Section 8 Housing Rules

[aoliver]

I live in Houston, TX and am currently on section 8 housing. The unit that I stay in was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike last year, and since then my apartment complex has made little effort to try to repair it. The whole siding of my building is missing and is only covered by paper and wood, and the inside has various holes in the ceiling still from which water poured in and damaged all my property. Being on Housing they usually do a yearly inspection of the property and the unit. Less then 2 months ago I received a letter from Housing informing me that my apartment complex failed its inspection 3 times now, and that they would no longer pay them rent until it was fixed. I talked with my case worker as well as my apartment complex, where both informed me to continue to pay my portion of the rent and that's all. I pay 70% of my rent and that is what I continued to give them. My apartment complex also told me that Housing had given them 90 days as well to fix the property. Now with no repairs even being slightly made to the units or the property they want me to pay for the two months that Housing stopped paying them plus added late fees. Can they do this? They are also threatening to lock me out of my apartment unless I pay them, and the note does not even tell me when I have to pay them by or when they are going to lock me out. Do they have that right?