Portability

Portability of Housing Choice Vouchers

Portability allows you to move to a unit outside of Scottsdale's city limits and take your voucher with you. You are eligible for portability if you either lived in the City of Scottsdale when you first applied for a voucher or you are an active participant on the Housing Choice Voucher Program for 12 months or more.

Qualification

To qualify for portability, the voucher holder must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a current voucher holder with the SHA
2. Be in good standings with the SHA and your landlord
3. Not have any outstanding debts owed to the SHA or landlord
4. Be in compliance with your family obligations

Occupancy and Payment Standards

Occupancy Standard

• We require 2 persons per bedroom (regardless of age/gender/relation)
• We do allow participants to find a larger unit but it must fall within your payment standard.
• All vouchers are processed based on City of Scottsdale’s eligibility criteria for income, voucher payment standards and bedroom subsidy standards.

Payment Standards (includes tax and utilities)

Porting Into Scottsdale

If your housing voucher was issued by a housing authority in another city, you may be able to use the voucher to lease an apartment in City of Scottsdale. This action is called a “port-in”.

Steps in the Port-in Process

Step 1: Port Voucher Request

Family must contact the housing agency that issued them their voucher and tell them they would like to port their voucher to the City of Scottsdale. If the family is eligible to move, the initial housing agency will forward all applicable documents to the Portability Specialist with the City of Scottsdale Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Step 2: Apply for Port-in

Complete and submit the online Portability Intake Form below. Once we receive your voucher paperwork from the housing jurisdiction you are leaving, we will give you a call to set up an appointment. If you have not received a call from our office, please contact your current housing authority to determine when it will be sent over.

Step 3: Portability appointment

The portability specialist will contact you to conduct a briefing, administer a voucher, and moving packet at the time of your appointment. Please bring the following items with you:

• State Issued Identification card,
• Birth certificates and social security cards of all household members,
• Current banks statements
• Current proof of income

Step 4: Property Selection

Once the participant has selected a unit in Scottsdale, the property owner will complete the Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA/moving packet) and this packet will need to be returned to the housing agency with all documents completed by the landlord and tenant.

Step 5: Property Inspection

Once the specialist has processed the moving paperwork and approved the unit, we will then start the property inspection phase. The inspector will go out and complete a thorough inspection and determine whether the unit is acceptable according to Housing Quality Standards. After the inspection has taken place you will then be notified whether the unit was approved or denied.

Step 6: Acceptance/Approval:

When the unit is approved, and the tenant and landlord (take out “will”) have determined a move in date, the tenant signs the lease. A copy of the lease will need to be sent to the new housing authority. The assigned housing specialist will then mail a letter indicating the housing authority and tenants rent portion that they will be responsible for paying each month.

Portability Intake Form

Porting Out of Scottsdale

Portability allows you to move to a unit outside Scottsdale's city limits and take your voucher with you. You are eligible to port out if you either lived in the City of Scottsdale when you first applied for a voucher or you are an active participant on the Housing Choice Voucher Program for longer than 12 months.

Criteria

To port out the voucher holder must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a current voucher holder with the Scottsdale Housing Authority (SHA)
2. Be in good standings with the SHA and your landlord
3. Not have any outstanding debts owed to the SHA or landlord
4. Be in compliance with your family obligations

Steps in the Port-out Process

Step 1: Request to Port-out

If you would like to move to another jurisdiction, complete the following two forms and submit to your housing specialist via fax, email or in person. See contact information section.

• Thirty Day Notice to Vacate
• Port Out Request

The Thirty Day Notice to Vacate form can be utilized to communicate with your housing specialist and landlord.

The completed Port Out Request form must include the name and the mailing address of the housing authority that the participant intends to move to along with the name and contact person at the housing agency.

Step 2: Eligibility

Once the housing specialist has received your signed request, your eligibility for portability will be determined and finalized. If the portability request has been approved, the housing specialist will schedule a convenient time for the family to sign their voucher.

Step 3: Forward Document to Receiving Housing Authority

The voucher transfer documents and a copy of the signed voucher are sent to the contact person at the receiving agency.

The participant can expect that the transfer documents will be sent to the receiving housing authority within 2 weeks of the initial request to port out.