During my first open house, for my first rental property, the first question that was ever asked of me was: "Is this house a Section 8 house?". 

Having grown up watching MASH, my only knowledge of Section 8 was that Klinger was always trying to get one so he could go home to Toledo.  So based on my limited experience, she was asking me if this was a crazy house, which did not make that much sense to me.

My puzzled look was the only answer she really needed, but she went on to explain that Section 8 is government subsidized housing.  Basically, the government, specifically Housing and Urban Development (HUD), pays the rent, up to a set amount, for low income families. 

This program replaced the utterly brilliant, 1930's plan of housing all the low income families in one place.  So we could keep an eye on them...wink...wink. 
 
These lovely homes become known as the Projects and gave us some wonderful locations for movies like New Jack City and Boys in the Hood.

I would have loved to have been in the meeting where that idea was first floated, but I imagine it went something like this:

    Government official 1 -- "I think we should put all the poor people in the same building.  That way we can provide excellent living conditions in a controlled environment"

    Government official 2 -- "Right...like a prison."

    Government official 1 -- "What!?  No, no, no...not like a prison.  The residents could come and go as the pleased.  They would have jobs and things to do."

    Government official 2 -- "Oh I see...like an internment camp."

    Government official 1 -- "What?! No, what are you thinking?  This would be good for them and give them a chance to restart their lives."

    Government official 2 -- "Ok...so we are going to help them, by forcing them to live in a one location, were their only interaction is with other people who are destitute and surround them with drugs, violence and crime..."

    Government official 1 -- "You don't get to come to these meetings anymore."

Section 8 housing is a divisive topic among landlords.  On the one hand, you get guaranteed rent from the government, but on the other the tenant can complain about the smallest item and the government will force you to correct it.

For guaranteed rent, I would rent to Satan, so Section 8 is no big deal to me.  And of course, as always, there are wonderful stories to tell...which finally brings us to the story for this week.

One of my houses has now been rented to a Section 8 recipient for 4 or 5 months.  The other day I received a call from her asking to add her boyfriend to the lease.

This is a BIG no-no for Section 8; if someone else lives in the house, then a Section 8 recipient can lose their benefits.  Which would mean my guaranteed rent.  So this is non-starter for me.

But why does she care if he is on the lease?  Clearly, he is living in the house with her, what possible difference can it make that his name in not on the lease.  Which I thought was a good question, so I asked it. 

She responded that in order to turn the electricity on in his name, he had to be on the lease.

You can probably see where this is going, but I had to ask her...whose name is the electricity in now?

My sisters, was the response, and she is not going to pay it anymore.  And I can't get it in my name, because I owe $700 from my last house.

I was truly shocked.

Here was a woman whose rent was paid for by the government, who receives food from the government, who receives a utility allowance from the government and who receives money from the government and she still ran up a $700 bill AND did not think she had to pay for it. 

And despite now having the common sense (or perhaps common decency) to figure out how to pay her bills, she has figured out a way to trick the system so she can get what she wants.

After choking back the bile, I had to tell her I couldn't change the lease.

So now she sits in a dark house with no power...or maybe she found some other way to get the power turned on.  I really don't know. 

But I do know that come next month there will be a rent check sitting in my mailbox.