How to Fill Out a Housing Request Form: Pre-Application and Vouchers

To apply for rental assistance in Durham, NC, start with the Durham Housing Authority’s online pre-application at ncdurham.tenmast.com, which places your household on one or more waiting lists.1Durham Housing Authority. Online Pre-Application Durham Housing Authority When your name comes up, DHA will invite you to an orientation to complete a full application with income, identity, and household documents. The pre-application is short and only asks for enough information to determine preliminary eligibility and route you to the right list.2US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Public Housing Occupancy Guidebook – Waiting List and Tenant Selection

Before You Open the Pre-Application

Have the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers ready for every person you want on the application. At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen to receive assistance.1Durham Housing Authority. Online Pre-Application Durham Housing Authority

DHA runs several waiting lists, and they don’t all open at once. As of the most recent update, lists are open until further notice for communities that include Morreene Road and Damar Court.3Durham Housing Authority. Waitlists Available – Durham Housing Authority Status changes without much warning, so check before you assume you can apply. For the Housing Choice Voucher program, the average wait after your name is placed on the list runs about 24 months, depending on voucher availability and whether you keep up with the eligibility process.4Durham Housing Authority. Housing Choice Voucher Program

Do You Qualify? 2026 Income and Asset Limits

DHA uses HUD-published income limits for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. Most public housing applicants must fall within the “very low income” category, which is set at 50 percent of area median income. HUD also requires a large share of admissions to come from the “extremely low income” tier at roughly 30 percent of area median income.

The 2026 very low income limits for Durham County by household size:

  • 1 person: $44,500
  • 2 persons: $50,850
  • 3 persons: $57,200
  • 4 persons: $63,550
  • 5 persons: $68,650
  • 6 persons: $73,750
  • 7 persons: $78,850
  • 8 persons: $83,900

The extremely low income limits sit well below that; for example, $26,750 for a single person and $38,150 for a four-person household.5HUD User. 2026 Income Limits Dataset – Summary

There’s also an asset cap. Under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, a household’s net assets cannot exceed $105,574 at admission or reexamination in 2026. If your net assets are below $52,787, you can self-certify them and skip full bank documentation.6VCU National Training and Data Center. HOTMA Overview Both thresholds change each year.

Documents to Gather for the Full Application

When your name is pulled from the waiting list, DHA invites you to an orientation to complete the full application. Applicants who don’t provide required documents by DHA’s deadline, exceed the income limit, or fail screening are removed from the waiting list.1Durham Housing Authority. Online Pre-Application Durham Housing Authority Bring:

  • Government-issued photo ID for every adult, plus birth certificates and Social Security cards for all household members.7Durham Housing Authority. Public Housing
  • Recent pay stubs, Social Security award letters, pension statements, or child support documentation so DHA can calculate your gross annual income.
  • Recent bank statements for checking and savings. If your net assets are below the $52,787 self-certification threshold, full account documentation may not be required.
  • Proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status for the qualifying household member.
  • School enrollment records for children and identification for all adults, to verify who actually lives in the unit.

HUD requires third-party verification documents to be dated within 60 days of the interview. Older documents can confirm the effective dates of income but not the amounts.8U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. PIH 2018-18 – Administrative Guidance for Effective and Mandated Use of the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) System Pull fresh copies shortly before your appointment rather than using paperwork you gathered months earlier.

What Happens After You’re Approved for a Voucher

If you’re issued a Housing Choice Voucher, two more forms shape the rest of the process. When you find a unit you want, you and the landlord complete a Request for Tenancy Approval together, which tells DHA the address, proposed rent, and lease terms. DHA then schedules an inspection to confirm the unit meets Housing Quality Standards.4Durham Housing Authority. Housing Choice Voucher Program Federal regulations give housing authorities with up to 1,250 vouchers 15 days to inspect and notify both parties of the result after the request is submitted.9eCFR. 24 CFR 982.305 – PHA Approval of Assisted Tenancy

Once DHA approves the tenancy, the landlord and DHA sign a Housing Assistance Payments Contract that obligates DHA to send monthly subsidy payments directly to the landlord. You sign a separate lease with the landlord. The HAP Contract, the lease, and the HUD-required tenancy addendum all have to be in place before the first day of the lease term.9eCFR. 24 CFR 982.305 – PHA Approval of Assisted Tenancy

Keeping Your Assistance: Recertification

Getting in is only the first round of paperwork. DHA requires annual recertification of income and household composition to keep your subsidy active. Residents get advance notice when recertification is due and have to respond within the stated timeline. Failure to provide accurate income documentation when DHA requests it can end your lease or your subsidy.10Durham Housing Authority. Program Compliance/Lease Renewals

Between annual recertifications, report significant changes in income or household size through an interim change report. If you lose a job, add a household member, or start receiving new income, tell DHA rather than waiting. Reporting a drop in income promptly can lower your rent share; failing to report an increase creates an overpayment DHA will eventually recover.

How to Submit Forms and Reach DHA

Every form you sign has to reach DHA through an accepted channel, and an unsigned or undated form comes back to you. Treat the signature line as a hard requirement.

Use blue or black ink on paper forms and address every line. Blank fields trigger follow-up requests that slow things down. Keep a personal copy of everything you submit along with delivery confirmation. Processing times vary by form type; portability paperwork is reviewed within three to five business days after DHA receives it,13Durham Housing Authority. Portability – Durham Housing Authority while initial applications and recertifications take longer, particularly when documentation is incomplete.

A Note on Income Reporting

DHA verifies reported income against the Enterprise Income Verification system, which pulls wage and benefit data from federal databases. Discrepancies get flagged. If you’re not sure whether something counts as income, report it and let DHA decide rather than leaving it off the form. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1001, knowingly making a false statement to a federal agency is a felony punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison,14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally and housing fraud commonly results in eviction, repayment of overpaid assistance, and a bar on future assistance.

If DHA Denies Your Application

If DHA denies your application, terminates your assistance, or takes another adverse action based on your paperwork, you can request a hearing. For public housing residents, the grievance process lets you challenge the decision before an impartial party. You have the right to examine and copy documents in your case, be represented by someone of your choosing at your own cost, a private hearing, the chance to present evidence and cross-examine DHA’s witnesses, and a decision based solely on the facts presented at the hearing.15HUD Exchange. Public Housing Grievance Process for Tenants DHA also has to provide reasonable accommodations for residents with disabilities and meaningful access for individuals with limited English proficiency.

Hearing requests are typically made in writing and delivered to DHA within the timeframe stated in your denial or termination notice. Read that notice carefully; missing the deadline can waive your right to a hearing. Housing Choice Voucher participants use a parallel process called an “informal hearing” under 24 CFR Part 982. If you receive any adverse action notice, contact DHA at 919.683.1551 or hcvpcustomerservice@dha-nc.org as soon as it arrives to confirm the deadline and how to request your hearing.