City Attorney Mediation Program Lands a Home for Section 8 Tenant
Published on May 23, 2024
City Attorney Mediation Program Successfully Lands a Home for Section 8 Tenant in Alameda
Tenant Finally Obtains Housing After Frustrating Search With Section 8 Voucher
The Alameda City Attorney’s Office has completed a successful mediation between a local property owner and the applicant for her rental house. The applicant, a disabled senior who uses a federal Section 8 housing voucher, had been rejected by multiple property owners in the East Bay, some allegedly on the basis of her Section 8 voucher – a federal housing subsidy program for low-income tenants.
The landlord, while generally agreeable to renting to the applicant, had initially balked at what she considered undue complications in the contract and in working with the applicant’s section 8 voucher.
The parties contacted the Alameda City Attorney’s Office for help. There, Rico Fenix and Adam Radinsky helped mediate an agreement between the parties that resulted in a new tenancy, with the tenant using her Section 8 voucher to cover most of the rent.
“One of our most important roles is to educate the public about its rights and responsibilities,” said City Attorney Yibin Shen. “We are glad we could help the owner fulfill her legal duty to treat voucher-holders equally, and to help create a new home for a low-income and disabled resident, after her long search for a home.”
California adopted a new law in 2024 that helps Section 8 voucher holders who are applying to rent an apartment. Starting this year, landlords can no longer just rely in a bad credit report to deny a section 8 applicant. Now they must let the applicant provide other evidence that they can pay their portion of the rent above the amount of the voucher – with various kinds of proof.
The City Attorney’s Office’s innovative mediation program seeks to bring landlords and tenants together to find common ground, with the ultimate goal of housing all Alamedans. Any Landlord, tenant or housing applicant can contact Rico Fenix of the City Attorney’s Office for more information at 510-747-4775.