Renting in NYC with a Section 8 or CityFHEPS voucher

In New York City, a landlord or broker can't legally turn you away because you pay with a Section 8 or CityFHEPS voucher, and with a voucher that sets your share by income you can't be rejected for not earning "40 times the rent." To actually land an apartment you still need to find a unit under your voucher's rent limit, get the landlord to complete the paperwork, and pass an inspection before your voucher expires.

This guide walks through that search the way it really happens, using NYCHA's Section 8 rules, the city's CityFHEPS fact sheets and the NYC Commission on Human Rights guidance on source-of-income discrimination.

Know your numbers before you search

Every voucher has a ceiling. For Section 8 it's the payment standard, and for CityFHEPS it's the program's maximum rent. The two now line up for most sizes, because CityFHEPS is indexed to NYCHA's Section 8 standards.

• Utilities change the math. If you'll pay gas or electric yourself, a utility allowance is subtracted, so the rent you can accept is lower than the table shows.
• No more ZIP-code bonuses at NYCHA. From July 1, 2026, NYCHA stopped using Exception Payment Standard ZIP codes for new rentals and transfers. The standard schedule now applies in every ZIP code.
• Section 8 lets you go a little over, with limits. You can rent above the payment standard, but at move-in your share can't be more than 40% of your monthly adjusted income. CityFHEPS has its own, tighter rules for rent over the limit.
• HPD also runs Section 8. If your voucher is from HPD rather than NYCHA, check HPD's rules and forms; the process is similar but not identical.

To see roughly what you'll pay, try the Section 8 rent share calculator. For CityFHEPS details, read CityFHEPS explained.

Watch the clock

A NYCHA voucher is valid for 180 days from the date it's issued. NYCHA can extend it for good cause, such as an approved reasonable accommodation. The clock pauses once a complete rental packet is submitted and restarts if the deal falls through. A CityFHEPS shopping letter for community households is valid for 120 days. Plan backward from your expiration date and leave at least a few weeks for paperwork and inspection.

The search, step by step

1. 1

   Build a short pitch for landlords

   Landlords who haven't taken vouchers often worry about delays. Have a one-page summary ready: your voucher type and size, your maximum rent, your caseworker's contact, and (for CityFHEPS) the up-front payments the city makes. Keep your Household Share Letter private; only the Shopping Letter is for landlords.
2. 2

   Filter listings by rent, not by "accepts vouchers"

   Search every listing at or below your limit. Don't limit yourself to ads that say "programs welcome." It's illegal for most NYC landlords to refuse you, so any unit in range is fair game. Browse rentals on Roofy.
3. 3

   Check the building before you visit

   Look up the address on Roofy's building lookup. Open Class C violations or a pattern of heat complaints can make a unit fail inspection or preclearance, which wastes days on your voucher.
4. 4

   View the unit like an inspector

   Test the heat, hot water, stove, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, window guards if children live with you, outlets and locks. Note peeling paint in older buildings. Our viewing checklist covers the basics.
5. 5

   Get the rental packet in quickly

   For NYCHA, the owner can complete the package online and you approve it in the Tenant Self-Service Portal. Paper packets need a Request for Tenancy Approval signed by both of you, the signed lease, a lead-based paint disclosure, the owner registration form and the owner's W-9. For CityFHEPS, the unit is registered on the DSS Offer Registration site.
6. 6

   Rent reasonableness review

   Both programs compare the asking rent with similar unassisted units nearby. If the rent is too high for the area, the agency won't approve it even if it's under your limit. A landlord can lower the rent to pass, but can't collect the difference from you on the side.
7. 7

   Inspection or walkthrough

   NYCHA inspects the unit before move-in against federal housing quality standards, and an adult household member must be present. CityFHEPS does a preclearance for violations plus a physical walkthrough. Make sure the unit you are shown is the one on the lease.
8. 8

   Sign the lease and the payment contract

   For Section 8, you sign a lease with the owner and NYCHA signs a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract with the owner. For CityFHEPS, DSS reviews the signed lease and schedules a key and check exchange.

Section 8 vs CityFHEPS at a glance

What landlords and brokers can't do

The NYC Human Rights Law has banned source-of-income discrimination since 2008, and it covers most rentals in the city whatever the building size. According to the Commission on Human Rights, it's illegal for a landlord or broker to:

• Say "we don't take vouchers," "only working Section 8," or put you on a separate "voucher waitlist."
• Reject you for low income when your voucher program would approve the rent and sets your share by income.
• Require a guarantor or co-signer because you use a voucher.
• Reject you on credit when the voucher covers 100% of the rent. If you pay part, credit can be looked at case by case, but a blanket minimum score may be illegal.
• Accept one program and refuse another (for example, Section 8 but not CityFHEPS or HASA), even if the paperwork is slower.
• Demand months of rent up front, or up-front fees or deposits over $20 (state law caps application fees at $20 or the actual cost of the check, whichever is less). For CityFHEPS, the city's security voucher counts as the deposit.
• Reject you because of a past or pending Housing Court case, which state law forbids.

How to document discrimination

The Commission's advice is to collect evidence as you go, not after the fact:

1. Screenshot every listing the moment you see it, including the price and any "no programs" language.
2. Keep a log of each call, text and email: the date, the person, the address and what was said.
3. Save texts and emails somewhere other than your phone. New York lets you record a call you're part of; other states differ.
4. If an agent goes quiet once you mention a voucher, have a friend with job income ask about the same unit. Different answers are evidence.
5. Report it while the unit is still available. The Commission can call the agent or landlord directly. Call 212-416-0197 or 311 and ask for "Human Rights."

If the Commission finds a violation, remedies can include getting the apartment or a similar one, damages for your costs and emotional distress, and civil penalties of up to $250,000 for a willful violation. Read more in source-of-income discrimination.

After you move in

• Pay your share on time. The program pays its part directly to the landlord.
• Report household or income changes on time (NYCHA asks for family changes within 30 days) and complete every annual recertification or renewal.
• Let the landlord in for repairs and be home for follow-up inspections.
• If repairs stall, document the problem and use 311 and HPD. Conditions that fail inspection can put the subsidy at risk, which is the landlord's problem as much as yours.