How to Add or Remove a Household Member in PBV Housing
A new spouse, adult child, relative, or other person generally should not move into a Project-Based Voucher apartment first and ask for approval later. The assisted family composition must be approved by the public housing agency (PHA). Birth, adoption, and court-awarded custody of a child are handled differently: the family must promptly report those changes to the PHA rather than obtain advance approval for the child to join the household.
If someone permanently leaves the household, that change also must be reported. A PBV household is not simply everyone who happens to be staying in the apartment; it is the family composition recognized by the PHA for program purposes and reflected in the PBV tenancy documents.
Do not move a new household member in before the required approval
Federal family-obligation rules require the composition of the assisted family living in the unit to be approved by the PHA. Except for a child added through birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody, the family must request PHA approval before adding another family member as an occupant.
That rule applies even when the relationship itself seems straightforward. Marriage, for example, does not automatically add a spouse to the assisted household. If a participant gets married and wants the spouse to live in the PBV unit, the family should contact the PHA and property management before the spouse moves in and complete the required approval process.
The same principle applies when an adult child returns home, a parent or other relative wants to move in, or another person is expected to become a permanent member of the assisted family.
For a clearer distinction between who HUD treats as part of the assisted household and other people connected with the family, the PBV household member rules explain who must be reported to the PHA.
A birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody still must be reported
A family does not use the ordinary advance-approval rule when a child joins the household through birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody. Instead, the family must promptly inform the PHA of the change.
That exception should not be misunderstood as permission to leave the household record unchanged. The PHA still needs the new family-composition information so it can update the participant record and determine whether the change affects income, deductions, family unit size, or other program requirements.
Property management should also be informed so the tenancy records remain consistent with the household actually occupying the PBV unit.
Marriage does not automatically update the assisted family
A marriage certificate establishes the marital relationship, but it does not by itself add the new spouse to the PBV household.
If the spouse will live in the assisted unit, the participant should request PHA approval before the spouse becomes an occupant. The PHA may require information needed to determine how the proposed addition affects the family’s program status and records.
The owner or property manager also has a role in the tenancy. PBV rules make the owner responsible for tenant screening, while the PHA administers program eligibility and the assisted family composition. A PHA may also conduct suitability screening when its Administrative Plan provides for it.
Approval by one party should not be assumed to replace requirements imposed by the other. A participant should follow both the PHA’s household-change procedure and the property’s lawful lease procedure before the new spouse begins residing in the unit.
What the PHA may need before approving a new member
The exact paperwork varies with the type of change and the PHA’s Administrative Plan, but a household addition can require information needed to verify the new composition and administer the assistance correctly.
Depending on the person and the circumstances, the PHA may request items relating to:
- identity and relationship to the assisted family;
- Social Security number disclosure when required by HUD rules;
- citizenship or eligible immigration documentation when applicable;
- income and assets that must be included in the family’s certification;
- custody or adoption documentation when relevant;
- information needed for eligibility or program screening; and
- other certifications or releases required for program administration.
Supplying a requested document does not guarantee that the proposed household addition will be approved. The PHA must apply the governing HUD requirements and its Administrative Plan to the actual household change.
The owner and lease records may also need to be updated
PBV tenancy documents are tied to the household that the PHA has approved. The HUD-required tenancy addendum identifies the composition of the household, including family members and any PHA-approved live-in aide.
When a household change requires a corresponding change to the lease, an agreed lease change must be in writing. The owner must give the PHA a copy of such lease changes.
This is one reason a participant should not treat PHA approval as the final administrative step. After approval, confirm that property management has the correct household information and that any required lease or tenancy-record update has been completed.
The Project-Based Voucher program ties assistance to a specific contract unit, so the PHA’s family record and the owner’s tenancy records need to describe the people actually authorized to live there.
When someone permanently leaves the PBV household
If a family member no longer lives in the unit, the participant must promptly notify the PHA. Do not wait for the next annual review simply because the person is leaving rather than joining the household.
The PHA may ask when the person moved out and request information needed to establish the new family composition. Property management should also receive whatever notice is required so the lease and occupancy records can be corrected when necessary.
A departure can affect more than the list of names. The former member’s income may stop being counted, deductions may change, and the number of bedrooms considered appropriate under the PHA’s subsidy standards may change.
Those consequences depend on the facts of the household. Removing a person from the record does not automatically mean the family’s rent will increase or decrease.
A household change can affect income without producing the same result for every family
Adding a household member may introduce income that must be considered under HUD rules. Removing a member may remove income or change deductions. A new child may affect household composition and applicable deductions without adding earned income.
The PHA must maintain current family income and composition information and follows its Administrative Plan and HUD interim-reexamination rules when a reported change requires a new determination.
That does not mean every addition or departure produces an immediate rent change of a particular amount. The result depends on the new family composition, the income and deductions involved, the timing of the report, and the PHA’s applicable interim-reexamination policies.
Report the change accurately rather than trying to predict the new rent before the PHA completes the required determination.
A larger or smaller family may no longer fit the current unit
PHA subsidy standards determine the appropriate unit size for the family’s size and composition. A household addition or departure can therefore change whether the PBV apartment is considered the correct size.
For example, adding family members may make a unit too small under the applicable subsidy standards. A departure may leave the family in a unit larger than the size for which it now qualifies.
If the PHA determines that the family is occupying a wrong-size PBV unit, current PBV regulations require the PHA to notify the family and owner within 30 days of that determination and to offer continued housing assistance within 60 days.
A change in family composition therefore does not necessarily mean the family immediately loses assistance or must solve the unit-size issue on its own. The PHA applies the PBV rules governing continued assistance when the current unit is no longer the appropriate size.
Custody changes can change who is actually part of the family
Custody situations require accurate reporting because the important question is not simply whether a child is related to the participant. The PHA needs to know the actual family composition and the custody arrangement that affects residence in the assisted unit.
When a child joins the family through court-awarded custody, the family must promptly inform the PHA. The agency may request the court or custody documentation needed to update the family record.
If a child or another family member later permanently stops residing in the PBV unit, the participant must report that departure as well.
Do not continue listing someone as a resident solely because that person used to be part of the household if the actual living arrangement has permanently changed.
An unauthorized occupant can put the tenancy and assistance at risk
Federal family-obligation rules provide that no person other than members of the assisted family may reside in the unit, subject to specific rules for an approved foster child or live-in aide.
That makes the sequence important. For a person who requires advance approval, the safe order is to report the proposed addition, provide the requested information, obtain the required approval, and then complete any property-management or lease steps before the person becomes a resident.
Allowing someone to establish residence without the required approval can create a family-obligation problem and may also violate the lease. Depending on the circumstances, failure to report the person can put housing assistance or the tenancy at risk.
This does not mean every visit creates an unauthorized household member. The issue here is a person actually becoming a resident of the assisted unit, not an ordinary visit.
Use the household-change date consistently
When reporting a change, give the PHA accurate information about when the person actually joined or left the household. The timing can matter because HUD rules distinguish between changes reported according to PHA policy and changes that were not reported when required.
Keep copies of the household-change request, documents submitted to the PHA, the PHA’s written approval or determination, and any updated lease or property record.
If the change involves a proposed new adult household member, do not use a future marriage, family relationship, or informal permission from property staff as a substitute for the PHA approval required by program rules. If the change is a birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody of a child, report it promptly so the assisted family record can be updated.
For a permanent departure, tell the PHA promptly rather than leaving the former household member on the assisted-family record until the next annual review. The program record should match the family that actually resides in the PBV unit.