Payment Standards: In order for a unit to be approved by the Amherst Housing Authority’s Section 8 Program, rent including an allowance for tenant paid utilities can not exceed the following amounts.
| Bedroom Size | Payment Standard for Units in the Town of Amherst |
| 0 | $732.00 |
| 1 | $871.00 |
| 2 | $1106.00 |
| 3 | $1324.00 |
| 4 | $1537.00 |
Request for Tenancy Approval
Section 8 Inspection Policy
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program requires that every unit under the Section 8 Program be inspected on an annual basis to determine compliance with HUD’s Housing Quality Standards. In order to comply with this requirement, the Amherst Housing Authority (AHA) has adopted the following policy for Section 8 inspections.
- The AHA Housing Inspectors will schedule and notify Section 8 tenants in writing of the annual inspection at least 10 days prior to the inspection date. If the inspection date is not convenient for the tenant, the tenant must call the office immediately and reschedule.
- Section 8 tenants or their designee must be present at the annual inspection. Their designee can be a family member over the age of 18, a friend, or maintenance/management personnel responsible for the housing unit.
- If the Inspector cannot gain access to the unit, AHA staff will send the tenant a letter informing her/him that her/his housing subsidy payment will not be remitted to the owner because of non-compliance with program requirements. The tenant will be given another opportunity to call the AHA office and reschedule another inspection. If the tenant does not contact the AHA office her/his subsidy will be terminated.
- If the Inspector cannot gain access to the unit for the second time, AHA staff will send the tenant a second letter informing her/him that her/his Section 8 assistance is being terminated for non-compliance with program requirements.
- The AHA will reinstate the housing assistance if the tenant arranges an inspection with the Board of Health in the town where the tenant lives and submits a letter of compliance within 10 working days to the AHA office.
- Tenants will be required to pay any fees in advance which are determined by the Board of Health for each inspection the Board of Health conducts.
This policy will be sent to all Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher tenants. The letter notifying tenants of their annual inspection will also include this letter.
The Amherst Housing Authority does not discriminate against applicants, tenants, or members of the public based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, language, sexual orientation, political beliefs or affiliation, military service, disability, age or presence of children.
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