In a Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversion of public housing, what happens to tenants like Mom follows federal rules: she can't be rescreened out, and her rent stays tied to her income., If RAD repairs force her out for a while, she has a right to come back. What can change is who moves in after her, because a public housing building's senior designation doesn't carry over through a RAD conversion.

In This Guide

What Happens to Tenants in a RAD Conversion

Maybe a RAD Information Notice showed up under Mom's door, or she called you after a meeting where someone kept saying "Section 8." It's unsettling to hear that her home of many years is changing, so start with what the change actually is.

RAD, a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), lets a housing agency move a public housing property onto one of two kinds of project-based Section 8 assistance, and the agency chooses which:

Under either form, Mom signs her lease with the project owner or the property manager acting for the owner. Find out early which form her building is taking; it decides who handles her paperwork, how long she waits for a voucher, and which hearing she gets.

Will It Still Be a Senior Building After a RAD Conversion?

Mom chose a building full of people her age, and losing that can feel like losing a neighborhood. The answer depends on what the building was before.

A public housing building's designation for elderly families does not carry over in a RAD conversion. HUD's RAD Notice says a building converting to PBRA can't establish or keep a designation (a set-aside of units) for elderly or disabled families, because the Section 8 statute, unlike the public housing statute, doesn't authorize designations. Under the RAD Notice's rules for PBRA conversions, the owner can instead adopt a selection preference, for example for elderly individuals or elderly families, which lets those applicants be selected from the waiting list and housed before other eligible families. In a RAD conversion to PBRA, an owner's preference for some groups, such as elderly families or near-elderly persons, needs HUD approval before the PBRA contract is signed.

In a conversion to PBV, HUD's guide says a designation won't carry over, though a building designated for elderly families may still convert and keep its occupancy. The agency administering a RAD PBV contract can also effectively change or end the designation by adopting a different preference or by choosing future residents without regard to any preference.

A Section 202 PRAC building works the other way, as the table shows; the Section 202 PRAC section below covers the details.

Building before conversion Senior-only status after conversion Who moves in next
Public housing designated for elderly families Designation does not carry over; a preference for elderly applicants may be adopted instead In a PBV conversion, the agency can change or drop the preference, so the mix can change
Section 202 PRAC building Must keep serving elderly persons New admissions must meet HUD's "elderly family" definition

None of this moves Mom out; what changes is her neighbors over time. Ask the agency or owner in writing whether it plans to adopt a preference for elderly applicants, and see senior priority on housing waiting lists for how preferences work.

Before the Conversion: Notices and Meetings

Residents get time and a voice before anything is final. For a public housing conversion, HUD's RAD Notice sets this sequence:

  1. RAD Information Notice. Before applying, the housing agency must give residents written notice of its intent, their rights and its plans, delivered to each unit or mailed to each head of household and posted in a conspicuous place in the building.
  2. Two early meetings. No less than one week after the RAD Information Notice, and within the six months before it applies to HUD for RAD, the housing agency must hold at least two resident meetings on its plans and resident rights, with chances to comment.
  3. At least two more meetings after HUD selects the project. These come before the agency's concept call with HUD.
  4. Approval notice and a final meeting. After approval and before closing, the agency must tell residents in writing and hold another meeting covering matters such as timing, the new lease, any relocation, and the choice-mobility option.

HUD's resident fact sheet says the agency must hold at least five meetings during the RAD process and must use effective communication for people with disabilities. If Mom has trouble hearing or seeing, you can ask what the agency will provide on her behalf.

Can Mom Be Rescreened Out?

No. HUD's RAD Notice says current households can't be excluded at conversion based on any rescreening, income eligibility or income targeting, and HUD's resident fact sheet says residents under lease in public housing can't be re-screened for income or criminal background when the property comes under a Section 8 contract.

In a RAD conversion, current households are grandfathered for conditions that existed before conversion, but they're subject to ongoing eligibility requirements for things that happen afterward. Income rules tied to new financing, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, don't override the RAD no-rescreening protection.

Will Her Rent Go Up After the RAD Conversion?

On a fixed income, "Section 8" can sound like a whole new rent bill. For most residents it isn't. HUD's RAD fact sheets say tenants under project-based Section 8 "continue to pay 30% of their adjusted income towards rent," as in most public housing, and that most residents will not have a rent increase because of RAD, though a small change is possible because income is figured slightly differently.

