What happens if I am put on a waiting list?
If your application for a housing program is accepted, your name must go onto a waiting list for that program. You will then have to wait until your name comes to the top of the list.
For federal public housing, the housing authority will tell you approximately when an appropriately sized apartment is expected to be available.9 Other programs may give you only a rough estimate. Multifamily housing owners are not required to contact you until your name reaches the top of the waiting list, but may require you to contact them periodically to stay on the waiting list.10
Screening
At some point, as your name gets closer to the top of the list, the housing agency or subsidized landlord will check your landlord references and credit reports and do a criminal background check for most members of your household. To prepare for this, see Tenant Screening.
Staying on the list
During the time you are on the waiting list, housing agencies and landlords will from time to time send you a notice asking whether you are still interested in being on the waiting list.11 You will be given only a short time to respond to this notice. If you do not respond by the deadline, you will be taken off the waiting list.
For this reason, you should check your mail regularly and respond quickly to any request. If you move, send written notification of your new address to all the places where you submitted applications. Keep a copy of your letter so you can prove that you notified the agency or landlord of your change in address. You can see a Sample Change of Address Letter RTF.
How do I keep track of my place on a waiting list?
Keep track of your number
As an applicant, you have a right to find out where you are on a waiting list. If your application has been accepted, you will likely be given a number for each application you file. Usually it is called a
- Public housing
In state public housing, separate numbers are assigned for the standard application and the emergency application. - Vouchers
There is no standard practice about assigning control numbers. - Multifamily subsidized housing
Some subsidized landlords give out a number only after an applicant is determined eligible and anypriority has been checked (verified ). Some never give a number.
For more information about how to keep track of your housing search, see How to Apply.
Keep in contact
Because waiting lists are so long, you may want to contact the housing agency or landlord every so often to see what progress you are making on the waiting list. Different housing agencies and landlords have set up different procedures to follow for contacting them. For example, some require you to contact them in writing before they will mail you a statement of your current place on the list. Others have certain days and times during the week when you can call or go in person to find out your current place on the list.
Keep a log
It can be difficult to keep track of your housing search. You often have a lot of papers, you are applying to many housing authorities and developments, and you are on waiting lists for a long time. Use a log to keep track of your waiting list numbers and other information. See a Housing Search Log RTF in the How to Apply section of this website.
How long will I wait?
Waiting lists for housing programs are very long these days. If you apply for housing in a lottery, you may be lucky and have your
If you qualify for a
In general, waiting lists for public housing are shorter than for vouchers and subsidized multifamily buildings. For public housing, waiting lists for housing programs for the elderly are shorter than for family housing. Waiting lists for apartments with more bedrooms may be longer, since there are fewer units of 4 or more bedrooms available. Depending on the size of your family, you can ask for an apartment with fewer bedrooms if that would make your wait shorter.
If you have applied for state public housing for elders and people with disabilities, there is a limit as to the percentage of people with disabilities who are not elderly who may get apartments. Under state law, a housing authority can rent no more than 13.5% of this type of housing to non-elderly people with disabilities. Some communities have been at this 13.5% cap for years.12 If you have a disability and are not elderly, this will make your time on the waiting list extremely long and you may want to apply for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program.13 This program was designed specifically to help people with disabilities who have no realistic chance of getting an apartment in state elderly/disabled public housing because of the 13.5% cap. Some federal public housing for elders and people with disabilities may also have a cap on the number of people with disabilities who can get an apartment. Check with the housing authority to find out your options.
What happens if my situation changes after I apply?
If, after you have been accepted on a waiting list, your situation changes and you become eligible for a
Because
If I was taken off a waiting list, is there anything I can do?
It depends. If you moved and never notified the housing agency or landlord of your new address, you may not be able to do anything about being taken off a waiting list. If, however, you were taken off a waiting list and it was related to a disability (for example, if you were hospitalized at the time a notice was sent to you), you can ask to be put back on the waiting list as a
Endnotes
9 24 C.F.R. § 960.208(b).
10 MFHA Tenant Selection Plan, REV:2/00, p. 17, available through MassHousing.
11 Section 8 voucher program: 24 C.F.R. § 982.204(c); State public housing: 760 C.M.R. § 5.14; MassHousing subsidized housing developments: MFHA Tenant Selection Plan, REV:2/00, p. 18, available through MassHousing.
12 760 C.M.R. § 5.10(1)(a) and (2).
13 760 C.M.R. §§ 53.00 et seq.
14 24 C.F.R. § 982.204(c)(2).
Produced by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated December 2009
