How RentReady works
HUD-assisted housing is privately owned rental housing where the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pays a portion of every tenant's rent directly to the property owner. Unlike a Housing Choice Voucher — which moves with the tenant — these subsidies are attached to specific buildings. If you live there, you pay roughly 30% of your adjusted income toward rent, and HUD covers the rest.
The directory you'll find on RentReady includes properties under several federal programs:
- Project-Based Section 8 — long-term contracts between owners and HUD, common in older multifamily buildings.
- Section 202 — supportive housing for very-low-income elderly residents (62+).
- Section 811 — supportive housing for people with disabilities.
- PRAC & PAC — Project Rental Assistance Contracts that fund newer 202/811 communities.
- RAD — public housing converted to long-term Section 8 contracts.
- Rent Supplement — legacy contracts still covering certain older buildings.
Every property on RentReady comes from HUD's public Multifamily Properties (Assisted) dataset. We don't process applications; we point you to the actual buildings and the management contacts that do.
Read the renter-friendly Section 8 walkthrough, check the income eligibility limits, then jump to how to apply.