That 30% is HUD's shorthand. Under the federal rule, her total tenant payment is the highest of 30% of monthly adjusted income, 10% of monthly income, a welfare payment designated for housing if she gets one, or the minimum rent, which an agency may set at up to $50 in public housing and the voucher program, with a hardship exemption. Adjusted income includes deductions for elderly families and for certain unreimbursed medical expenses. Our guide to how HUD calculates senior rent walks through those deductions.

At conversion, HUD's RAD Notice keeps her public housing tenant rent until her first annual or interim recertification afterward. If that paperwork slips, see what to do after a missed HUD recertification.

If the conversion itself pushes her rent up. If her total tenant payment would rise, purely because of the RAD conversion, by more than the greater of 10% or $25, the increase is phased in over three or five years. The housing agency must adopt a RAD rent phase-in policy choosing three years, five years or a mix, give it in writing to affected residents, and have it in place at conversion; it can't be changed afterward.

If She Has to Move Out During Repairs

Packing up a home is a lot to ask at any age, even for a few months. For a public housing conversion, the rules try to make a temporary move bearable and keep it temporary.

HUD's fact sheet says relocation can't begin until HUD issues the RAD Conversion Commitment or the agency gets special permission for early relocation. Mom must get a written RAD Notice of Relocation at least 30 days ahead if she'll be out twelve months or less, and at least 90 days ahead if longer. The notice must state how long the move is expected to last, and she can't be required to move before the notice period ends.

If RAD repairs move her outside the building or complex for up to a year, her temporary housing must be decent, safe and sanitary, and she must be reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including moving costs and higher housing costs such as rent and utilities. A RAD temporary move within the complex is reimbursed too. HUD's RAD resident fact sheet adds that residents "will continue to pay the same amount of rent during the temporary relocation." Keep every receipt.

She has a right to return to an assisted unit at the property once the work is done, and HUD's RAD Notice says permanent involuntary displacement can't result from the conversion. If she uses a walker or wheelchair, put her accessibility needs in writing before the move; our guide to requesting an accessible unit in HUD housing explains how.

After the RAD Conversion: What Happens to Tenants' Leases

The fear many families carry is a notice to leave once the conversion is done. A RAD conversion doesn't give the owner a free hand: HUD's RAD resident fact sheet says the owner of a RAD-converted property may end or decline to renew the lease only by following certain procedures and only with cause, such as serious or repeated lease violations.

After a public housing conversion under RAD, PBV and PBRA alike, HUD's RAD Notice also requires adequate written notice before her lease ends. The notice period depends on the reason:

  • Safety threats or criminal activity: a reasonable period of no more than 30 days when the health or safety of other tenants, the owner's employees or people living nearby is threatened, or for drug-related or violent criminal activity or a felony conviction.
  • Nonpayment of rent: not less than 30 days.
  • Any other reason: not less than 30 days, unless state or local law sets a shorter period.

She keeps hearing rights after a RAD conversion, too. In a PBV building, she gets an informal hearing on owner actions that adversely affect her, including before an eviction. In a PBRA building, she must be told the specific grounds and can have an informal hearing with an impartial member of the owner's staff, bring a person of her choice, question witnesses and get a written decision. HUD's RAD resident fact sheet says asking for a hearing doesn't affect her right to take the case to court. For the full procedure, see Mom's notice and hearing rights in subsidized housing.

Leaving Later With a Voucher (Choice Mobility)

Some families see the conversion as a chance to move Mom closer to them. RAD's choice-mobility option lets residents of most converted public housing properties ask for a tenant-based voucher, with timing set by her building's form.,

Project-based vouchers (PBV) Project-based rental assistance (PBRA)
When she can ask After one year living in the property The later of 24 months from the contract's effective date or 24 months after move-in
Limits the agency may set If RAD pushes its PBV units past 20% of its authorized voucher units, no more than three-quarters of its turnover vouchers a year No more than one-third of turnover vouchers a year; owner and agency may cap moves at 15% of the property's assisted units a year

An agency that caps RAD choice-mobility vouchers must keep a waiting list in the order requests came in. HUD's fact sheet says she may have to wait for a voucher, and properties whose housing agency has no voucher program don't have a choice-mobility option.

