlord receiving Housing Assistance Payments.
  • Return the keys to your landlord and get a receipt. The Housing Authority will need proof of your move-out date in order to pay the new owner.
  • All documents needed to complete any ongoing Annual Recertification or Interim Recertification must be submitted. You will be asked to certify the accuracy of your current household income and family composition prior to voucher issuance.
  • If you need to extend tenancy beyond the move out date indicated on your original notice to vacate, submit the completed Mutual Agreement to Extend the Termination Date of the Assisted Lease form.
  • If you wish to rescind the notice to vacate, submit the completed Mutual Agreement to Rescind Lease Termination Form.

Participants of the Housing Choice Voucher program can move with their assistance to another area. This is called “portability” or “porting.”

In order to move to another housing authority’s jurisdiction, you must meet one of the following criteria:

  • The head of your household or spouse must have had legal residence in the jurisdiction of your current housing authority at the time that you put your name on the waiting list, OR:
  • You must have lived in the jurisdiction of the Housing Authority that issued your voucher for at least one year after you began receiving housing assistance.

If you are interested in porting out to another area, please complete a Portability Request Form, also available in our office lobby. The Housing Authority will contact you to inform you whether or not you are eligible to port.

Moving to a new unit within the county (with the exception of Pittsburg), is called a “transfer.” This is a different process than “porting.” If you want to transfer to another unit within the same county or city, please see our Transfer Q&A for more information.
The information in this section only applies to moving to another housing authority’s jurisdiction.

Moving to another area can be a lengthy process and is only possible if the other Housing Authority is able to assist you. You should notice your Housing Authority well in advance of a planned move. If you have moved out, call or email your Housing Assistant immediately. You will have a fixed number of days from your move-out date to find a new place to rent, in this county or in another jurisdiction. Your assistance may terminate if your search time expires or if you’ve moved from your previous unit without notice.

When you are ready to move, please start the process early and follow these steps carefully. If you don’t, you risk losing your voucher or having to pay the full rent yourself.

Send us a Portability Request Form along with a copy of the Notice to Vacate which you provided your current landlord

When we get your Portability Request Form, we will contact the housing authority in the area where you wish to move, and find out if they are able to assist you.

We will review your request and determine whether or not you are eligible to “port-out.” You will not be eligible to port if you have violated program rules, committed lease violations or owe us money. We will send you a letter letting you know if your request has been approved.

If approved, we will forward the documentation to the housing authority where you want to move. You may also be able to schedule a time to pick up the documents, if the receiving agency allows drop-offs.

After the Housing Authority has approved your request to port-out, the next steps will include:

  • You must contact the housing authority where you want to move and find out what requirements they may have. Every housing authority is different. Please review their requirements carefully.
  • You will have a limited amount of time (usually 60 days) to find a place to rent.
  • If you decide not to move with your voucher after all, or if you decide to move to a different housing authority’s jurisdiction, you must let us know about your decision as soon as possible. If you select a different housing authority, the process must be repeated.
  • If you have already moved out of your unit, or if you have not leased up in a unit, you risk losing your assistance if you do not follow all the program deadlines.

If your income has changed, or if you will be requesting to add or remove family members when you move, please notify the housing authority in the area where you plan to live.

Portability to the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa (HACCC) must be initiated with your current Housing Authority. We will not be able to project timelines for voucher issuance or leasing until we’ve received the Portability Packet from your originating Housing Authority. Once your originating Housing Authority has prepared your portability packet it is then forwarded to HACCC.

  • Your originating Housing Authority should email the Portability Packet to [email protected]
  • Portability Packet may also be hand delivered or mailed to HACCC:

Attn: Incoming Portability
Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa
2870 Howe Rd. Martinez, CA 94553

Once your portability packet is received, we will contact you within 10 days to schedule a briefing which will take place over the phone. You may be required to provide verification of income, assets, and family composition prior to voucher issuance. Please make sure that your originating Housing Authority provides your updated phone number with the Portability Packet. Prior to contacting our agency to determine if a packet has been received, please wait 2 business days after you’ve confirmed that the originating Housing Authority forwarded the portability packet and know the method that they have sent the packet (ex. mail, email)

Effective March 1, 2023, HACCC is absorbing all incoming portability with the exception of referral-based programs (VASH, Mainstream, EHV, FUP). Portability to the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa (HACCC) must be initiated by your current Housing Authority. Please contact your Housing Authority if you wish to initiate a port to Contra Costa. Detailed information may be found at this link. If you require additional information, please email us at PortIn@contracostahousing.org.

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