Landlord Resources
Please review the landlord resources below which provide valuable information related to rental payments, inspections, maintenance, and noticing.
The most valuable resource for any AHA landlord is the Landlord portal which is an online account where landlords can complete administrative tasks and review other important information.
Once registered the following activities can be done via the landlord portal:
- View AHA Details
- Create landlord profile
- Enter rental unit information
- Find the AHA Housing Specialist of tenants
- Upload Documents
- View status of rental unit inspections
- Track accounting of the financial ledger
- Receive status notifications on unit holds and abatements
- Setup automatic payments (via EFT) to receive direct deposit AHA payments (Landlords need to complete the Electronic Funds Transfer form and send to your AHA contact or submit via landlord portal)
The Landlord portal can be accessed via the button below:
If you have not registered for the landlord portal please contact Iyana Barnes:
To register for monthly trainings on the landlord portal please contact Joshua Altieri:
How do I list my unit as an available rental for Housing Choice Voucher Participants?
Please fill out Details Regarding the Unit and Property and submit this form to the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda receptionist at 701 Atlantic Avenue:
Available rental(s) will be listed in our main lobby and on our website at the Available Rentals page.
Lease Agreement
In most cases, an initial 12-month lease must be used. Landlords sign a lease agreement with the tenant and a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract for payment by the Housing Authority.
Rent Increases
Annual rent increases are allowed, if the new proposed rent is consistent with similar sized unassisted units with similar HCV program. Units are exempt from the rent portion of the Alameda rent control program (www.alamedarentprogram.org) amenities in the same neighborhood. AHA will research comparable units in the area to confirm rent reasonableness of any owner requested rent increases. For more information, please refer to AHA’s Administrative Plan.
On January 1, 2020, Assembly Bill No. 1482 (Bill), also known as the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, went into effect and imposed caps on contract rent increases for properties within the State of California that are not exempted by the Bill (link to Assembly Bill No. 1482: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1482).
On February 11, 2020, Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) were told that both Project-Based Voucher (PBV) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) units were exempted from this Bill.
However, on June 29, 2023, Attorney General Rob Bonta told PHAs that while PBV units are exempt, HCV units that are not subject to a regulatory agreement with a government agency are not exempted from this Bill (link to the Attorney General’s website: https://oag.ca.gov/home). On February 9, 2024, PHAs in California received a letter from HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Monocchio which confirmed the Attorney General’s position regarding the Bill. The letter from HUD advises PHAs to implement this Bill and alert HCV owners when a rent increase is received that violates the Bill’s requirements.
Effective March 1, 2024, all contract rent increases for Housing Choice Voucher units not subject to a regulatory agreement with a government agency will need to be in compliance with Assembly Bill No. 1482. If the AHA receives a contract rent increase for a Housing Choice Voucher unit not subject to a regulatory agreement with a government agency that violates the rent control requirements of Assembly Bill No. 1482, the AHA will alert you of the violation and provide an explanation of the applicability of Assembly Bill No. 1482 so that you may revise your contract rent increase request to be in compliance. Please note that this is in addition to the current rent reasonableness requirement.
In short this means the Housing Authority will reject contract rent increases for private market landlords that exceed the current maximum under AB1482. Please note that the maximum allowed amount changes with updates to the Consumer Price Index and as such landlords can expect the rent increase cap to change August 1. If you are a member of California Apartment Association, you can calculate the maximum allowable contract rent increase here: https://caanet.org/topics/ab-1482/.
If you have a rent change notice pending or coming up, please contact Iyana Barnes via email at ibarnes@alamedahsg.org. If you have any questions about the application of Assembly Bill No. 1482 itself, please contact the Attorney General’s Office (link to the Attorney General’s contact information: https://oag.ca.gov/contact). As this is not just a requirement for the HCV program, you may want to review the bill to ensure your compliance with your other units. As an aside, there are other provisions of the bill that you may want to review such as ones affecting evictions.
