Landlords owed thousands, as Housing Authority continues to have trouble paying tenants rent

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- New details in an ABC11 Troubleshooter investigation into delayed and missed rental payments from a Triangle housing authority. ABC11 first told you about the issue in May when renter Nancy Powell was worried she would be forced to leave her home due to delayed and missed rental payments regarding her housing choice voucher.

Powell told Wilson, "My rent needs to be paid, like, if I lose my place to live. I will be living in my car with cats." While Powell paid the portion of rent she owed, her landlord did not get three months' worth of rent from Wake County Housing Authority. "I don't understand how this can fail," Powell added. After Wilson got involved, her landlord was paid for those three months of rent, and when landlord Zack Hinton saw the story, he was shocked.

He told Wilson, "Wow, I cannot believe this is happening to other landlords. I thought I was the only one."

After seeing Powell's stress, Hinton says he felt he had to speak out too. "The whole purpose of the housing agency is to support people who are low-income and to provide them housing, and if they're not doing that, then I believe the public should know," He added. Hinton shared with Wilson emails asking the Wake County Housing Authority when he'd get the portion of rent they owed for his tenant.

Hinton said, "The tenant hasn't done anything wrong. They've been a great tenant." He said he and the tenant have gone in person to WCHA to try and get answers. "But it's been over three months of like false promises and no money or anything," he added.

Hinton says that when what he was owed added up to close to $9,000, he was fed up and reached out to Wilson. He said to her, "It's very unfair to place the blame on the tenant and evict them for something and punish them for something that they haven't done anything wrong, and really believe it's just the agency's fault that has failed them."

Besides Hinton, Mariama Ali, another Wake County renter with a housing choice voucher, reached out. She said, "I want this issue with my rent straightened out." The final breaking point for Ali was when she got a letter from her property management company. She showed it to Wilson, "They gave me my money back, attached with a letter stating that my rent is $6,507 due now and must be paid in full." T

The check with the amount of rent Ali paid was returned to her, since the $6500 from Wake County Housing Authority was not paid. Ali adds, "No one's talking to me except for this nice, polite email saying we are taking care of it, but evidently somebody is not taking care of it."

Wilson got in touch with Wake County Housing Authority, and the housing authorities from which the tenant's housing vouchers originated. For Ali, it's Charlotte, and a representative responsible for her housing choice rent said, "It seemed as though there were some administrative errors on our part that impacted payments being disbursed". She adds that payments were made in full by June 3rd to the housing authority. A day after our visit to Ali, a big relief as she got an email from her property management company saying they got the funds.

When it comes to Hinton and the $9,000 he's owed. The Interim Executive Director of Wake County Housing Authority, Michael Best, stated, "The delay in Mr. Hinton's rental payment can be attributed to oversights by both agencies involved. Firstly, Wake County Housing Authority (WCHA) did not submit the annual recertification (updated form HUD-50058), and Greensboro Housing Authority(GHA) challenges in following the relevant HUD guidance."

He also added, "We have maintained consistent communication with the GHA to provide the necessary documentation required for the processing of the housing assistance payment. We anticipate that the payment will be received within the forthcoming ten to fourteen days."

Best also added, "It is important to note that the WCHA has undergone significant employee turnover in recent years, which has adversely affected the management of the portability program. I am pleased to inform you that the WCHA currently possesses a competent and experienced housing choice voucher staff capable of not only addressing the backlog of incomplete HUD 50058 forms but also ensuring the timely completion of future annual recertifications. This should mitigate the risk of further delays in payments."

When it comes to Hinton's rental payment, a spokesperson for the Greensboro Housing Authority said, "In this instance, the resident originally ported from GHA's jurisdiction to the jurisdiction of Wake County Housing Authority (WCHA). Per HUD portability regulations, it is the responsibility of the absorbing housing authority to request and submit the appropriate documentation in order for the initial housing authority to provide payment. GHA has made multiple efforts to obtain the required documentation from WCHA so that we may process payment in accordance with HUD guidelines.

Unfortunately, despite our repeated attempts, we have not yet received the necessary materials to move forward. We remain committed to resolving this issue and making payment as soon as the appropriate documentation is received. GHA must ensure that all procedures align with federal regulations to maintain the integrity of the Housing Choice Voucher program for all participants and providers."

As for Hinton, he says he just wants the rent that he is owed, as he's been waiting for months. He adds, "I do want this to be known so that people can be held accountable for their actions if they are a publicly funded agency." We will keep you updated when Hinton receives his funds.