Terms & Conditions  /  Privacy Policy  / 

Applicant Portal
Landlord Portal
Resident Portal
Mon -Thur | 9am-5pm

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville

Frequently Asked Questions

For the most updated information about your HACA status or account, please click the portal link below.

If you cannot find the answer below, please use the contact form or send us an email to info@haca.org

The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville is not an Immediate Housing Provider.  We highly recommend that you Apply for Housing for your long term housing solution. For immediate temporary housing, please contact United Way’s 2-1-1.  In most areas of the U.S., you can dial 211 to connect with local social services and get referrals for emergency housing .
Key Code Purple & Winter Shelter Locations:
Click Here for more Code Purple Information

Want to check your status on HACA’s waiting list? Contact the Resident Selection Team by reaching out to Caroline Logan at (828) 239-3532 or clogan@haca.org. You can also visit the Admissions Office at 165 S. French Broad Ave. (Aston Park Towers, first floor) during regular business hours, Monday through Wednesday from 9am to 4pm. Thursday visits are available by appointment only.

For a general listing of the private market rentals that are affordable and accept Housing Choice Vouchers go to AffordableHousing.com or WNC Housing Finder.

Click here to view the most recent income limits for Buncombe County. Eligibility for Public Housing is based on Very Low Income Limits, while eligibility for the Housing Choice Voucher Program is based on Extremely Low Income Limits. Additional requirements include a background check and verification that no outstanding balances are owed to HACA or another public housing agency.

If you have a voucher and want to port, or move with your voucher, to Asheville, contact our Admissions team at (828) 259-1222.

HACA has a Homeownership and Family Self Sufficiency Program.  A HACA-approved home buyer training course must be passed. To learn more, contact Eric Robinson at (828) 239-3574, erobinson@haca.org.

To learn about next steps to becoming a landlord with the Housing Choice Voucher Program and to list your rental vacancy, contact our Landlord Outreach Team at landlordassistance@haca.org

HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS) establish the minimum criteria for the health and safety of program participants. Current HQS regulations consist of 13 key aspects of housing quality, performance requirements, and acceptability criteria to meet each performance requirement. HQS includes requirements for all housing types, including single and multi-family dwelling units, as well as specific requirements for special housing types such as manufactured homes, congregate housing, single room occupancy, shared housing, and group residences.

Download the current utility allowances here.

Visit HACA Central Administrative Offices located at 165 S. French Broad Ave, 28801 to complete a Request for Removal Form, and submit at Reception.

All governing rules  including eligibility, waiting lists, tenant selection, occupancy, rent calculation, and eviction procedures can be found in HACA’s Administrative Plan.

Click here to view HACA’s full  Administrative Plan.

Housing Quality Standards (HQS)

Frequently asked questions about HQS inspections for the Housing Choice Voucher program.

The goal of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is to provide “decent, safe and sanitary” housing at an affordable cost to low-income families. Housing Quality Standards help HUD and local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) accomplish that goal by defining “standard housing” and establishing the minimum quality criteria necessary for the health and safety of program participants. All HCV housing units must meet these housing quality standards in order to participate in the HCV program.

The 13 key aspects of housing quality covered by the HQS include:

  • Sanitary facilities;
  • Food preparation and refuse disposal;
  • Space and security;
  • Thermal environment;
  • Illumination and electricity;
  • Structure and materials;
  • Interior air quality;
  • Water supply;
  • Lead-based paint;
  • Access;
  • Site and neighborhood;
  • Sanitary condition; and
  • Smoke Detectors.

HQS inspections are conducted by PHA staff and contractors to ensure that potential and current HCV housing units meet the minimum performance and acceptability criteria for each of the 13 key housing quality aspects.

HQS inspections come in three different varieties.

  • Initial Inspections occur when a voucher holder indicates to their PHA that they desire to lease a specific housing unit. The unit must pass the initial inspection before the execution of the assisted lease and housing assistance payments (HAP) contract and the initiation of payments.
  • Biennial Inspections occur once every 20-24 months on housing units that are currently under lease by an HCV participant family. Annual inspections ensure that HCV housing units continue to meet HQS throughout the tenancy of the HCV participant family.
  • Special Inspections may be complaint inspections or quality control inspections. Complaint inspections occur when a tenant, owner, or member of the public complains about the condition of an HCV housing unit. Quality control inspections examine a sample of housing units within a given PHA’s jurisdiction each year and occur throughout the year.

Please see Chapter 10 of the Housing Choice Voucher Program Guidebook for more information on HQS.

Regulations are found at 24 CFR 982.

To review the full Admission and Continued Occupancy Policy for the Public Housing Program, please use the button below.
View Full Policy