If you have a Section 8 or HUD Housing Voucher, you may be able to use your voucher in another city, county or state. Your voucher moves around with you! This is called “porting”.
If you are considering porting, here’s a few things it may be handy to know.
Can I Port?
You may not be able to port to all locations. You will need to ask both your current and new Housing Authority if they will allow the port. Some reasons you may not be able to port:
- Old Housing Authority is not willing to pay for the voucher and new Housing Authority is also not willing! (This is called “billing” and “absorbing.”)
- Housing Authority may be in a budget freeze and not allowing ports
- If you are trying to port to a more expensive area, and your current Housing Authority will not cover the cost.
- If you just got approved for a voucher, and you were not a resident of the area when you applied, you may need to move there and live in that area for twelve months before you can port.
Exceptions to Porting Rules
If you are told that you are not allowed to port, in some situations, you may be able to request that they make an exception to these rules. You can request an exception if:
- You need to port because you or someone in your household is disabled or
- You need to port because of domestic violence or stalking
Requesting a reasonable accommodation for exception to porting rules: Requesting a Exception to the Porting Rules
Research Your New Housing Authority
🌸 After you port, you will need to follow the new policies at the new Housing Authorities. This can cause a change to your voucher amount, number of bedrooms, who can live with you, your portion of the rent, and many other things.
🌸 Sometimes porting can make things worse! Before porting, please read: Twelve Reasons NOT to Port Your Housing Voucher
🌸 Here’s some important: Questions to Ask Housing Authorities If You Want To Port
Finding a New Landlord
🌸 It is a big challenge to find a new home when you don’t live in the area. Some people wind up homeless or lose their vouchers because they cannot find a place. Please be careful. We recommend that you do not port unless you have already secured housing in the new area or definitely have somewhere to stay before you make the port.
🌸 Some people have success by applying for Low Income Tax Credit Buildings. These buildings all accept vouchers. Most have wait lists. You can find these buildings on the HUD map (look for the purple symbols). You can also find them at affordable housing online.
🌸 You can also choose to give up your voucher and instead apply for a building that comes with Section 8. Some of our readers have very good experiences applying for elderly or disabled buildings (many accept disabled people at any age).
🌸 You can also Request Disability Accommodations to apply by mail or email (not in person).
Breaking Your Current Lease
🌸 If you need to break your current lease: some areas have laws that allow a tenant to break a lease early for disability-related needs.
🌸 Even if your area does not have these protections, you can still make a reasonable accommodation request to be released from the lease. For HUD or a publicly-funded building, this should be approved if the request is properly documented. A private landlord could try to claim “undue financial hardship,” or could approve it. Request Disability Accommodations
🌸 Check your lease, some leases will allow you to terminate after 30 days or 60 days. Some places convert to 60 day notice after the first year.
Making the Port
🌸 Ask your Housing Authority for their policy on how to request a port.
🌸 Here’s an example of a policy on Porting or Transferring Your Voucher
🌸 Be prepared for deposits, application fees and moving fees. Here’s some ideas for: How to Escape Move-In Fees
Can All Section 8 Port?
🌸 You can port if you have a Section 8 Voucher. These may also be called Housing Choice Vouchers.
🌸 You cannot port if you have project-based Section 8. Project-based Section 8 belongs to one specific building or property. If you leave, you leave behind the Section 8 and the next tenant gets it. Learn more about the Different Kinds of Section 8
🌸 Exception: If the apartment you are in is called “Project Based Voucher.” There is a chance you can request to convert this to a “Tenant Based Voucher” and then port, using a rule called Family Right to Move. This does not apply to “project based rental assistance,” only “project based voucher.”
Learn More
HUD Policies on Moves and Portability.
Law Bulletin on Portability Rights
HUD Rules for Streamlining the Porting Process
How to Use a Housing Voucher to Actually Find Housing!
How to Get Help or File Complaints for HUD Housing Problems
Facebook Group: HUD and Section 8 for People with Disabilities
Thanks for Reading
🌷 This page is part of the free online guide: The Sleepy Girl Affordable Housing Survival Guide
🌷 Art on this page by Robin Mead and Elizabeth D’Angelo
🌷 If you found this page helpful, please share it with others by pressing one of these magic little buttons:
How to Get On 
I am interested in Porting from one state to another; however, I am expected to give my notice to vacate to my landlord and Housing Authority before I find another apartment. I feel that this is extremely risky. I was told that if I place a security deposit on an apartment in the other state but the Housing Authority there or at my current Housing Authority (they would be billed) says that the apartment does not qualify according to their standards, I will lose my security deposit.
