Property Partners

FAQs

What is a Permanent Supportive Housing Voucher?

A Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Voucher is actually a document, on SHCNM’s official letterhead, that guarantees payment of rental assistance on behalf of the participant to whom it is issued. The voucher will specify the allowable rental rate and number of bedrooms the participant is eligible for based on the number of people in the household. The voucher will also include the contact information for a SHCNM staff member whom prospective landlords may contact should they have any questions.

How much can I charge a Permanent Supportive Voucher Holder in rent?

Property partners receive Reasonable Fair Market Rent (FMR), as determined by HUD, for their units. Fair Market Rent is subject to annual increases. Please click here to view the current FMR for your county.

Does SHCNM pay the whole rental amount?

It depends on the voucher program, but SHCNM generally does not pay the entire rent amount. Participants qualify for the program based on their annual income. Generally, participants pay a share of their annual income towards rent, up to 30%. Sometimes they pay the 30% to SHCNM and we pay the full rent directly to the property partner. Other times, participants pay the 30% directly to the landlord, and SHCNM pays the remaining 70% directly to the landlord.

Who Pays the Deposits?

The deposit is paid according to the particular voucher program. Sometimes this is SHCNM, and other times it may be the tenant, or an outside third party.

What is a Housing Quality Standards Inspection?

Before a participant can sign a lease, the unit must be inspected to ensure the rental is safe to live in.  SHCNM utilizes Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections, which are the HUD minimum quality standards for tenant-based programs, including our PSH voucher programs.

Initially, the inspection itself may feel intimidating to a new property partner, but rest assured, the goal of the inspection is to assure that the unit is “decent, safe and sanitary.”

Inspections are required at initial occupancy, after the first six (6) months, and then annually thereafter.  Additional HQS inspections may occur at the request of the Participant, owner or leasing agent, and/or a community official. If there are any issues with the unit, the inspector will bring those to your attention, giving you an opportunity to fix the issue, before a second inspection is performed.

How do I become a landlord that accepts SHCNM vouchers?

Becoming a property partner that accepts SHCNM vouchers is simple. A prospective landlord must complete and submit:

1. A completed and signed W-9, for tax purposes,
2. A Vendor EFT Transfer Authorization, in order to receive rent payment via electronic funds transfer
3. A Request for Unit Approval form, and
4. A Property Partner Contract (PPC)
5. An inspection will then be conducted on the unit to make sure that the unit is safe and sanitary. Once the housing inspection has been passed, the participant may sign the lease and move in

Monthly rent payments will then begin and will be paid directly to the landlord. Depending upon the voucher program the tenant is enrolled in, the tenant may pay a portion of the rent to either SHCNM or the landlord.

Common Misconceptions

Being a property partner of SHCNM means that I must accept all program participants referred by SHCNM

As a property owner you are entitled to screen potential tenants and set rules and regulations that are in conformance with New Mexico Tenant Law.

Permanent Supportive Housing Voucher holders are “problem tenants”

There are no documented statistics showing that PSH voucher holders are more likely to damage units or not pay rent than non-PSH voucher holders. There are always unknown variables when renting to new tenants whether they are PSH voucher holders or non-PSH voucher holders. The upside to renting to a PSH voucher holder is that the PSH programs guarantees participants and landlords have additional support.

The amount of available shelter beds shows that there are enough resources available to individuals and families experiencing homelessness

Shelters are a valuable resource but there are many reasons why individuals and families may choose to avoid shelters, including, but not limited to, fears of sleeping or being near strangers, policies requiring families to be separated by gender, concerns of contracting contagious viruses/diseases, shelters being located in areas that cannot be accessed without reliable transportation, no-pet policies, strict curfews that conflict with work shifts, etc.

Homelessness is too big of a problem to solve; my units won’t make a difference

The Permanent Supportive Housing Model combines affordable housing with support services for individuals and families living with disabling conditions and has been proven to both reduce homelessness and save taxpayer dollars otherwise spent on costly shelters and hospitalizations. Targeted affordable housing assistance for homeless individuals and families is proven to reduce homelessness. Providing affordable housing options is key to ending homelessness.