Roles and Responsibilties

Participants, property owners, and the Palm Beach County Housing Authority are all part of the process of ensuring that the dwelling unit satisfies the HUD Housing Quality Standards. Each party must perform their responsibilities in order to ensure decent, safe, and sanitary housing.

Role and Responsibilities of the Palm Beach County Housing Authority

• Ensure that all units in the Housing Choice Voucher Program meet the “Housing Quality Standards”
• Make initial inspection of the unit in response to a Request for Tenancy Approval. Inform the potential tenant and owner(s) of the results, and necessary actions
• Perform complaint inspections in response to tenant or owner(s) requests. Inform the tenant or owner(s) of necessary corrections and the time period for compliance
• Take action against owner(s), as appropriate, if compliance is not obtained within the specified time frame

Role and Responsibilities of the Landlord

• Provide affordable, safe, decent, and sanitary housing
• Comply with the terms of the lease, and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract
• Maintain the unit and it up to the “Housing Quality Standards”
• Promptly respond to requests for needed repairs and/or maintenance
• Cooperate with PBCHA on initial, annual and complaint inspections, including making necessary repairs within the prescribed time frame
• Maintain the unit according to City code requirements
• Take action against tenant(s), as appropriate, if lease compliance is not obtained within the specified time frame

Role and Responsibilities of the Tenant

• Comply with the terms of the lease, and Housing Choice Voucher Program regulations
• Help keep the unit safe and sanitary
• Cooperate with the owner(s) by informing her of any necessary repairs
• Cooperate with PBCHA for initial, annual, and complaint inspections

Please note: The Housing Choice Voucher Program does not prohibit or inhibit the normal owner/tenant lease responsibilities as prescribed by State statutes. PBCHA acts only as a subsidy agent, paying a portion of the rent on behalf of the tenant, directly to the landlord, based on the family’s income. PBCHA does not interfere with normal landlord/tenant interrelationships. However, PBCHA may act as an arbitrator to help resolve problems and, upon written request, a Housing Specialist will counsel the family regarding a repeated problem the landlord may be experiencing with a tenant, only after the landlord has personally tried to resolve the matter themselves.