If someone can give me an idea that would help, I’d appreciate it. I really do not feel comfortable giving up my current apartment before I know that I have another one.
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As a general rule, it is recommended to never pay a security deposit until after the apartment has passed inspection. However, some of our readers find that it is impossible to get a landlord to hold the apartment, so they arrange to pay the security deposit only if the landlord gives them a signed statement that the full deposit will be returned if the unit does not pass inspection. It is never a good idea to pay A deposit without this.
Porting can be very difficult and many people do run into problems. It is definitely taking a risk and some of our readers have found that they become homeless for a time while going through the porting process. If you want to talk to others who have gone through porting, You can join the disability hud Facebook group.
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Thank you for your response. You are definitely correct in saying that it is risky. A couple of years ago a Housing Specialist told me a story about a recipient who went through the Portability process. The recipient was not able to find a unit even though she was searching in a major metropolitan area and even though she was given more time. She lost her voucher.
I really think that the Section 8 process needs to be overhauled. But until then, I will take your advice regarding a signed statement for the return of my deposit if the unit doesn’t pass inspection. This is a very good idea!
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Hope it goes great ☀️
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Hi, I was widowed 3 years ago and was forced to relocate. I’m disabled and I can’t supoort my kids where we live and My Insurance (ssd) is ridiculous as I desperately need Mental health coverage as well as dental but I make too much. I have found a home for rent in my home town (wash) and Need to port out of Or. Due to Covid 19 I have not renewed my lease. I need to know what steps to take and if I am able to try and rent the property in wash first and complete transfer accordingly . please help me
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Hello thank you for your help. I want to know if I’m porting out my voucher to another PHA and they are only billing and the initial PHA can’t afford to be billed can I make a reasonable disability accommodation to the receiving PHA to request to absorb me instead of billing? Can I make a request to be absorbed by the receiving PHA as a person who is disabled if my initial PHA can’t afford to be billed? Thank you
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Yes. Usually people make the request to their home HA, to bill even though they don’t typically allow billing. We’ve had several readers here report being approved for this request. There’s a section on this page. Hope it goes great. howtogeton.wordpress.com/sample-disability-accommodation-letters-housing/
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I currently live in Tennessee and I was trying to move to Florida but Tennessee closed their porting due to funding because of Covid. I was wondering what would qualify as an exception to port out now anyway. I have two children one who has autism and the other was diagnosed with apraxia and could possibly be autistic herself. I have family I’m Florida and that’s why I would like to move. I am alone here and have no support and can’t find an affordable trustworthy sitter so that I can begin nursing school and work while I’m Florida I do have a support system so I can work and go to school. Please let me know if there is anything I can do that would have them allow me to port out even when the porting is still closed. Thank you. I am desperate and need help so bad. I have very bad depression and anxiety because of being alone in all that I go thru.
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Several of our readers got exception to porting approved.
If one or both your children needs to move in order to receive proper disability care and family support, and they can’t get adequate home care or support where you are, you can make the request. Nursing school won’t be taken into consideration and may make your request more confusing.
There is a section on this page on porting requests, hope this helps… howtogeton.wordpress.com/sample-disability-accommodation-letters-housing/
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Does pregnancy automatically qualify me to move into a larger unit? I read somewhere that a pregnant woman counts as a two person household. I’m hoping that I don’t have to wait till the baby is born. Thanks!
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I’m disabled, and because of that i need to port back to my original county. It has not been a year yet, so, i need to do it early. Where do i start. The testimonial posted said the woman contacted like 5 different people. She mentioned a HUD lawyer, but I’m not so sure he’d be on my side.
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First you would need to find out if you can get out of your current lease. Do you have a lease? Does it have an escape clause? How much time is left on the lease? Are you living with renting from a private landlord or a building that has publicly funded?
If you know that you can get out of your lease, then the next step would be to make a reasonable accommodation request to port out early. You can make that request if the reason you were moving is related to your disability and you can get a doctor to verify this for you.
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