Under HUD's general PBV rules, a family must contact the agency to request continued assistance before giving the owner written notice, and if no voucher is free, the agency must give the family priority for the next one. Under HUD's 2026 voucher funding notice, an agency in a HUD-confirmed funding shortfall has no vouchers for these PBV choice-mobility moves, though it can still issue them for a disability-related reasonable accommodation or an emergency transfer for a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. Don't let her give notice until the voucher is in hand. For a move to another state, see how Section 8 voucher portability works.

What the 2026 ROAD to Housing Act Changed

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (Public Law 119-101), enacted July 11, 2026, raised the cap on public housing units that may convert under RAD from 455,000 to 555,000 and removed the program's September 30, 2029 end date. The ROAD to Housing Act requires HUD to assess and publish each year the impact of public housing conversions, including how many residents stay or return and the effect on tenants' rights. The act also lets HUD impose civil money penalties or other sanctions for material violations of RAD requirements, and says tenants' rights stay enforceable as set out in current law, regulations and HUD guidance or notices.

These are changes to the statute; this guide describes no new HUD rules carrying them out, and the protections above come from the RAD Notice and fact sheets the law keeps enforceable.

If Mom Lives in a Section 202 PRAC Building

Section 202 PRAC buildings convert under RAD's Second Component, which HUD writes rules for separately. Here's what those rules say:

The meeting, rent phase-in, relocation, lease-termination and hearing rules earlier in this guide come from HUD's rules for public housing conversions, and this guide doesn't state them for a Section 202 PRAC resident. Ask the owner in writing which rules will apply to her.

What to Do Next and Where to Report a Problem

Your next step is to ask the housing agency or owner for two documents in writing: the rent phase-in policy and, if anyone will move, the RAD Notice of Relocation. If a right in this guide is being ignored, contact a local legal aid office before Mom signs anything or moves out.

To report a problem with how her building is run, such as poor maintenance, a danger to health or safety, mismanagement or fraud, call HUD's Multifamily Housing Complaint Line at 1-800-MULTI-70 (1-800-685-8470), staffed weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The line takes complaints from residents of HUD-insured and HUD-assisted properties, answers questions about residents' rights, refers callers to the local housing agency if needed, and sends a complaint serious enough for HUD's attention to the appropriate HUD Field Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mom have to sign a new lease after a RAD conversion?

Expect one. HUD's RAD Notice says the approval notice and final resident meeting must cover the new lease. Read it with her before she signs.

Can Mom lose her apartment because the building is redesigned?

Not because of the conversion. HUD's RAD Notice says permanent involuntary displacement can't result from a conversion, including from a change in bedroom mix, a small reduction in units, reconfigured efficiency apartments, or units repurposed for social services.

What if repairs will keep her out for more than a year?

She gets a choice. If RAD repairs will keep her out more than 12 months, HUD's RAD relocation notice says she must be offered either temporary relocation that keeps her right to return, with reimbursed out-of-pocket costs, or voluntary permanent relocation with assistance equal to what a displaced person gets under the Uniform Relocation Act, and at least 30 days to decide.

Learn More

Care TypesAffordable Senior Housing: HUD Section 202, Public Housing and Rental Help for Older AdultsSection 202, public housing and Section 8 vouchers cut rent for low-income older adults. See who qualifies, what rent costs and how to get on a waiting list. Care TypesCan Subsidized Housing Evict Mom? Notice and Hearing Rights by ProgramOnly for cause and with written notice. See the hearing your parent can ask for in public housing, a Section 8 building or on a voucher, and what family can do. Care TypesHUD Medical Expense Deduction for Seniors: How Medical Bills and Age Lower Rent Under HOTMASeniors' medical costs above 10% of income, plus a $550 elderly family deduction for 2026, come off income before HUD sets rent under HOTMA. Here's the math. Care TypesCan Mom Transfer Her Section 8 Voucher to Another State? How Portability WorksUsually yes: a Section 8 voucher can move to another state with a voucher program. Who must wait 12 months, what the new agency can change, and each step. Care TypesDo Seniors Get Priority for Section 8 and Senior Housing Waiting Lists?Not automatically. Each housing agency and HUD-assisted building sets its own waiting list preferences, and some favor people 62+. How to claim and keep a spot. Care TypesMom Needs an Accessible Unit: How to Request a Transfer in HUD HousingA current tenant who needs an accessible unit gets first offer of a vacant one, and the building usually pays the move. How to ask, program by program.

Find personalized help preparing for Mom's RAD conversion at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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