REPORTING A CHANGE Q&A

  • Use the Interim Change Form available on our website or at the HCV office, to report all changes. You may also report changes in household income online using your free tenant portal. Information about tenant portal registration and reporting a change online can be found in the videos here.
  • Remember that, due to the number of changes we receive, it may take several weeks to process the change. If you are reporting a decrease in income and are requesting a decrease to the rent portion, submit the completed form along with the required verification 2 weeks prior to the end of the month.
  • If your income went up, you can expect your rent to go up. Budget about a third of your increased income for rent.

Report all changes to income, assets, or family composition (people moving in and out of your household) to the Housing Authority. Remember that you cannot add people to the household without approval from the Housing Authority. Moving people into your unit without first getting approval from the Housing Authority is considered fraud and may result in termination of your assistance.

If you have any documentation that helps to verify the change in income, like a benefit letter, termination letter or a pay stub, please submit a copy along with the completed form. This will help us process the change more quickly.

Please be specific and thorough.  Include dates and dollar amounts. If you lost a job, but started receiving unemployment, report both changes. You are required to submit the verification detailed on the last page of the form in order for the change to be processed.

Failure to report changes could result in the requirement to repay subsidy, or termination from the program.  See our Program Fraud Q&A for more information.

Increase in income:  If the income of anyone in your household goes up for any reason, including a raise, a new job, an increase in benefits or child support, financial help from a friend or family member, work for cash, or any other reason, you must report it to the Housing Authority along with the required verification immediately in order to avoid repayment of subsidy or termination of assistance due to program fraud/ abuse.

Decrease in income: If the income of anyone in your family goes down, due to a cut in hours at work, losing a job, a reduction in benefits, or for any other reason, you may report it.

Generally, your rent is not adjusted until after you have reported the decrease and provided the required verification, even if the decrease happened much earlier. Therefore, the sooner you report any changes, the better.

Changes to assets:  Any changes to your family’s assets, including settlements, real estate, gifts of cash or property, trusts, bank accounts, etc. must be reported.

Changes to allowances/ deductions:  Any changes to your family’s allowances and deductions must be reported immediately. Example: you claimed a deduction for childcare but no longer pay for childcare or the amount you pay has decreased.

You must receive our written permission before moving someone into your household. Use the Interim Change in Family Income/ Composition Form. Moving someone into your unit without first getting approval from the Housing Authority is considered fraud and may result in termination of your assistance.

You must also report birth, adoption, and court-awarded custody, and all other changes on this form.

All adults must pass the Housing Authority screening, and there are limits on the additional bedrooms we will grant for people you add.

You must also get your landlord’s permission before requesting to add an adult.

Changes to the family composition could affect your family rent portion.

Due to the high volume of changes we receive, it could be several weeks before we are able to process the changes you send us.

  • Please allow 2-3 business days prior to contacting us to confirm receipt of your documents.
  • Changes are processed in the order we receive them.
  • If we are missing any documentation from you, we will notify you by mail.
  • Once we have all the information, we will verify the changes by directly contacting employers, agencies, banks, etc. Changes may take longer to process depending on how quickly they respond.
  • If your rent is adjusted, you will receive a rent change notice by mail.

No. All changes must be reported.

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