Frequently Asked Questions
“Portability” in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program refers to the process through which your family can transfer or “port” your rental subsidy when you move to a location outside the jurisdiction of the public housing agency (PHA) that first gave you the voucher when you were selected for the program (the initial PHA). The agency that will administer your assistance in the area to which you are renewing is called the “receiving PHA”.
Porting outside of THDA’s jurisdiction (move out) : To port out from THDA, the participant should contact their Rental Assistance Specialist for eligibility and instructions.
The household will need to communicate with their current Public Housing Agency (PHA) where they have their voucher. Any instructions and questions about portability or how to port to THDA should first be made with the household’s current PHA. Once THDA receives the portability voucher/packet from the current housing agency, an appointment will be emailed to household for a portability briefing appointment with THDA. The portability briefing will be conducted by phone conference. The purpose of this appointment is for the household to learn about THDA’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program and your household’s responsibilities and obligations under the program. All adult household members are required to attend and sign any HUD and THDA required paperwork.
The household should request the current PHA to forward current contact information including the household’s email address, mailing address and phone number with the portability packet to avoid delay in receiving an appointment notice. THDA will also need to know what Tennessee county the household is interested in porting to. THDA’s primary source of communication is email, therefore an email address is required.
Your current housing authority shall send the portability packet to THDARAPortability@thda.org or fax 615-860-8703 to the attention of THDA Portability.
For questions regarding portability to THDA, you may email: THDARAPortability@thda.org.
Once THDA receives a portability voucher/packet from a household’s current housing agency, a member of THDA’s portability team will contact you within 10 business days after receiving your documents by sending an invitation to your email address to log in and register for the THDA Rent Café portal. Complete the Intake Certification. You will also need to complete some additional forms and submit all documents through the portal. Once all documentation is received and reviewed by your assigned Specialist – you will be issued a voucher and sent notification to go into the Portal to sign and receive the voucher along with further instructions. You can then start searching for a home in Tennessee.
- Please do not call or email THDA to ask about your status until at least 10 business days have passed since your housing authority sent your documents.
- Ask your caseworker for verification regarding when your documents were emailed to THDA, as instructed above.
For more information, see the HCV Information Booklet
