6 min read · Updated July 2026
Project-based vs. tenant-based vouchers
Both types are funded under Section 8 but they are very different products. One follows you; one stays with the building. Here is how to think about which to apply for.
Both are "Section 8". Neither is interchangeable.
Section 8 of the Housing Act funds two distinct rental subsidy programs: tenant-based vouchers (the Housing Choice Voucher Program, or HCV) and project-based vouchers (PBV). Both reduce a participating family's rent burden to roughly 30% of adjusted income, and both are administered by the same local Public Housing Authorities. The difference is who owns the subsidy.
Tenant-based vouchers (HCV)
A tenant-based voucher is attached to the family. You receive the voucher from a PHA, you go shopping for a unit on the open private rental market, and the subsidy follows you wherever you decide to live (within the PHA's jurisdiction, and after one year, generally to any other PHA's jurisdiction through the portability process). If you decide you want to move, the subsidy comes with you. If you stop participating in the program, the voucher returns to the PHA and is reissued to the next family on the waiting list.
Strengths
- Maximum locational choice — you decide which neighborhood, school district, and apartment you want, subject to the PHA's payment standard and the unit passing inspection.
- Mobility — you can move when your circumstances change, including across PHA jurisdictions.
- Privacy — your landlord is a private party, not a government agency.
Weaknesses
- You have to find a willing landlord. In tight rental markets this can take months.
- The unit has to clear an inspection. Some landlords decline to participate to avoid the inspection regime.
- Payment standards lag market rents in fast-rising neighborhoods, narrowing the set of affordable units.
Project-based vouchers (PBV)
A project-based voucher is attached to a unit. The PHA enters a long-term contract — typically 10 to 20 years — with the owner of a specific property, agreeing to subsidize a defined number of units in that building. Eligible families are matched from the PHA's waiting list (or from a property-specific waiting list) to the subsidized units. If you move out of the unit, the subsidy stays with the unit and is given to the next family. The unit is your home only as long as you live there.
Strengths
- You do not have to find a landlord. You apply for a specific property; if you are matched and the unit is available, you move in.
- The waiting lists at individual project-based properties are sometimes much shorter than the regional HCV waiting list.
- The buildings are sometimes purpose-built for a specific population (seniors, persons with disabilities, families exiting homelessness, formerly homeless veterans) and have on-site services.
Weaknesses
- You are limited to whatever building and neighborhood the project is in.
- You cannot take the subsidy with you if you move. If you want to move, you have to switch to a tenant-based voucher (which most PBV residents are entitled to do after one year).
- If the contract between the PHA and the owner is not renewed, the building may convert to market rate (although tenants in good standing typically get an "enhanced voucher" to protect them).
How to apply for each
To apply for a tenant-based voucher, you apply to your local PHA's main HCV waiting list. To apply for a project-based voucher, you typically apply directly to the property's management office or to a property-specific waiting list maintained by the PHA. Some PHAs use a single "all programs" waiting list and let applicants indicate which programs they want to be considered for; others maintain separate lists for each property. Always ask the PHA which model they use.
Can you apply for both at once?
Yes. There is no rule against being on the regular HCV waiting list and on one or several project-based property lists simultaneously. Many applicants combine the two strategies precisely because the wait times can be very different.
Switching from project-based to tenant-based
Federal regulations generally allow project-based voucher residents to request a tenant-based voucher after one year of occupancy. The PHA must offer one if available; if not, the family is placed on the next-available list. This is one reason project-based vouchers are sometimes described as "the on-ramp" to the broader HCV program.