Housing Vouchers

Answers for Tenants

The USDA Rural Development Voucher Demonstration Program is a rental subsidy program. Its purpose is to offer protection to 

eligible housing tenants in multi-family properties financed through Rural Development’s Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Program 

who may face hardship through the prepayment or foreclosure of the mortgage loan on the property.

Tenants may use the voucher to supplement rental payments. The voucher supplements the tenant’s rent at the former Rural 

Development-financed property or, if a property owner agrees to accept the voucher, at any non-subsidized rental unit in the United 

States that meets Rural Development’s housing-quality standards.

The voucher may not be used at rental units in subsidized housing, such as Section 8 or public housing, because its use there would 

constitute a double subsidy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What does the Rural Development voucher do?

A. The voucher is a subsidy to help pay the rent for eligible 

tenants after the Rural Development loan on the multifamily property is paid off.

Q. How much is the voucher worth?

A. The amount of the voucher is the difference between 

the tenant contribution for rent and the Comparable 

Market Rent – rents charged at similar complexes 

at non-subsidized rates – for that unit. For example, 

if an eligible tenant pays $300 a month in the Rural 

Development property and the Comparable Market 

Rent is $475, the voucher amount for that tenant will 

be set at $175.

Q. What are the qualified uses of the voucher?

A. The voucher is good only for rent. It is provided to the 

tenant to show proof of Rural Development assistance 

toward the rent. The payments are made directly to 

the landlord.

Q. Who is eligible to receive a voucher?

A. All tenants who are U.S. citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals 

(people who are U.S. nationals but not U.S. citizens), or 

qualified aliens, whose income is less than 80 percent of 

the median family income and who are residing in the 

Rural Development Section 515 multifamily property when 

the Rural Development mortgage is prepaid or foreclosed 

are eligible to receive a voucher.

Q. Is the voucher only for tenants who receive Rental 

Assistance from Rural Development?

A. No. All tenants with incomes less than 80 percent 

of median family income are potentially eligible to 

receive a voucher, regardless of whether or not they are 

currently receiving Rental Assistance.

Q. If I move, and if the rent is higher than my current 

rent, will the voucher amount be increased?

A. The amount of the voucher generally will not change. If 

you move to a higher rent unit, you will have to pay any 

increase in the rent. If you move to a lower rent unit, the 

voucher amount is not changed, but your contribution 

may be lower. However, the amount of the voucher 

cannot be more than the rent.

Q. What are the advantages of obtaining a Rural 

Development Voucher?

A. There are several advantages:

• The voucher aims to keep rent affordable, if you don’t 

move when your lease expires, by helping pay the 

difference between what you paid under Section 515 with 

Rural Development and the Comparable Market Rent;

• If you want to move to another rental unit in the same 

town or even a different town, the voucher and the 

voucher amount will go with you;

• Even if the landlord agreed to keep your tenant 

contribution fixed for as long as you stay where you are 

living now, the voucher will permit you to move.
Add contact information

NOTE: Because citations and other information may be subject to change please always consult the 

program instructions listed in the section above titled “What Law Governs this Program?” You may 

also contact your local office for assistance. You will find additional forms, resources, and program 

information at www.rd.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Last Updated August 2013

Q. When can I get a voucher?

A. If you lived at the Rural Development Section 515 

property on the date of prepayment or foreclosure, you 

will receive a voucher offer shortly after the prepayment 

or foreclosure has occurred. You have 10 months from 

the date of prepayment or foreclosure of the mortgage 

to decide if you want to use the voucher.

Q. How long will my landlord receive payments?

A. The initial benefit period is 1 year. That may be renewed 

subject to your continued program eligibility and 

program funding availability.

Q. Where can I get more information?

A. Your USDA Rural Development local office will provide 

more information. The letter from USDA informing you 

about the loan prepayment will give you the address 

and telephone number of the local office.

For More Information

More information is available through State and local 

offices of USDA Rural Development. Rural Development 

State offices may be contacted at (800) 670-6553, then 

press 1 and follow the prompts to be connected. Or you 

may contact the Rural Development Voucher Program at:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Rural Development Voucher Program

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Mail Stop 0782

Washington, DC 20250

Program Aid 1873

June 2006

Revised August 2013

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination against its customers, employees, and 

applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, 

reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital 

status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all 

or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public 

assistance program, or protected genetic information in 

employment or in any program or activity conducted or 

funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will 

apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file an employment complaint, you must contact 

your agency’s EEO Counselor within 45 days of the date of the 

alleged discriminatory act, event, or in the case of a personnel 

action. Additional information can be found online at 

http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html.

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of 

discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination 

Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.

gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, 

or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write 

a letter containing all of the information requested in the 

form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by 

mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office 

of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or 

email at program.intake@usda.gov.

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech 

disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program 

complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).

Persons with disabilities who wish to file a program 

complaint, please see information above on how to contact 

us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative 

means of communication for program information 

(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact 

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

 Housing Vouchers