Income from the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program shouldn’t mean you don’t qualify for a mortgage

Did you know that it’s illegal for creditors to discriminate against you because you receive public assistance income? Today, we’re releasing a bulletin to remind mortgage lenders not to discriminate against applicants because their income includes vouchers from the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Homeownership program.

How the program works

The Section 8 HCV Homeownership Program helps low-income consumers buy their first homes. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by participating local Public Housing Authorities. If you’re eligible for the program, it can provide you with monthly payments to help cover homeownership expenses.

What the law says

Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), it’s against the law for a creditor to discriminate against applicants because of income from public assistance. Excluding or refusing to consider these vouchers as a source of income categorically, or accepting the vouchers only for certain types of mortgage loans, may violate ECOA and its implementing regulation, Regulation B.

Everyone deserves to qualify based on their income

Everyone should be able to qualify for mortgages they can afford based on their stable income. Our reminder to mortgage lenders should help people who receive Section 8 HCV Homeownership Program vouchers receive fair and equal access to credit.

Submit a complaint

If you believe a lender has discriminated against you for any reason, you can submit a complaint online or call (855) 411 2372. We can assist people in over 180 languages. We’ll forward your issue to the company and work to get you a response, generally within 15 days.

To learn more about the factors lenders consider when deciding to lend money, visit Ask CFPB.