The dedicated point of contact for public housing residents is their community’s property manager. To find your property’s management office contact information, search for your property by visiting the Properties page.

Public Housing residents are required to pay their share of the monthly rent, which is typically 30% of the total household’s adjusted gross income.

Public housing residents can learn more by reviewing their property’s profile. To find your property, visit the Properties page.

Public Housing residents can submit a maintenance request through RentCafe. Another option is to visit the property management office and submit a maintenance request in person.

If the request is urgent (utility or elevator outages, plumbing issues), contact the property manager or call center as soon as possible.

If the request is an emergency (active fire, gas leak, flooding, electrical hazard), call 911 immediately.

Learn more about maintenance requests by visiting the Current Residents page.

Public Housing residents are required to follow the rules and responsibilities as defined in their lease terms with DCHA. This includes refraining from criminal activity, updating and supplying DCHA with information, completing recertification, and maintaining financial integrity. For more details of the obligations and responsibilities of public all housing residents, visit the Public Housing Overview page.

Public Housing residents can request to transfer to another unit at the same or different community for any of the following reasons: Reasonable Accommodation; public safety; and/or changes to household composition. DCHA may also initiate transfers if the size of the unit is deemed inappropriate for a household or if the property undergoes redevelopment.

For more information on transfers, visit the Current Public Housing Residents & Being a Good Tenant page.

Residents can login to their RentCafe account for details on their submitted documents, maintenance requests and other general information shared with DCHA.

Residents can find helpful how-to guides as well as any fillable forms or reference documents related to the public housing program on the Resources page.

The dedicated point of contact for voucher participants is their assigned housing program specialist.

To find their contact information, login to RentCafe and locate it under “Program Information”.

For more guidance, visit the Find My Housing Specialist page.

Voucher program participants are required to pay their share of the monthly rent, which is typically 30% of the total household’s adjusted gross income.

The difference between the full rent for the unit and the voucher holder’s payment will be paid by DCHA directly to the landlord.

DCHA’s rental payment is called the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

For more information, visit the Current Voucher Participants page.

Tenant-based voucher holders are responsible for finding a unit, which can be found on websites like affordablehousing.com, talking to real estate agents/word of mouth, and local ads. DCHA also provides housing search assistance. For more information, visit the Current Voucher Participants page.

Project-based voucher (PBV) holders can select a unit from a list of properties that is provided by DCHA.

Voucher holders have a maximum of 180 days to find an eligible unit.

In extenuating circumstances, you may submit a request with the appropriate documentation through RentCafe.

You can also contact your assigned Housing Specialist to coordinate an extension request.

Voucher program participants are required to follow the rules and responsibilities as defined in their lease agreements. This includes paying rent on time, updating and supplying DCHA with information, completing recertification, undergoing routine inspections, maintaining financial integrity, and refraining from criminal activity.

For more details of the obligations and responsibilities of all voucher participants, visit the Voucher & Rental Assistance Programs Overview page.

Tenant-based voucher program participants can either transfer to another unit within DC or outside of DC.

Transferring outside of DC, known as porting, is only available to HCVP tenant-based voucher-holders.

To transfer within DC, a request can be submitted through RentCafe or with assigned Housing Progran Specialists after 1 year of successful program participation.

To port or transfer outside of DC, a request can be made via email. For the full details on transfers, visit the Current Participants & Your Voucher page.

Participants can find details on their submitted documents, inspections,  status of Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packet, and other general information shared with DCHA by logging in to their RentCafe account.

Participants can find helpful how-to guides as well as any fillable forms or reference documents related to their voucher or rental assistance program on the Resources page.

DCHA’s waitlists are closed.

The first step of applying for public housing or a voucher is to submit an application to a waitlist. There are separate waitlists for the Public Housing program and Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP).

After submitting an application to a waitlist, applicants are pulled to be considered for housing or housing assistance. Applicants cannot move forward with their application unless they have been pulled from either waitlist.

The waitlists for the Public Housing and the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) are currently closed.

If DCHA does re-open either waitlist, it will publicize the opportunity on the DCHA website, and through social media channels and local media outlets.

Reaching the top of the waiting list depends on several factors.

Since household needs and preferences change, it is very difficult to predict when an applicant will reach the top of the waiting list. When a name reaches the top of the list, DCHA will contact the applicant to schedule a final eligibility interview. Applicants who are currently on a waitlist are required to maintain their contact information  with DCHA.

To check the status of an application, DCHA  encourages waitlist applicants to create a RentCafe account and manage the application through the RentCafe portal.

Applicants can call the DCHA Call Center at (202) 535-1000 to check an application’s status.

To check the status of an application, it is encouraged to create a RentCafe account and manage the application through the RentCafe portal.

Applicants can call the DCHA Call Center at (202) 535-1000 to make a change to an application.

Any questions related to a waitlist application can be directed to the DCHA Call Center at (202) 535-1000.

Local emergency housing services may be available to those experiencing or at the immediate risk of homelessness. For more details and contact information, visit the Resources page.

Depending on the voucher subsidy, landlords looking to partner with DCHA can list their unit(s) on housing websites like AffordableHousing.com, participate in Meet & Lease events, or submit a proposal to an open solicitation for project-based voucher (PBV) unit.

For more information, visit the Voucher & Rental Assistance Landlord Partners page.

Landlords may contact the Housing Choice Voucher Program’s (HCVP) Landlord Liaison team by emailing [email protected].

For general inquiries, landlords can contact the DCHA Call Center at (202) 535-1000.

For more, visit the Contact page.

Landlords can complete tasks through RentCafe’s Landlord Portal.

For more information on how to use RentCafe Landlord Portal or how to sign up, visit the Resources page.

The contract rent, or the monthly cost of the unit, must not exceed the Payment Standard; be reasonable compared with other similar homes in the same or nearby area; and be affordable for program participants.

For more information, visit the Current Landlords page.