PEORIA COUNTY

The Section 8 office has an "Available List" by bedroom size as a service to participants and is only made available to program participants.

Read the rental ads in the paper each day. Respond to the ads that meet your needs. Call and setup an appointment DO NOT ask if they accept Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8, but let the landlord meet you in person. After all, you have to sell yourself as a good tenant. If a landlord feels comfortable with you, most will accept Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 tenants. If the landlord is still not sure about accepting Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8 after meeting you, invite them to call the Peoria Housing Authority.

Enlist the help of property management companies and large apartment complexes. If they do not have anything available, leave our name and telephone number and ask to be contacted if anything does become available.

Please understand, a property owner does NOT have to accept Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8. But if you feel you are being denied housing based on religion, sex, age, race, nationality, handicap or any other discriminatory basis, please contact the Section 8 office at 309.676.8736 ext.4053, so that we may help you in filing a proper complaint.

Looking for an apartment or house can be both exciting and eye-opening!

Before you start looking for a place to live, know your rights. Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status or disability. If you have been trying to rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint.

Then, you should know about your rights as a prospective tenant. The best way to win over a prospective landlord is to be prepared.

1. Bringing the following information when you meet prospective landlords will give you a competitive edge over other applicants: a completed rental application; written references from landlords, employers, friends and colleagues; and a current copy of your credit report.
2. Carefully review all the important conditions of the tenancy before you sign on the dotted line. Your lease or rental agreement may contain a provision that you find unacceptable- for example, restrictions on guests or pets, design alterations or running a home business.
3. To avoid disputes or misunderstandings with your landlord, get everything in writing. Keep copies of any correspondence and follow up an oral agreement with a letter, setting out your understanding. For example, if you ask your landlord to make repairs, put your request in writing and keep a copy for yourself. If he agrees orally, send a letter confirming this fact.
4. Protect your privacy rights. Next to disputes over rent or security deposits, one of the most common and emotion-filled misunderstandings arises over a landlord's right to enter a rental unit and a tenant's right to be left alone. If you understand your privacy rights (for example, the amount of notice your landlord must provide before entering), it will be easier to protect them.
5. Know your rights to live in a habitable rental unit - and don't give up on them. Landlords are required to offer their tenants livable premises including adequate weatherproofing; heat, water and electricity; and clean, sanitary and structurally safe premises. If your rental unit is not kept in good repair, you have a number of options ranging from withholding a portion of the rent to pay for repairs to calling the building inspector (who can usually order the landlord to make repairs) to moving out without liability for your future rent.
6. Keep communication open with your landlord. If there's a problem - for example, if the landlord is slow to make repairs- talk with the landlord to see if the issue can be resolved short of a nasty legal battle.
7. Purchase renters' insurance to cover your valuables. Your landlord's insurance policy will not cover your losses. Renters' insurance typically costs $350 a year for a $50,000 policy that covers loss due to theft or damage caused by other people or natural disasters.
8. Make sure the security deposit refund procedures are spelled out in your lease or rental agreement. To protect yourself and avoid any misunderstandings, make sure your lease or rental agreement is clear on the use and refund of security deposits, including allowable deductions.
9. Learn whether your building and neighborhood are safe, and what you can expect your landlord to do about if they aren't. Get copies of any state or local laws that require safety devices such as deadbolts and window locks, check out the property's vulnerability to intrusion by a criminal and learn whether criminal incidents have already occurred. If a crime is highly likely, your landlord may be obligated to take some steps to protect you.
10. Know when to fight an eviction notice - and when to move. Unless you have the law and provable facts on your side, fighting an eviction notice is usually short-sighted. If you lose an eviction lawsuit, you may end up hundreds (even thousands) of dollars in debt and may damage your credit rating.

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