Frequently asked questions

Identification for non-federally funded listings
Many of the properties on the Los Angeles Housing Portal are not federally funded. For these properties, you do not need to provide proof of residency or to present a government-issued ID. However, you will be asked for some form of documentation that verifies your identity.

Identification for federally funded listings
Federally funded properties require applicants to provide proof of residency and to present a government ID. For these listings, verify that you have documentation for everyone in your household:

• 18 and older: Government-issued photo identification
• Under 18: Birth Certificate, or Social Security Card, or passport

To find out whether the property is federally funded:

• Check the property listing for details.
• Contact the property listing’s developer or property manager for more information.

Each property has its own tenant selection process. In most cases, you won't need any supporting documentation to complete the initial application on this website. However, you should begin to gather the documentation you'll need if your application is selected for review. Under the Additional Information section of the property listing, there may be a Required Documents text box which lists which documents you’ll need. Don't wait to get started!

Income
If you’re selected to move forward in the selection process, you will be asked to provide proof of household income.

This applies to all sources of income for each member of your household over 18 years of age. Supporting documentation can include:

• Welfare, veteran benefits, social security letter
• Rental assistance voucher
• Recent paystubs from your current employer
• Self-employment proof
• Alimony
• Current pension or retirement income

Assets
This applies to all sources of assets including income for each member of your household over 18 years of age. Assets can include:

• Checking account statements
• Savings account statements
• Real property
• Investment accounts

Refer to the property listing or the property's own application requirements for more information about financial documents that will be required to determine eligibility.

Household size
Your household consists of everyone who will live with you in the unit that you are applying to. Household members do not have to be part of the same family through marriage or birth. Your friend or roommate can be part of your household.

Household income
All property listings on the Portal have income restrictions. For example, an apartment might be reserved for a household with a total gross income (before taxes) of less than $100,000 per year. Those requirements are noted in the details section for each listing on the portal.

Units are assigned based on household size:
This is done to ensure that the household doesn't have a unit that is larger or smaller than needed. For example, a property may have these household size guidelines:

• A studio can have up to two people.
• Larger units allow up to two people per bedroom plus one. For example, a 2-bedroom can accommodate five people.
• All units require at least one person per bedroom, including studios. For example, a single person can't qualify for a 2-bedroom apartment.

Note that these guidelines might be different depending on the property.

Some units are set aside for certain communities, including:

• Seniors
• Veterans
• Transitional aged youth (TAY) – unaccompanied youth typically 18–24 years of age
• Individuals with developmental disabilities

Finally, some units are reserved for persons that have mobility or communication (vision, hearing) disabilities. Check the property listing for details.

The selection process depends on whether you apply to a Lottery or a Waitlist:

• Lottery: After the lottery is closed, the property manager uses an electronic process to put the applications into a random order.
• Waitlist: Generally, there are two types of waitlists. Sometimes, applicants for lotteries who were not selected for a unit move to a waitlist. That type of waitlist is ordered just like lotteries. Other times, the date and time an applicant submits their application sets the order of the waiting list.

If you apply to a property with a housing lottery, the placement process – the steps that happen between submitting your application and getting the keys to your unit – typically starts soon after the lottery's scheduled date. The developer or property manager contacts applicants in the order of the lottery. The higher your position in the lottery, the sooner you’ll be contacted. Please note, however, that once all the units are filled, the developer or property manager will stop contacting applicants.

If you apply to a property with a wait list, the next step is to...wait. This might be the most difficult step. You may not hear from the property manager for weeks, months, or years. However, you can make use of this time:

• Be sure that you have signed up for email notifications for any new listings and continue to apply for listings that interest you and for which you qualify.
• Gather your documentation to be ready if you’re contacted. For example, if you're applying to a listing that has a preference for children under a certain age, you might need to have their birth certificate.
• Keep applying to other housing opportunities of interest to you.
• As you move forward in the placement process, the developer or property manager will contact you by phone, email, or letter.

Tip: Keep any voicemails, emails, or letters that you receive from property managers.

As the last step, the property manager will want to meet with you.

• All your household members might be asked to attend.
• The property manager will review your documents with you and determine whether they can offer you the apartment, based on the property guidelines.

Affordable housing is generally housing that is offered below the market rate. Ideally, your home is affordable when:

• Renters: You spend no more than 30% of your income on rent and utilities.
• Homeowners: You spend no more than 30% of your income on mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, utilities and other housing-related costs.

In Los Angeles, that percentage can be as high as 50% and still be considered affordable. If you open a property listing on the Portal, you’ll see a minimum income requirement. Property managers try to set these income requirements to ensure that your household is not expected to pay more than it can for rent.

Affordable housing is also sometimes referred to as:

• Low-income housing
• Subsidized housing (also known as regulated housing or deed-restricted housing)
• Naturally occurring affordable housing (the government doesn't subsidize or set pricing rules)
• Restricted income housing
• Section 8 housing (not all affordable housing is Section 8 housing)

Note: A certain amount of math is involved in setting the rent for an affordable apartment. The developer or property manager is responsible for doing that math. The Portal shows you what you need to know about required income ranges and rent for each listing. This explanation is just in case you're curious!

In each area or region across the country, the government tracks median household income, by household size. That average is known as the area median income (AMI). You can go to the official HUD site to look up your own area. However, AMI levels can differ at the federal, state, and local levels. If you have questions about a property's income or rent limits, please refer to the property listing or contact that property directly.

The Portal is managed by the City of Los Angeles Housing Department, a trustworthy government agency. On other websites, if a housing opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is:

• Never send money to someone you’ve never met in person for an apartment you haven’t seen.
• Never wire money to pay a security deposit, application fee, or first month's rent.

For more information, see this article on Rental Listing Scams, published by the Federal Trade Commission.

Under California law disability is a physical or mental impairment that limits a major life activity. "Limits" means making the achievement of a major life activity difficult.

"Major Life Activity" includes: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating and working, and major bodily functions.

Tenants or applicants with disabilities that feel they have been discriminated against may file a grievance with the Accessible Housing Program. A grievance may be filed by completing the online grievance form on the Accessible Housing Website. If a tenant or applicant does not have access to the website, a grievance may be filed by either telephone at (213) 808-8550 or submitting a written correspondence to:

Accessible Housing Program 221 N. Figueroa St., 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012

All communication must be done in a manner that works best for the individuals that are a party to the communication.

Property management must ensure that communication with tenants or applicants with a disability is as effective as communicating with people who don't have disabilities.

Property management must provide auxiliary aides and services, upon request, at no cost to the applicant or tenant, in a reasonable amount of time. Furnishing appropriate auxiliary aids and services includes the use of interpreters, transcription or captioning services, accessible electronic materials and websites, and large print, Braille, and other alternate format materials may be necessary.

Typically, you should make a specific request in writing, indicating that you need the requested accommodation or modification because of your disability. The request does not have to give your diagnosis.

It is also possible that, because of your disability, you cannot make a written request at all. In this case, you may make the request orally or ask someone else to do it for you.