Learn How to
Apply for Section 8 Assistance With Our Guide

As an independent and private company, we are proud to help our users learn about the benefit application process.

  • Get Free Information with Our Guide
  • Take our optional survey to receive, based on your answers, related offers from our partners!
  • Keep Updated with Curated Content

Learn How to
Apply for Section 8 Assistance With Our Guide

As an independent and private company, we are proud to help our users learn about the benefit application process.

  • Get Free Information with Our Guide
  • Take our optional survey to receive, based on your answers, related offers from our partners!
  • Keep Updated with Curated Content

We Provide a Free Guide

Our FREE guide provides helpful information about how to apply for benefits. Learn more about us here.

Clear & Simple
Information
Free and easy
guide
Personalized
Offers
Get the Guide

Section 8 denial letters are difficult to receive, but Rhode Island residents who have received a Section 8 denial letter do still have options. In Rhode Island, Section 8 housing disqualifications can happen for many reasons. For many applicants, a simple reading of the RI Section 8 denial letter will reveal the problems that the housing authority representative had with the application. “What are the reasons for Section 8 denial in Rhode Island?” many Section 8 petitioners ask. A majority of the Section 8 housing disqualifications in RI happen because of incomplete applications or information on the forms that could not be verified.

What are the reasons for Section 8 denial in Rhode Island?

A Rhode Island Section 8 denial letter, by law, has to list out the reasons for which the Section 8 housing application has been rejected. In many instances, the RI Section 8 denial letter will also list out what the applicant’s options are or what the applicant’s next steps should be after reviewing the letter’s contents. Most petitioners will find that the Section 8 denial letter states that they have forgotten to sign a form or left an area blank that should have been filled out. In these cases, but not in all, some public housing authorities in individual counties will accept a resubmission instead of requiring the applicant to wait another year to submit. Other jurisdictions hold that a Section 8 denial letter is final for the duration of one year.

Another reason for Rhode Island Section 8 denial letters to be sent to housing candidates is that some part of the background check made the household ineligible. These types of RI Section 8 housing disqualifications may have been issued due to a discrepancy in the background check or a negative report from a former landlord. Failure to pay past rent or still owing rent to another public housing project is cause for Section 8 housing disqualification, and until these accounts are brought current, the applicant will remain ineligible for assistance.

How to Avoid Section 8 Housing Disqualifications in Rhode Island

To avoid Section 8 housing disqualifications in RI, the applicant needs to be certain that he or she qualifies for benefits. Most underestimate their income because they fail to include their assets, which will be viewed as income. Section 8 housing disqualifications based on income are one of the most often cited reasons in the Section 8 denial letters, and most candidates could have avoided this if they had taken the time to accurately calculate their average yearly income and compared it to those around them. Median salary ranges are posted online and can keep Section 8 applicants from receiving Section 8 housing disqualifications.

Section 8 housing disqualifications can also happen after a beneficiary has been awarded housing benefits, if he or she is found to be in violation of any stated requirements of the Section 8 program. A criminal charge is one of the quickest Section 8 housing disqualifications that will result in a current beneficiary losing his or her assistance.

How to Appeal Section 8 Denial in Rhode Island

Most Section 8 denial letters in RI that are sent out to applicants are warranted. However, there are times when a Section 8 denial letter has been issued unjustly or due to an error on the processing office’s part. If the recipient of a Section 8 housing disqualification believes that they have been unduly denied benefits, there are options. The Section 8 denial appeal process in Rhode Island is a procedure that allows the applicant to ask that a judge from the county preside over an informal hearing to determine if the Section 8 denial letter should be upheld or overturned. The first step toward this RI Section 8 Denial appeal hearing is to obtain the proper form to request a formal hearing. This Rhode Island Section 8 denial appeal request must be submitted no later than 30 days after receipt of the Section 8 denial letter, or it will be considered invalid. Those who are able to can take their Section 8 denial letter to a lawyer who specializes in this type of law for assistance in pursuing it. The judge will hear both sides of the issue, but no jury will be in attendance. In a few weeks, the judge’s decision on the Section 8 housing disqualification will be mailed to those involved. The judge’s decision is considered final.