From Voucher to Keys

Move a household from an approved rent subsidy to an occupied unit, using the rules that bind landlords, housing authorities and you.

A self-paced field guide for housing navigators, housing locators and housing-focused case managers (rapid rehousing, PSH lease-up, HUD-VASH and other voucher programs). Rich Los Angeles context. Skills that work wherever you practice. Not legal advice and not software training.

What you'll be able to do

• Map the lease-up gates (voucher term, request for tenancy approval, inspection, rent reasonableness, the 40% check, lease and HAP contract) and tell "submitted" from "approved".
• Run a search the participant leads, and log it so a refusal becomes dated evidence instead of blame.
• Answer "we don't take vouchers", "income must be three times the rent" and credit-score barriers with the rule that binds the owner, and know when to stop and refer.
• Check every fee, deposit and ratio against a named source before anyone pays it.
• Plan move-in with a backup if keys slip, and hand over support so the first month holds.

Included in the download

• 62-page field guide with five lessons. Each lesson has a layer-by-layer view (federal, California, LA County, City of LA, other cities, and "check yours"), worked decisions, practice scenarios with model answers, self-checks with feedback, and numbered sources.
• Four printable one-page job aids: Lease-up gate map, Landlord conversation cards, Costs and approvals check, and Keys and first-contact plan.
• A Check Yours worksheet (PDF and Word) for finding your housing authority's policies, inspection standard, incentive programs, local source-of-income law and complaint contacts.
• Start Here and a license for the tier you choose: one named person, a site team of up to 15 named users, or an agency of up to 50 named users.

How it differs from Housing Navigation & Move-In Readiness

That toolkit gives teams twelve editable process forms for any housing route. This guide is the subsidized lease-up layer: voucher regulations, California source-of-income and deposit law, inspection standards and fair housing routes, practiced as decisions with feedback. They work together; neither repeats the other.

Before you buy

• Sources: built on 142 legal and policy claims, each traced to its original source and read in full where noted. The sources include 24 CFR part 982 (Housing Choice Voucher program), HUD's NSPIRE compliance notices, the 10/2026 HUD Tenancy Addendum, the Fair Housing Act, California Gov. Code 12955 (source of income), Civ. Code 1950.5 and 1950.6 (deposits and screening fees), the City of LA source-of-income ordinance, LA County HSH subsidy guidance, peer laws from Washington, Oregon and New York City, and dated HUD landlord-acceptance research. Rules were checked in October 2026.
• What it isn't: legal advice, a certification, or a replacement for your agency's policies, your housing authority's Administrative Plan or counsel. No agency endorsement is implied.
• Accessibility: the PDFs aren't certified PDF/UA accessible. The worksheet is also supplied in Word.

License options

• Individual Practitioner, $49: one named person.
• Program / Site Team, $199: up to 15 named users in one program at one address, or one established mobile or remote team.
• Agency / Multi-Site, $499: up to 50 named users across the programs and sites one organization runs directly (for a government buyer, one named department or bureau).

The license you choose is in LICENSE.txt in your download and governs use. Refunds follow the policy shown at checkout and applicable law.