How to file a complaint about your Section 8 landlord or unit
Last updated June 24, 2026
As a Section 8 voucher holder, you have more complaint options than a typical renter. Because your housing authority has an active relationship with your landlord through the HAP contract, they have real leverage to enforce repair and habitability standards. You also have access to HUD's complaint process if the problem isn't resolved locally.
Knowing how to use these channels — and in what order — is the difference between a complaint that gets results and one that goes nowhere.
Start with your housing authority
Your housing authority is your first and most effective resource for most landlord problems. The HAP contract gives them enforcement authority your landlord doesn't have with regular tenants: they can inspect the unit, suspend HAP payments (abatement) if habitability standards aren't met, and ultimately terminate the HAP contract if a landlord persistently fails to comply.
When to contact your housing authority:
- Your landlord is not making repairs after you've requested them in writing
- You believe your unit has conditions that would fail an HQS inspection
- Your landlord is entering your unit without proper notice
- Your landlord is retaliating against you for reporting problems
- Your landlord is threatening you or behaving in a harassing way
How to file a housing authority complaint:
Contact your housing authority's main office and ask to speak with your housing specialist or the inspection department. Explain the problem clearly and ask for a complaint inspection to be scheduled. Most housing authorities will initiate an inspection based on a tenant complaint.
Put your complaint in writing even if you also call. An email or letter creates a record with a date and specific details. Include:
- Your name and address
- The specific problems (be detailed — "the heater has not worked since November" is more useful than "my unit has problems")
- Any dates you already requested repairs from your landlord and what response you received
- Any photos you have
After you file, the housing authority will typically schedule an inspection. If the unit fails, the process that follows is the same as any HQS failure: the landlord gets a deadline to repair, and abatement begins if they don't. See what happens when your Section 8 unit fails inspection for how that process works.
You are protected from retaliation
Federal law and most state laws prohibit your landlord from retaliating against you for reporting problems to the housing authority or filing a complaint. Retaliation can take several forms:
- Serving you with an eviction notice shortly after you file a complaint
- Suddenly raising your rent share (or attempting to charge you above your portion)
- Refusing to make repairs as punishment
- Harassing you, threatening you, or creating hostile living conditions
If you experience retaliation after filing a complaint, document the timeline carefully — the date you filed, the date any adverse action started — and report it to your housing authority. You may also want to contact a tenant rights organization or legal aid office. Retaliation is a defense in eviction proceedings and can result in consequences for the landlord.
If your housing authority doesn't act
Housing authorities vary in how quickly and effectively they respond to tenant complaints. If you've filed a complaint and haven't received a response within a reasonable time (10–14 business days is a reasonable expectation for a non-emergency complaint), follow up in writing and ask for a status update.
If your housing authority is unresponsive to a serious habitability problem, you have additional options:
File a complaint with HUD. HUD oversees all housing authorities and can investigate complaints about a PHA's failure to enforce program standards. You can file online at HUD's website (hud.gov) or by calling HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at 1-800-669-9777. HUD complaints are appropriate when the housing authority itself is the problem — either failing to enforce habitability standards or discriminating against you.
Contact your local code enforcement office. Local building and housing code enforcement operates independently of the Section 8 program. A code violation complaint can result in the city or county ordering your landlord to make repairs and issuing fines if they don't. Local code enforcement often moves on a different timeline than the housing authority and can create parallel pressure.
Contact a legal aid organization. Legal aid attorneys can advise you on your rights, help you draft a formal demand letter to your landlord, represent you if your landlord retaliates by filing for eviction, and assist with escalating complaints to HUD or the courts if other channels have failed.
Complaints about fair housing violations
If you believe your landlord is discriminating against you based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status, that is a Fair Housing Act violation — a separate and more serious category of complaint.
Fair housing complaints can be filed with HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (online at hud.gov or by calling 1-800-669-9777) or with your state's civil rights agency. You have one year from the date of the discriminatory act to file with HUD. Fair housing complaints are investigated separately from habitability complaints and carry different legal consequences for landlords.
See your rights as a voucher holder after move-in for the full picture of your fair housing protections as a Section 8 tenant.
Complaints about your housing authority
If your complaint is about the housing authority itself — they're failing to pay your landlord correctly, they're treating you unfairly, they've terminated your assistance without proper process, or a staff member is behaving improperly — the path is different.
For informal disputes: request a meeting with a supervisor at your housing authority. Many issues at the staff level can be resolved by going up the chain.
For formal disputes: if your assistance has been terminated or reduced and you disagree with the decision, request an informal hearing in writing immediately. You have the right to a hearing where you can present your side of the dispute. See how to keep your Section 8 voucher for more on the hearing process.
For PHA misconduct: HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) handles complaints about housing authority administration. Contact your local HUD field office if the housing authority itself is acting improperly.
Tips for effective complaints
Document everything before you file. Photos of repair problems with timestamps, written repair requests to your landlord with dates, and any responses you've received all make your complaint stronger and harder to dispute.
Request repairs in writing first. Before filing a complaint, send your landlord a written repair request (email or text is fine) and give them a reasonable opportunity to respond — typically 7–14 days for non-emergency repairs. This shows good faith and creates a paper trail.
Be specific. "The bathroom has mold" is less effective than "there is visible mold on the bathroom ceiling and under the sink, which I first noticed on [date] and reported to the landlord by text on [date]. No repair has been made." Specifics make complaints easier to act on.
Follow up consistently. Complaints that go quiet tend to stall. If you haven't heard back within the expected timeframe, follow up in writing and ask for a status update. Persistence, done professionally, moves complaints forward.