HUD HCV Guidebook § 2.5.1

The briefing packet must10 include the following documents and information:
      •    The term of the voucher, and the PHA’s policies on any extensions or suspensions of the term. If the
           PHA allows extensions, the packet must explain how the family can request an extension;
      •    A description of the method used to calculate the housing assistance payment for a family, including
           how the PHA determines the payment standard and how the PHA determines the total tenant payment
           for the family;
      •    An explanation of how the PHA determines the maximum allowable rent for an assisted unit;
      •    Where the family may lease a unit. For a family that qualifies to lease a unit outside the PHA
           jurisdiction under portability, the information must include an explanation of how portability works
           including information on how portability may affect the family's assistance through screening, subsidy
           standards, payment standards, and any other elements of the portability process that may affect the
           family's assistance;
      •    The HUD-required tenancy addendum (see Section 10.2 of this chapter), which must be included in
           the lease;
      •    The form the family must use to request approval of tenancy, and an explanation of how to request
           such approval;
      •    A statement of the PHA policy on providing information about families to prospective owners;
      •    The PHA subsidy standards including when the PHA will consider granting exceptions to the standards
           as allowed by 24 CFR 982.402(b)(8) and when exceptions are required as a reasonable
           accommodation for persons with disabilities under Section 504, the Fair Housing Act, or the ADA;
      •    Materials (e.g., brochures) on how to select a unit and any additional information on selecting a unit
           that HUD provides;
      •    The HUD pamphlet on lead-based paint entitled Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home;11
      •    Information on Federal, State, and local equal opportunity laws, the contact information for the
           Section 504 coordinator, a copy of the housing discrimination complaint form (HUD-903.1 or the
           appropriately translated version of the form), including information on how to fill out the form/file a
           fair housing complaint and information on how to request a reasonable accommodation or
           modification (including information on requesting exception payment standards as a reasonable
           accommodation) under Section 504, the Fair Housing Act, and the ADA;
      •    A list of landlords known to the PHA who may be willing to lease a unit to the family or other resources
           (e.g., newspapers, organizations, online search tools) known to the PHA that may assist the family in
           locating a unit. PHAs must ensure that the list of landlords or other resources covers areas outside of
           poverty or minority concentration;
      •    If the family includes a person with disabilities, include a current list of available accessible units
           known to the PHA, and, if necessary, other assistance in locating an available accessible dwelling unit;
      •    Family obligations under the program, including any obligations of other special programs the family is
           participating in (e.g., HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Homeownership, Family
           Unification Program (FUP), Welfare-to-Work);

10
     24 CFR 982.301(b)
11
     24 CFR 35.88

•   The advantages of areas that do not have a high concentration of low-income families, which may
          include accessible and high-quality housing, transit, employment opportunities, educational
          opportunities, recreational facilities, public safety stations, retail services, and health services; and
      •   A description of when the PHA is required12 to give a participant family the opportunity for an informal
          hearing and how to request a hearing.
While the PHA will not be able to tell a family with certainty how much the family will have to pay in rent and
utilities (because the family’s share of the rent
depends on the amount of rent the owner charges
for the selected unit), giving the family a general
understanding of how much that family can afford
and the maximum they will be allowed to pay in rent          The list of units known to be available for
and utilities saves time for both the family and the         rent is only useful if it is up to date. In
PHA. Having this information from the start helps            smaller, less active rental markets, the
families narrow their search to units in an affordable       PHA will be able to more easily maintain a
price range and minimizes PHA denials of families’           rental list. In larger markets and areas
requests of the assisted tenancy because the gross           with low vacancy rates, a list of owners
rent for the unit causes the family share of the rent        who have indicated their interest in
to exceed the maximum family share at initial                participating in the program may prove to
occupancy.
                                                             be more useful since any identified vacant
                                                             unit may be rented before its availability