Final - 05_Baseline Web Survey Treatment PHA

Treatment PHA Survey: Baseline

MTW Evaluation: Landlord Incentives

Last Modified: October 5, 2022

Study Overview and Introduction to Survey

Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this brief survey. HUD has hired Abt Associates to study the Moving to Work – Landlord Incentives Cohort. The goal of this study is to understand how PHAs are implementing landlord incentives and determine the impacts of landlord incentives on the Housing Choice Voucher program. We are sending this survey to all PHAs in the landlord incentives cohort of the MTW expansion. When your agency received MTW designation, you also agreed to participate in the evaluation, so your participation in this survey is required.

In this survey, we will ask you about your PHA’s current activities related to landlord recruitment, retention, and engagement. We will also ask about the MTW incentives that you plan to implement. This information will help us understand the current state of your program and will help us prepare for site visits.

We will share the findings from this survey with HUD and PHAs to help improve the Housing Choice Voucher Program. We may share your responses with HUD, but we will remove your name and your agency’s name and PHA code. Your responses will be used for research purposes only, not for compliance monitoring or funding determinations. 

This survey has been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OMB control number is XXXX-XXXX, expiring XX-XX-XXXX. We expect the survey to take less than 30 minutes to complete.

By completing this survey, you consent to participate in the study. Feel free to share the survey with other staff as needed to answer the questions. If you cannot answer a question, you may skip it and move to the next one.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Nishi Kumar, PHA Survey Lead, at nishi_kumar@abtassoc.com or 617-520-2680.

Thank you for completing the survey!

Public Reporting Burden for this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per respondent, including time to review the information in the Study Overview and Introduction to Survey. The MTW Evaluation: Landlord Incentives is a study of the implementation and impacts of providing selected incentives to landlords to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. This information is being collected to establish a baseline of PHA activities that could affect landlord participation in the HCV program. PHAs in the MTW Landlord Incentives cohort are required to respond. The information requested is protected and held confidential in accordance with 5 U.S.C. § 552a (Privacy Act of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130.

Survey Questions

Part A: Contact Information

1. Please confirm your PHA information and make corrections if needed. Please provide your contact information below.

• PHA Name: [prepopulated]

• PHA Code: [prepopulated]

• Staff Contact Name: _____

• Staff Contact Position: _____

• Staff Contact Phone: _____

• Staff Contact Email: _____

Part B: PHA Background

2. Does your agency maintain a list of rental properties that accept vouchers within your jurisdiction?

• Yes

• No (Skip to Q4)

3. What format is this list in?

• Online – Please provide the URL for the online listings:

• Electronic spreadsheet or word document – Please attach:

• Hard copy list – Please scan and attach a copy in PDF format:

• Other – Please describe: _____

4. In your PHA’s service area, is there any state law or local ordinance that prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants with a voucher?

• Yes

• No

5. How many tenant-based vouchers did your agency issue between [DATE] and [DATE]? (Do not include project-based vouchers or special programs like HUD-VASH, Mainstream Vouchers, Family Unification Program, or EHVs.) _____

6. Out of the tenant-based vouchers issued between [DATE] and [DATE], how many have resulted in lease-up as of 180 days after voucher issuance? (Do not include project-based vouchers or special programs like HUD-VASH, Mainstream Vouchers, Family Unification Program, or EHVs.) _____

7. Does your agency base rents on Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR) or Fair Market Rents (FMR)?

1. SAFMR (skip to Q9)

2. FMR

8. Based on your FMR, what is highest current payment standard (on average if different by bedroom size)?

• _____% of FMR (skip to Q10)

9. Based on your SAFMR, what is your agency’s:

• Lowest payment standard: _____% of SAFMR

• Highest payment standard: _____% of SAFMR

Part C: Landlord Relationships & Incentives

10. Is your agency currently encountering any of the following challenges related to recruiting or retaining landlords for the HCV program? Check all that apply.

• Payment standards not competitive with market rents

• Limited supply of rental housing

• Poor housing quality/available rentals do not meet inspection standards

• Negative perceptions of HCV tenants among landlords

• Negative perceptions of PHA or HUD among landlords

• Landlord concerns about HCV inspection process

• Landlord concerns about delays in lease-up

• Landlord concerns about evictions or other recourse for lease violations

• Landlord concerns about timeliness of payments

• Other, please describe: _____

11. Outside of your planned MTW landlord incentives, does your agency currently provide any of the following (non-MTW) resources or supports to engage landlords? Check all that apply.

• Dedicated landlord liaison

• Landlord advisory board

• Landlord-facing website

• Partnerships with landlord industry groups

• Direct deposit of rental payments to landlords

• Other, please describe: _____

Part D: Planned Landlord Incentives

12. Please confirm which landlord incentives your agency intends to implement as part of your MTW program. For each activity that you plan to implement, please indicate anticipated start date.

• Changes to Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) payment standards: [Select MM/YY]

• Changes to Fair Market Rent (FMR) payment standards: [Select MM/YY]

• Vacancy loss (HCV to HCV tenant): [Select MM/YY]

• Front-end vacancy loss (non-HCV to HCV tenant): [Select MM/ YY]

• Damage claims: [Select MM YY]

• Other landlord incentives (e.g. signing bonus): [Select MM/YY]

• Pre-qualifying unit inspections: [Select MM/YY]

• Alternate inspection schedule: [Select MM/YY]

• Waiver of initial inspection: [Select MM/YY]

13. Is your agency seeking any Agency-Specific Waivers? If so, please describe waiver in detail. Please tell us the purpose of the waiver, which units are eligible, when the waiver was (or will be) implemented, the maximum value (if applicable), and any other details to help us understand how you are using the Agency-Specific Waiver.

14. Has your agency already submitted an MTW Supplement?

1. Yes (Skip to Q15)

2. No

15. When do you expect to submit the MTW Supplement? [Select MM/YY]

Part E: Other

16. Other than the MTW incentives, are there any other recent or planned program changes or activities that might impact landlord participation (for example, direct financial incentives to landlords that don’t require an MTW waiver, a new outreach campaign or a new landlord liaison staff)? If so, please describe these changes.

17. Please attach any materials that describe the programs, incentives, or other efforts your PHA has undertaken to recruit and retain landlords.

18. Is there any other information you would like to share with the study team prior to the site visit?

Thank you for completing this survey. Our team will contact you again by [DATE] to finalize the schedule for site visits. We look forward to speaking with you further.

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