Please note that in the City of Alameda, the Alameda Rent Program also has rules that apply to rental housing www.alamedarentprogram.org.
To submit future HCV rent change requests please do this here: https://form.alamedahsg.org/Forms/HCVRentIncrease . We appreciate your cooperation and continued participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program.
Inspections
A subsidized unit must pass the Housing Quality Standards inspection. AHA must inspect the unit prior to any tenant moving in and then regularly after that. AHA Inspectors look for health or safety concerns plus any potential hazards. The inspector may alert the landlord to issues which could prevent costly expenses in the future. For more information, please refer to AHA’s Administrative plan.
How to contact Inspectors (Outsource IT)?
All inspection requests are handled by the inspections team which can be reached at:
TEL: (510) 690-8290
How to call for a special inspection?
Inspections are regularly scheduled for every unit at least once every three years, but more frequently for many units. Both the landlord and/or tenant can request a special inspection for issues that occur between routinely scheduled inspections.
To request a special inspection, please contact Outsource IT:
TEL: (510) 690-8290
The Violence Against Women Act
WHAT IS VAWA?
Initially passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes and provided federal resources to encourage community-coordinated responses to combating violence. The Housing Choice Voucher and HOME programs must be operated allowing for the protections of VAWA.
AHA Landlord Appreciation Events
AHA is grateful for the willingness of our landlords to participate in our program. AHA hosts a Landlord Appreciation event once a year and all current landlords, plus potential landlords are invited.
Complaints
AHA responds to complaints and concerns raised by landlords and residents. Some issues can be addressed quickly, while others may be more complicated and take longer to resolve. In some cases, it requires the cooperation of the landlord, neighbors, the assisted resident, and the Housing Authority to resolve the problems that arise. While the Housing Authority is not a party to the lease, per the HAP Contract, copies of all lease violation notices must be given to the Housing Authority at the same time as the tenant.
While the AHA does not normally directly interfere with tenant/landlord issues, per the agreement that AHA has with its participants, serious and/or repeated violations of the lease may result in the family losing assistance. Many times, when that is explained to families, the behavior requiring a violation notice is corrected. A valuable resource for landlords is the Ombudsman Program.
Please click on the button below to find out more about the Ombudsman program:
Important AHA Landlord Forms
Property Owners and Landlords currently participating in AHA’s Housing Choice Voucher Program can utilize all the documents in this section. The best way to submit forms is through the Landlord Portal; otherwise, original completed forms must be turned in to the Housing Programs Department by mail, hand-delivery, or fax to:
Authorization for Direct Deposit
Direct Deposit Authorization form
Payment Standards
Live-in Aide Request
Most Common HQS fails
Owner Report of Change
Rental Listing Form
Request for Rent Increase (HCV)
Request for Rent Increase (PBV)
Project Based Voucher Vacancy Loss Request
VAWA Q&A
W-9
PBV Extension form
HQS Extension Form
Mail or drop off to:
701 Atlantic Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 (There is a 24 hour drop box to the left of our front door)
Iyana Barnes
AHA Housing Specialist III
For more information, please also feel free to review AHA’s Frequently Asked Questions section.
City of Alameda – Housing Rehabilitation Program
The City of Alameda’s Housing Rehabilitation Program offers low-interest loans and grants to eligible homeowners in Alameda. Rental property owners, whose units are occupied by 51% or more low-income renters, are also eligible for low-interest loans to make repairs and qualified property improvements. Rehabilitation staff has technical skills and experience to help your project progress from need to completion and this assistance is provided as a no-cost program benefit. For more information, see the City of Alameda’s Community Development webpage at https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Community-Development/Community-Housing-Resources
Alameda Care Team
The Alameda CARE Team (Community Assessment Response & Engagement), led by the Alameda Fire Department (AFD), provides a 24/7 alternative response to nonviolent individuals facing a mental health crisis. For further information, please click this link