HUD has provided access to their required forms on their website. To find a specific language, click here

Utility allowances are provided to families paying income-based rent when the cost of utilities is not included in the rent. When determining a family’s income-based rent, HACC must use the utility allowance applicable to the type of dwelling unit leased by the family.

Waiting list(s) for Low Income Public Housing properties will be re-opened when HACC determines that more applications are needed for any, some, or all bedroom sizes. Check our home page for wait list openings.

HACC will approve a live-in aide if needed as a reasonable accommodation in accordance with 24 CFR 8, and as described in Chapter 2 of this policy, to make the program accessible to and usable by a family member with disabilities.

Before a pet is allowed on HACC premises you must first obtain written permission from HACC by providing all requested documentation.  The forms to request the addition of a pet to your household can be found on the HACC website and at your property manager’s office.  Pet requests will not be approved if they do not meet the HACC’s Pet Policy requirements.

If your rent is income based, re-certifications must be performed every 12 months as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  If there are any changes in your income, eligibility, or family composition you must notify your Property Manager within 10 days of this change and he or she will conduct an interim re-certification, even if you had a re-certification conducted within the past 12 months.

No, one can move into your unit without prior approval from the HACC, but having a criminal background does not necessarily make someone ineligible for housing assistance. Contact the HACC to find out if your acquaintance is eligible to move into your home. Do not allow acquaintances to move in without approval and do not allow anyone to use your address.

No. Every person who lives in the unit must be reported to the HACC. If you share joint custody of a child, be sure to list that the child has more than one residence because the HACC cannot subsidize a bedroom for a child when the voucher holder’s home is not the primary custodial residence.

Be sure to clear your proposed move to the suburbs with your employer. You cannot use a Chicago address to show residency for work while actually living in the suburbs. Either your employer or the HACC will question your actual residence. In the worst-case scenario, you could lose your job and your Housing Assistance.

Send your landlord a letter with a list of the items that need to be repaired and a deadline to complete the repairs. Be specific about the repairs and be realistic with the deadline. If the landlord does not make the repairs or respond to your request, you can then request a complaint inspection from the HACC.

If you reside in a Public Housing Unit please address your payment to: Chicago, IL 60603 Otherwise contact your property manager/owner for clarification.

The 1st of every month, with a five-day grace period. After the 5th day, a late fee will be charged in an amount listed in your leasing contract. Please refer to your lease or see your Property Manager for additional information.

It is a good idea and in your best interest to always request a receipt or use a money order to pay your rent so you can show that you are paying your portion of the rent.

You can use your Voucher anywhere in the United States through a process called Porting. Make your request to your Housing Specialist, including the city and state where you would like to move. The HACC will send your information to the Housing Authority that covers the geographic area where you are moving. That Housing Authority will contact you for a briefing on their housing process.

You can move around the time that your lease ends. Make your request to your Housing Specialist at the time you receive your annual recertification paperwork. You will need to have your landlord sign an intent to vacate form or show that you notified your landlord that you intend to move. More information about the moving process will be explained in the moving paper briefing.    

Many agencies may be able to provide help with security deposits, including The Illinois Department of Human Services and the Alliance to End Homelessness. Tenants who are enrolled in the Community Choice Program and who lease a rental unit in an Opportunity Area may be eligible for a security deposit grant of up to $500. For additional information, call the HACC at (312) 663-5447 or email [email protected]

Contact your utility provider to see if you can get on a payment plan or get other assistance. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides a one-time benefit to eligible households for use towards energy costs. The monetary assistance is based on four criteria: income, household size, fuel type and geographic location. Apply through Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Inc (CEDA) at 208 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 2010, Chicago, IL 60604-1001 or by calling (800) 571-2332. https://www.cedaorg.net/find-services/

It varies; please see below. Annual Inspections: HACC inspects units occupied by voucher holders every other year.

• Quality Control Inspections: The purpose of quality control inspections is to ensure that all defects were identified in the original inspection, and that repairs were completed per the required Housing Quality Standards. Supervisory quality control inspections will be conducted in accordance with HACC’s maintenance plan.
• Special Inspections: HACC staff may conduct special inspections as frequently as it deems necessary for any of the following reasons: housekeeping, unit condition suspected lease violation, preventive maintenance, routine maintenance, or if there is reasonable cause to believe an emergency exists
• Other Inspections: Building exteriors, grounds, common areas and systems will be inspected according to HACC’s maintenance plan. Inspections required by municipalities as may be required by local government agencies.

When there are 10 or less non-emergency fail items at an annual inspection, a self-certification form will be included on the inspection report sent to the landlord. After the repairs are made, the tenant and landlord must both sign the form and fax it to (312) 895-2409 within 21 days of the inspection. If the self-certification form is not received within 21 days, the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) will be abated and the unit will have a fail status.

When your unit fails inspection, you may not have to move. The tenant and landlord have time to correct any items that have failed inspection. When fail items are not corrected and the unit fails a second inspection, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and/or Utility Allowance Payment (UAP) will be abated (stopped) until the unit passes inspection. Routine repairs must be complete within 21 days and emergency repairs, deficiencies that pose a threat to health or safety, must be completed within 24 hours.

