If Mom's Section 8 landlord won't fix repairs, ask the local housing agency to inspect: after its notice, the owner has 24 hours for a life-threatening problem and 30 days for others. HUD says to always tell the landlord or manager about any issue with the unit. A Section 8 owner's 30 days to fix a problem that isn't life-threatening can stretch only if the local housing agency approves an extension. Apartment complexes assisted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and public housing have their own routes, below.

In This Guide

Which Kind of Subsidized Housing Is Mom In?

Not sure which Mom has? Check her lease or ask the manager.,

Kind of help How to tell Where else to report
Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Mom chose a private-market apartment; the agency pays part of the rent to that owner Local public housing agency
HUD-assisted apartment complex The rent help is tied to that specific building or unit and didn't come through a housing agency HUD Multifamily Housing Complaint Line, (800) 685-8470
Public housing The housing agency manages the building and is Mom's landlord Local public housing agency

HUD helps you find the local agency at (800) 955-2232. This guide doesn't cover project-based vouchers (see our project-based voucher guide) or properties funded only by tax credits or USDA.

Section 8 Landlord Won't Fix Repairs: The Voucher Deadlines

When a voucher family or a government official reports a possible problem, the federal voucher rule sets one clock for the agency to inspect and notify the owner, and a second for the owner to repair, counted from that notice.

Deadline Life-threatening problem Other problem
Agency inspects and, if confirmed, notifies the owner 24 hours 15 days
Owner repairs, from the agency's notice 24 hours 30 days, or any extension the agency approves

Your agency may still be inspecting under HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS), which agencies may keep using until February 1, 2027, the extended compliance date for HUD's newer National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) in voucher programs.

When the Section 8 Landlord Won't Fix Repairs by the Deadline

For voucher contracts signed on or after June 6, 2024, or renewed after it (run past the lease's first term), the rule sets these steps when the owner misses the deadline on a problem found in any inspection other than the initial one. Older contracts stay under the prior rule.

  1. The housing agency must abate (stop) its housing assistance payments to the owner.
  2. The housing agency must warn Mom and the owner that if the voucher unit doesn't meet the standards within 60 days, or a longer period the agency sets, the agency will end the contract and Mom must move to keep her help.
  3. If the owner still hasn't repaired, the housing agency must end the contract; it must issue Mom's voucher at least 30 days before the contract ends and give her at least 90 days after it ends, or a longer period the agency finds reasonably necessary, to lease a new unit.
  4. If Mom stays and the owner repairs in time, payments resume, with nothing paid for the abated period.

Abatement doesn't apply when the household caused the problem and the agency waived the owner's responsibility for it. The agency needn't offer an informal hearing on a failed inspection, but must if it moves to end Mom's assistance because the family caused the unit to fail the housing standards.

HUD-Assisted Apartment Complexes

When the help comes with the apartment complex rather than through a housing agency, tell the manager, then call HUD's Multifamily Housing Complaint Line at 1-800-MULTI-70 ((800) 685-8470; TTY (800) 432-2209), weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern., It takes complaints about poor maintenance, dangers to health and safety, mismanagement and fraud. Staff explain how to report problems to management, refer callers to local agencies, and send serious complaints to the HUD Field Office for action. Discrimination goes to HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at 1-800-669-9777.

Public Housing Repairs

In public housing, the housing agency is Mom's landlord, and her lease has to spell out what the agency must keep up. Under that lease, the agency must:

  • make necessary repairs and keep her unit and the building decent, safe and sanitary
  • keep the heating, plumbing, electrical systems and elevators it supplies in safe working order
  • supply running water, plus reasonable hot water and heat at the right times of year, following local custom

A public housing agency's duty to supply heat and hot water has two exceptions: the building isn't legally required to have that equipment, or the heat or hot water comes from equipment in Mom's own unit that she controls and that runs on a direct utility hookup.

If the damage puts the life, health or safety of the people living there at risk, Mom should tell project management right away; her lease requires it. The agency then has to repair it within a reasonable time. If it can't, it offers her a standard alternative unit when one is available. A public housing tenant's rent is reduced in proportion to the damage if repairs to hazardous damage aren't made or an alternative unit isn't provided as required, but not if the tenant turns down the alternative unit or the tenant, household or guests caused the damage.

If the agency still doesn't act, Mom can file a grievance, which is a dispute about the agency's action or failure to act under her lease or its rules. A public housing tenant raises a grievance with the housing agency or project office first, orally or in writing, so it can be settled informally, and can then ask for a hearing if the answer doesn't resolve it.

Mom's Share of the Rent

On a voucher, the agency pays the owner the difference between the payment standard and the family's portion, which Mom pays separately. Abatement stops the agency's payment, not hers. This guide doesn't cover state or local tenant remedies, so talk to legal aid before Mom pays less than her share.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Section 8 landlord evict Mom over repairs?

The voucher rule bars an owner from ending the tenancy because the agency withheld or abated its payment, for contracts signed on or after June 6, 2024, or renewed after it. For notices and hearings generally, see our eviction rights guide.

Can Mom move out instead of waiting?

On newer voucher contracts, yes, once the agency has abated its payments. For contracts signed on or after June 6, 2024, or renewed after it, a voucher family may end the tenancy during abatement by notifying the owner and the agency. A voucher can move with a family that follows program rules; see our voucher portability guide.

Learn More

Care TypesAffordable Senior HousingSection 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 TypesSubsidized Housing Eviction RightsOnly 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 TypesProject-Based Voucher vs. Section 8 VoucherProject-based voucher vs. Section 8: the help stays with the apartment, not Mom. Her rent uses the same formula, and after a year she can ask for a voucher. Care TypesSection 8 Voucher PortabilityUsually 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 TypesWhen Mom's Building Converts Under RADIn a RAD conversion, Mom can't be rescreened out, her rent stays tied to income with big jumps phased in, and she can return after repairs. What can change. CaregiverRenters' Accessibility ModificationsNo. Under the Fair Housing Act, a landlord must allow reasonable accessibility changes for a tenant with a disability. Who pays, and what to do if they refuse.

Find personalized help getting repairs made in Mom's subsidized apartment 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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