IMPORTANT ACTION NEEDED TODAY FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS AND MANAGERS

This will take you 2 minutes!

The County Commission Meeting is on Wednesday March 3, 2021

THE ISSUE:

The Hillsborough County Commissioners want to pass an Ordinance which will basically force you to accept Section 8/Housing Choice Vouchers and will also create a Renter’s Bill of Rights with penalties to the landlord.

This means, that if passed, you will be forced to accept a Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher tenant if they otherwise qualify under your rental criteria.   Ordinances like this have already been passed in 3 other Florida counties BUT they also have been successfully defeated in others. 

Many property managers and landlords want to have the freedom to NOT be FORCED to participate in a government program that requires a waiting time, inspections and red tape amongst other bureaucratic requirements.

If you agree, please let your voice be heard TODAY by sending an email.

Choose 1 of 2 different ways you can do this and will take just 2 minutes.

OPTION #1 Use this link   https://www.votervoice.net/NARPM/campaigns/81384/respond which has all the information prepared for you, you can personalize it, BUT you MUST use a Hillsborough County address, or it will not get to the Commissioners.

OR

OPTION #2  Use this link:  

https://hcflgov.formstack.com/forms/contact_commissioner?field51883190=1%0A2%0A3%0A4%0A5%0A6%0A7 and write a quick email stating why you oppose the proposed Ordinance. Sample wording is below.

It is VERY important that the Commissioners know you own or manage rentals in Hillsborough County.  PLEASE use your Hillsborough County address.

SAMPLE WORDING FOR AN EMAIL YOU CAN SEND IF YOU CHOOSE OPTION #2

I am writing to express my concern about the proposed Ordinance to require a “Notice of Rental Housing Rights and Resources” REQUIRING that property owners participate in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Section 8 programs.

This proposed Ordinance will have unintended consequences for small landlords in Hillsborough County and will not solve the affordable housing shortage in any way.

I would ask you to form a workgroup comprised of landlords, property managers, tenants and affordable housing staff and advocates where we all come together to craft a better Ordinance.

The HCV program and Section 8 can be good things, but smaller landlords provide 1/3 of all rental housing in the county and this is a terrible time to pass an Ordinance that would force us into a well-meaning, but flawed program.

There are cumbersome property inspection processes, delays, the HAP contract is required that supersedes the landlord’s standard lease, there is the practice of withdrawing funds from the landlord without prior notice when a tenant is removed from the program, there is fraud, and increased difficulty removing tenants who are causing serious problems on the property and in the neighborhood.

Forcing the small landlord to participate in the HCV and Section 8 programs has serious unintended consequences further limiting affordable housing which already is in short supply.

I strongly urge you to vote against the proposed Ordinance and revisit this when we can all come together and find a more workable solution.

Thank you for your consideration of my views and for your service to the citizens of Hillsborough County.