Section 8 (HCV) - Owners

Licking Metropolitan Housing Authority

Please contact Brenda Andrews with new units.
Phone: 740-349-8069 ext. 220, Email: bandrews@lickingmha.org

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Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
NOTICE TO HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER OWNERS AND MANAGERS REGARDING THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT (VAWA)

A federal law that went into effect in 2006 protects individuals who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. The name of the law is the Violence against Women Act, or “VAWA.” This notice explains your obligations under VAWA.

Protections for Victims

You cannot refuse to rent to an applicant solely because he or she is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

You cannot evict a tenant who is the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking based on acts or threats of violence committed against the victim. Also, criminal acts directly related to the domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking that are caused by a household member or guest cannot be cause for evicting the victim of the abuse.

Permissible Evictions

You can evict a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking if you can demonstrate that there is an actual or imminent (immediate) threat to other tenants or employees at the property if the victim is not evicted. Also, you may evict a victim for serious or repeated lease violations that are not related to the domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. You cannot hold a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard that tenants who are not victims.

Removing the Abuser from the Household

You may split the lease to evict a tenant who has committed criminal acts of violence against family members or others, while allowing the victim and other household members to stay in the unit. If you choose to remove the abuser, you may not take away the remaining tenants’ rights to the unit or otherwise punish the remaining tenants. In removing the abuser from the household, you must follow federal, state, and local eviction procedures.

Certification of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, or Stalking

If a tenant asserts VAWA’s protections, you can ask the tenant to certify that he or she is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. You are not required to demand official documentation and may rely upon the victim’s statement alone. If you choose to request certification, you must do so in writing and give the tenant at least 14 business days to provide documentation. You are free to extend this deadline. A tenant can certify that he or she is a victim by providing any one of the following three documents:

By completing a HUD-approved certification form. The most recent form is HUD-50066. This form is available at the housing authority, or online at www.hudclips.org.
By providing a statement from a victim service provider, attorney, or medical professional who has helped the victim address incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. The professional must state that he or she believes that the incidents of abuse are real. Both the victim and the professional must sign the statement under penalty of perjury.
By providing a police or court record, such as a protective order.
If the tenant fails to provide one of these documents within 7 business days (7:00 am-5:30 pm M-Th) you may evict the tenant if authorized by otherwise applicable law and lease provisions.

Confidentiality

You must keep confidential any information a tenant provides to certify that he or she is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. You cannot enter the information into a shared database or reveal it to outside entities unless:

The tenant provides written permission releasing the information.
The information is required for use in an eviction proceeding, such as to evict the abuser.
Release of the information is otherwise required by law.

The victim should inform you if the release of the information would put his or her safety at risk.

VAWA and Other Laws

VAWA does not limit your obligation to honor court orders regarding access to or control of the property. This includes orders issued to protect the victim and orders dividing property among household members in cases where a family breaks up.

VAWA does not replace any federal, state, or local law that provides greater protection for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

Additional Information

If you have any questions regarding VAWA, please contact the Licking Metropolitan Housing Authority at 740-349-8069.

Definitions

For purposes of determining whether a tenant may be covered by VAWA, the following list of definitions applies:

VAWA defines domestic violence to include felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by any of the following:

A current or former spouse of the victim
A person with whom the victim shares a child in common
A person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse
A person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies
Any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction

VAWA defines dating violence as violence committed by a person (1) who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim AND (2) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors:

The length of the relationship
The type of relationship
The frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship

VAWA defines stalking as (A)(i) to follow, pursue, or repeatedly commit acts with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person OR (ii) to place under surveillance with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person AND (B) in the course of, or as a result of, such following, pursuit, surveillance, or repeatedly committed acts, to place a person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to, or to cause substantial emotional harm to (i) that person, (ii) a member of the immediate family of that person, or (iii) the spouse or intimate partner of that person.

The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009

The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 allows tenants who live in foreclosed residential properties to stay in their homes until they are given at least 90 days advance notice to vacate, with the buyer as the new landlord. Moreover, if the tenant has a current lease, the tenant is entitled to stay until it expires, unless the buyer or some subsequent purchaser intends to move into the home and make it a primary residence-in which case, the tenant still must be given at least 90 days advance notice to vacate before being required to move out. (To be protected, any lease must be a bona fide lease not made to the mortgagor or the child, spouse, or parent of the mortgagor, made at arms-length, and for fair market rent.)

The federal law applies to tenants who live in residential properties that are sold at a foreclosure sale on or after the law’s effective date, which was
May 20, 2009.

For more information, please visit www.nlihc.org.

Tenants who need help in asserting their rights under the new law can get help from the local legal aid program in their area.