If the application of a candidate for a housing program is accepted, then their name must go on the waiting list for that program. After that, the candidate has to wait until their name comes to the top of the waiting list. For federal public housing, the authority will tell the candidate approximately when a suitably sized apartment is supposed to be available. Other programs can give you a rough estimation only. Multifamily housing owners are not obliged to contact the candidate until their name reaches the top of the list but the candidate may require to contact the owners regularly to stay on the waiting list. 

Screening

At some point, as the name of the candidate gets closer to the top of the waiting list, the subsidized landlord or housing agency will check the landlord references, credit reports and check criminal background for most members of the candidate’s household. 

Staying on the list

Throughout the time the candidate is on the waiting list, landlords and housing agencies will send a notice to the candidate from time to time asking whether they are still interested in being on the waiting list or not. The candidate will be given a short time to respond to the notice. If the candidate is not responding by the deadline, then the candidate will be taken off the list.

Due to this reason, the candidate should check their mail at regular intervals and respond immediately to any request. If the candidate is moving to a new place, they need to send a written notification of the new address to all the areas where they have submitted applications. They need to keep a copy of the letter to prove that they have notified the landlord or agency of the address change. 

How to Keep Track of the Place on a Waiting List?

Keep Track of the Number

As an applicant, the candidate has the right to find out where they are on the waiting list. If the application has been accepted, the candidate will be given a number for every application they filed. Usually, it is known as a control number or a client number. It is necessary to keep a record of every number because the candidate will need it to find a place on the list in the future. The number assigned to the candidate varies by program.

• In a state public housing, different numbers are allotted for the emergency application and the standard application 
• Public housing
• Vouchers
• Multifamily subsidized housing
• There is no official practice for assigning client numbers
• A few subsidized landlords give out a control number only after an applicant is determined verified, and any priority, if any, has been checked

To know more about the waiting list and its rules, attend the Compliance Prime webinar.