HUD HCV Guidebook § 2.4
Portability and SAFMRs (HUD HCV Guidebook)
Operative Text
The vouchers of families who port will be administered according to the policies of the receiving PHA (as the term is used for portability purposes). If the receiving PHA is operating under SAFMRs, then the family’s voucher will be administered using SAFMRs. If the receiving PHA has not adopted SAFMRs, then the family’s voucher will not be administered using SAFMRs (regardless of whether the initial PHA uses SAFMRs).
Under HUD Housing Choice Voucher Guidebook § 2.4, when a voucher-holding family moves their voucher to a different Public Housing Authority's jurisdiction through the portability process, the rules of the receiving PHA govern how the voucher is administered—including whether Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) apply. If the receiving PHA operates under SAFMRs, the family's voucher will be subject to those rent calculations; if the receiving PHA does not use SAFMRs, the voucher will not be administered under them. This is true regardless of what rent standard the original issuing PHA uses.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers who rent to Housing Choice Voucher holders should be aware that under § 2.4, the applicable rent standard for a porting family is determined by the receiving PHA's policies, not those of the family's original PHA. If your property falls within a receiving PHA that uses SAFMRs, the payment standard for a ported voucher will reflect those small-area calculations, which can vary significantly by ZIP code. Operators generally stay current with the receiving PHA's current payment standards and SAFMR status when evaluating whether a unit's rent will be approvable for a porting family.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
As a voucher holder, § 2.4 means that if you choose to port your voucher to a new area, the receiving PHA's rules—including whether SAFMRs are used to calculate your payment standard—will apply to your voucher going forward. This can affect how much of your rent the voucher covers, depending on whether the receiving PHA uses small-area or metro-wide fair market rents. Tenants considering portability may benefit from contacting the receiving PHA directly or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand how the applicable rent standard could affect their housing options in the new jurisdiction.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 26, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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