HUD Handbook 7465.1 § 5-6
ORGANIZING THE WAITING LIST (HUD Public Housing Occupancy Handbook 7465.1)
Operative Text
a. POLICY
(1) PHAs must organize their waiting lists in a way
which will let them easily identify which
applicants need which type of project and size and
type of unit, and the priority each applicant has
for admission based on the tenant selection
preferences the PHA has adopted and the date and
time the application was made.
(2) No PHA may solicit a statement from an applicant
regarding his or her desire to live in a
particular project or group of projects unless
this practice has specific approval from the
Assistant Secretary for FHEO.
(3) All waiting lists must be community-wide in scope.
A PHA with more than one community within its
jurisdiction may establish separate waiting lists
for each community, provided that:
(a) any such arrangement is approved by HUD
Headquarters;
(b) it would not result in or perpetuate patterns
of occupancy that would be inconsistent with
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968;
(c) the communities have similar types of
projects and sizes and types of units;
(d) there are no separate community residency
preferences or requirements; and
(e) it would not prevent the PHA from achieving
or maintaining a broad range of income in
each of its projects.
(4) A PHA which has HUD Headquarters approval to have
separate waiting lists for separate communities
within its jurisdiction must not restrict
applicants to the list covering their community.
Rather they must have the opportunity to apply and
be considered on any or all of the PHA's lists
which are open to new applicants.
(5) A PHA may have one waiting list for projects for
the elderly and another for general occupancy
projects provided the PHA permits an elderly family
to be listed on either or both if unit size and
type are appropriate.
(6) PHAs which have designated certain units for
occupants who require the support of a social
service agency in order to establish a tenancy,
may have a separate waiting list for those units.
(See Paragraph 6-1, Agreement with Social Service
Agency.)
b. DISCUSSION
(1) PHAs with many applicants may want to create
several sublists to help them to more easily
identify who should be offered an available unit.
(a) Sublists may be organized according to the
type of project and size and type of unit
required. (These sublists may be further
organized by tenant selection preferences or
by date and time of application.)
(b) PHAs giving a very high preference for income
range may want to establish sublists on that
basis. These sublists could be further
organized by type of project and size and
type of unit required.
(2) PHAs with few applicants may want to have a single
waiting list organized only by date and time of
application or other convenient order. A short
list of applicants can be readily searched to fill
an available unit.
(3) PHAs which have computer capabilities may find a
single list to be sufficient even if there are a
large number of applicants.
(4) A PHA may maintain its community-wide waiting list
in whatever form it believes to be most useful
provided the list meets the PHA's needs and can be
easily audited by HUD. For example, some PHAs use
a card file system instead of or in addition to an
actual list of applicant names.
c. PROCEDURES - Requesting separate waiting lists
A PHA which has more than one community within its
jurisdiction can request HUD approval to establish
separate waiting lists by submitting its plan and the
rationale for it to the local HUD office.
d. HUD RESPONSIBILITIES - Approval or separate waiting
lists
The local HUD FHEO office will review the PHA's plan in
consultation with public housing staff. The local FHED
office will then forward the plan and the
recommendations to its Regional counterpart. Regional
FHEO will review the package
and submit it along with its own recommendations to the
Assistant Secretary for FHEO for final action.
e. REFERENCES
Federal civil rights laws listed at paragraph 1-3(c)HUD Handbook 7465.1 REV-2 CHG-2 § 5-6 establishes how Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) must structure their waiting lists for housing applicants. Waiting lists must be organized so that applicants can be matched to appropriate unit types and sizes, and must reflect each applicant's priority based on adopted preferences and application date and time. The rule also sets strict conditions under which separate waiting lists for different communities or unit types may exist, and prohibits PHAs from asking applicants to express a preference for a specific project unless the Assistant Secretary for FHEO has granted explicit approval.
Plain English — not legal advice.
PHAs operating under HUD Handbook 7465.1 REV-2 CHG-2 § 5-6 generally maintain waiting lists that are community-wide in scope and organized to reflect unit type, size, tenant selection preferences, and application date and time. Operators seeking to run separate waiting lists for distinct communities must obtain HUD Headquarters approval and ensure the arrangement does not perpetuate segregation patterns inconsistent with Title VI or Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act. PHAs with HUD-approved separate community lists must allow applicants to apply to any or all open lists, not just the one covering their own community, and must keep all lists auditable by HUD.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under HUD Handbook 7465.1 REV-2 CHG-2 § 5-6, applicants for public housing have the right to be considered on a community-wide waiting list organized by unit need, applicable preferences, and application date and time. If a PHA operates multiple community-based waiting lists with HUD approval, applicants cannot be restricted to only the list for their own community — they are entitled to apply to any or all open lists. Tenants or applicants who believe a PHA's waiting list practices violate these requirements may consider raising the issue with the local HUD office, contacting HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), or reaching out to a tenant-rights organization for general guidance.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 26, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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