• Tenants who have outstanding fail items are not eligible to move.
• If the landlord fails to correct the fail items, the tenant is eligible to move.
• When the HAP is abated (stopped) and the landlord does not make repairs, the tenant must move to another unit to remain in the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Write a letter to your Housing Specialist, detailing the changes. Be very specific. You can report the change by email, by fax or by mail. All changes must be reported within 30 days so that you and the HACC are paying the correct portions of rent.

Participants who receive a Utility Reimbursement Payment (URP) can elect to have their payment directly deposited into the account of their choosing.  If an account is not specified by the participants, funds are directed to KeyBank.  You can verify if your payment was issued to KeyBank by contacting them directly at 866-295-2955.  To have funds deposited to a specific account, complete the direct deposit form and submit it to [email protected].  Please include the tenant id for processing. FAQ Key2Prepaid Card Direct Deposit Form

Mail or drop off a written request to appeal the termination to the HACC’s downtown office, located at Chicago, IL 60603. Briefly explain why you think the termination should not take place. If the termination notice was because you did not send in documents (ex: signed forms or check stubs for your recertification) or take an action (ex: correct fail items in your unit after an inspection), be sure to send in the missing documents or correct the failed item(s) in your unit and include that information with your appeal.

Contact the HACC for a change of ownership packet. You will need to submit the completed forms and provide proof that you are the new owner of the property, such as a deed or title insurance. Change of Ownership Forms

The HACC provides a rent offer using the most recent payment standards. Please see the attached. Click here to view, 2020 payment standards

No. All Housing Assistance payments are paid via direct deposit.

No. Landlords need to obtain their own lease.

No. After the first year lease, any additional lease term is between the landlord and the HCV tenant. If a new or renewal lease is executed, the lease does not need to be sent to the HACC.

No. The HACC will inspect a unit after the landlord submits the move paperwork for the HCV tenant.

There is no registration in order to be an HCV landlord with the HACC. The first step is finding an applicant with a voucher that you want to rent too.

The HACC services all municipalities located in Cook County that are not serviced by a Housing Authority. Accordingly, the HACC does not service Chicago, Maywood, Cicero, Park Forest, Cicero and Elgin.

To access the Rent Increase Request document, please click the link below. Rent Increase Request Notice

You should enforce your lease the same way you would with a market rate tenant. It is a good idea to document any issues with tenants through written notices sent to the tenant and a copy sent to the HACC. If the tenant’s violations are serious or repeated, you may want to consider taking the appropriate legal action.

Contact the HACC’s Finance Department at (312) 542-4664 or at [email protected]. You can obtain a copy of your 1099 by logging into your Landlord Portal.  If you have not registered previously to access RentCafe, you must register your account information in order to access your records. Registration requires a unique Registration ID. Please email [email protected] to have the registration credentials issued

The first step is to find an applicant with an Housing Choice Voucher that you would like to rent your unit too. We recommend you list available units at www.ilhousingsearch.org. https://youtu.be/294v66nUAQU

Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency.  It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Private information such as the residential addresses and Social Security Numbers of individual Security and Law enforcement are exempt from disclosure pursuant to Section 7(1)(b) of FOIA, 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(b), which exempts from disclosure “Private information, unless disclosure is required by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law or a court order.”  FOIA Section 2(c-5), 5 ILCS 140/2(c-5), further defines the term “private information” as it is used in FOIA to mean “unique identifiers,” including one’s “social security number” or “home address.”  Accordingly, the social security numbers and home address information has been redacted as exempt from disclosure under FOIA Sec. 7(1)(b). All responsive documents are being transmitted in electronic form to you along with this letter, but with Social Security Numbers and individual residential addresses of security and law enforcement have been redacted. To submit your FOIA inquiry, click on the link following link: "Contact Us" . Then, in the department category dropdown menu, choose "FOIA."

Some possible accommodations that can be requested from the Authority include but are not limited to: Rent from relative based on nexus, extra bedroom for Medical equipment and supplies based on nexus, Live in Aides or 24-hour nurse, Extra bedroom due to disability, transfer of building and or unit due to disability. Also, modification of the unit based on the disability may be permitted.

According to the ACOP and the Administrative Plan, the response time for request from tenants in the Low-Income Public Housing Program is up to 30 days from the receipt of the request, and for tenants who are part of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, The Section 504 Coordinator has fifteen (15) days to send a response to the tenant regarding their initial request. Once the initial response is sent out, if the tenant or applicant disagrees with the decision, he or she has ten (10) business days to file a written appeal  providing facts that they believe may change the decision; If after those ten (10) days, there is no change, then a written response will be sent to the tenant or applicant advising them that if they disagree with the decision made on their appeal they can request to have an informal administrative hearing scheduled at a mutually convenient time for both parties.

View Request for Reasonable Accommodation, here.

There are two (2) forms that are required to be filled out. The first form is called: Request for Accommodation, it is a two (2) page form that is filled out by the tenant or applicant that explains in their own words why they are in need of the accommodation and what accommodation they need;  The other form that needs to be filled out is called the Third Party Certification of need for a Reasonable Accommodation; This is a three-page form that is to be filled out by a doctor or a third party who is familiar with the person’s condition and needs and will be able to give an accurate picture of what the applicant or tenant needs.

The Housing Authority must ensure that all of its programs and policies are accessible for persons with disabilities.   The Authority must also ensure that there is a grievance policy to resolve issues or complaints that may arise.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that any entity that receives Federal funding must be accessible for persons with disabilities.