Port In / Port Out Procedures

Port In

If You Move Your Rental Assistance Voucher

Effective March 21, 2023, the HACSD will administer all new port-in families with a regular Housing Choice Voucher from other Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). Special purpose vouchers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis from all PHAs. The Voucher Payment Standards of the Housing Authority of The County of San Diego will apply to all port-in families. 

• The paperwork for an incoming transfer (move) can take 45 to 60 days to process after we receive the initial paperwork from your current housing agency.

• It is important you have a temporary place to stay and the money to support yourself and your family until your transfer process is done. Please think about this timing when you plan your move.

• We cannot begin the transfer to our jurisdiction until we receive a packet of information, called a portability packet, from your current housing agency. 

• Please ask your housing agency to mail or fax the portability packet to our location:

Housing Authority of the County of San Diego

Attention: Portability

PO BOX 23019, San Diego CA 92193-3019

Email: HCDSPortability.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov

Telephone: (858) 694-4801 

Fax: (858) 467-9713

• In order to provide the best service during the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask that incoming portability packets be emailed to the above email address.

Once We Receive Your Portability Packet

Once we receive your portability packet from the other housing agency, we will send a new packet – called an eligibility packet - for you to complete. This packet will include:

• Confirmation Letter (informing you we have received the portability packet).

• Personal Declaration and Questionnaire for Rental Assistance

• Eligibility Requirements (Citizenship Status)

Please make sure you answer all the questions in the packet and then mail it back to us at the address above.

Please include these items in the packet you send back to us:

• Proof of income (pay stubs, award letters for Social Security benefits, unemployment, child support, CalWorks, etc.)

• Proof of all assets (all pages of current bank statements, trust funds, life insurance, etc.)

• Birth certificates and social security cards for all household members

• Current picture identification for all adults

• Legal immigration documents for all household members (if applicable)

This paperwork is very important. You must provide all of this information before we can transfer your housing voucher.

Remember, the process can take 45 to 60 days after we receive your packet, so the sooner you give us your information, the sooner we can finish our paperwork.

Without this information we cannot give you a housing voucher for your new home.

You could lose your rental assistance voucher if this information is not provided to us.

After The Paperwork is Received

After the paperwork is received, we will issue a voucher and a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packet for your next landlord to fill out.

• You must return the RFTA before the date your voucher expires.

• We will review the RFTA to verify the unit selected has a reasonable rent and is affordable.

• After we approve the RFTA, we will schedule an inspection.

Rental Assistance Payments to the Landlord

Rental assistance payments to the landlord will begin after the following requirements are met:

• the unit passes an inspection

• a lease agreement is signed

• the landlord signs a Housing Assistance Payment Contract.

Finding a unit is your responsibility. For a list of landlords and units willing to participate in the rental assistance programs, please see: AffordableHousing.com. You may also look for units on your own.

Cities We DO NOT Serve

There are five other housing agencies in San Diego County. The HACSD does not serve the following cities. If you want to move to one of these cities, please contact them directly:

San Diego Housing Commission, including San Ysidro

    (619) 578-7310

Encinitas Housing Authority, including Cardiff

    (760) 633-2723

Carlsbad City Housing Authority

    (760) 434-2810

Oceanside City Housing Authority

    (760) 435-3360

National City Community Development Commission

    (619) 336-4254

Port Out

If you currently receive a housing voucher from the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego and you want to move (port-out) to another area, you will need to contact the housing authority for the area where you want to live. This link may help you find their contact information: Portal.HUD.gov

If you want to move out of our area jurisdiction, you need to contact your housing specialist in our office. 

(858) 694-4801

TDD: (800) 735-2929

Toll Free: (877) 478-5478

Before You Begin the Port Out Process

Before you begin this process, you may also want to contact the other housing authority to find out about their process, how long you may wait, and about their income limits, payment standards, availability of rental units, average rents and other information that may affect your benefits.

• If you are a new voucher holder, the other housing authority’s income limits apply and you may not be eligible for assistance at that location.

• Do not let your voucher expire. You cannot receive assistance once your voucher expires.

• Your new housing authority may have different policies and procedures.

• You may not receive assistance for the same number of bedrooms in your new area. The voucher size will be based on the new housing authority’s standards.

• You may not move with your voucher if you owe money to HACSD.

• If you decide to move, we recommend you give a 60-day notice to your current landlord and to us to allow time for processing your transfer. 

• Learn more about the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Portability Regulations.