Section 8 voucher help · California
ACTS is a California nonprofit that helps Housing Choice Voucher holders find homes that accept their voucher. We also stand with people who are turned away because of their voucher, denied over their credit history, or screened with background checks that break California law, for housing and for jobs. Our help is free.
Not sure if what happened to you was legal? Use the 30-second check.
Vouchers usually come with a 60-day search window. Every refusal costs time you may not get back.
Sound familiar?
We don’t take Section 8.
Illegal for most California landlords since 2020. So is a “No Section 8” ad.
Your credit score is too low.
With a voucher, you can offer other proof you’ll pay your share, like bank statements or benefit letters. The landlord must consider it.
You need income of three times the rent.
Income rules must be based on the part of the rent you pay, not the full amount.
Your background check came back.
Were you told in writing before they ran it? If not, the landlord or employer may have broken California law.
How we help
We work alongside you from the day you receive your voucher until you sign a lease, and we step in when a landlord says no.
Bedroom size, area, voucher deadline, accessibility needs, and anything that has gone wrong so far.
We look for owners who accept vouchers across California, including tax-credit communities.
We help with applications, alternative proof of payment when credit is an issue, and the Request for Tenancy Approval (HUD-52517).
We help you document a refusal or credit denial, file complaints before deadlines pass, and connect you with attorneys to pursue legal remedies.
Your rights in California
California has some of the strongest protections for voucher holders in the country. Choose a topic.
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act treats Section 8 and other housing assistance as protected “source of income.” Most landlords cannot refuse you because you have a voucher.
California Civil Rights Department (CRD)
800-884-1684
File as soon as you can. The deadline is generally one year from the refusal.
Many voucher holders have thin or damaged credit. California law recognizes that the housing authority pays most of the rent, so a credit score alone shouldn’t shut you out.
California Civil Rights Department (CRD)
800-884-1684
If a credit report had errors, you can also dispute them with the credit bureau for free.
Applying for a loan, credit card, or other credit? Federal law says a lender cannot deny you or give you worse terms because some or all of your income comes from a public assistance program, including rental assistance.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
855-411-2372
California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) sets strict rules for background checks that look into your character, reputation, personal characteristics, or way of living. It covers checks run by landlords and by employers.
A landlord, employer, or background check company that breaks these rules owes you $10,000 or your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees. § 1786.50
A claim must be filed within two years of when you discovered the violation. § 1786.52
Keep any forms you signed, the report itself, and any denial letter or email.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing
1-800-669-9777
Tax-credit property refusals can also go to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
30-second check
We’ll tell you whether it was likely illegal in California and what to do next. This is general information, not legal advice.
City and county protections in California
Some California cities and counties go further than state law, mostly on how landlords and employers can use criminal records. These apply on top of the statewide rights above.
Oakland
Most landlords can’t screen applicants’ criminal history when advertising, taking applications, choosing tenants, or evicting. Exceptions include small owner-occupied buildings (single-family, duplex, triplex, ADU) and limited checks required for HUD-funded units.
City fines up to $1,000 per violation. In court: damages, attorney’s fees, and penalties.
Oakland Municipal Code ch. 8.25 · since Feb. 2020
Berkeley
Landlords can’t ask about or use criminal history, say so in ads, charge a higher deposit or rent because of it, refuse to add a family member over it, or use it to disqualify someone from Section 8 (with limited exceptions). Any action based on criminal history needs written notice and a chance to respond.
Fines of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation, plus actual damages or three times one month’s rent, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.
Berkeley Municipal Code ch. 13.106 · since 2020 · complaints: Berkeley Rent Board
Richmond
Affordable housing providers, including the housing authority and other publicly subsidized properties, are limited in when and how they can ask about and use arrest and conviction records.
Richmond Municipal Code ch. 7.110 · since 2016
San Francisco
Affordable housing providers in San Francisco must follow rules on when and how they consider arrest and conviction records.
S.F. Police Code art. 49 · complaints: S.F. Human Rights Commission
All of California
Employers with 5 or more employees can’t ask about conviction history before making a job offer. If they withdraw an offer over a conviction, they must assess it individually, tell you in writing, and give you time to respond.
Gov. Code § 12952 · complaints: Civil Rights Department
All of California
Most employers can’t use your credit report to hire you. It’s allowed only for certain jobs, such as managers, law enforcement, or positions handling $10,000 or more in cash or other people’s bank information.
Labor Code § 1024.5
City of Los Angeles
No criminal history questions on job applications or postings, and none until after a conditional offer. If an offer is withdrawn over a record, the employer must follow the Fair Chance process.
L.A. Municipal Code ch. 18 art. 9 · complaints: Bureau of Contract Administration
Unincorporated Los Angeles County
Covers employers with 5 or more employees for work in unincorporated areas. No criminal history questions before a conditional offer, no use of arrests that didn’t lead to conviction, and required notices before withdrawing an offer.
Administrative fines, collected by the County on the applicant’s behalf.
Effective Sept. 3, 2024 · complaints: County DCBA, 800-593-8222
San Francisco
Employers with 5 or more employees can’t ask about arrests or convictions until after a conditional offer, and can never consider arrests without conviction, expunged or juvenile records, infractions, or most convictions older than 7 years. You get 7 days to respond before a final decision.
S.F. Police Code art. 49 · amended Aug. 10, 2026 · complaints: Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
Not yet in effect: the City of Los Angeles and Alameda County have considered fair chance housing laws, but neither had one in effect as of October 2026. A 2023 federal appeals ruling on a similar Seattle law means bans on landlords simply asking about criminal history may be limited, while bans on denying housing because of it still apply.
Penalties in California
$4,000
Voucher and credit-check denials
Discrimination by a business, including a landlord, carries at least $4,000 per violation, or up to three times your actual damages. Civil Code § 52(a); Gov. Code § 12955(d)
$10,000
Background check violations, housing and jobs
No written notice, no disclosure, or no copy offered: $10,000 or your actual damages, whichever is greater. Civil Code § 1786.50
Depending on the case, remedies can also include:
ACTS helps you pursue legal remedies against any business that denies you housing, credit, or a job illegally.
Refusing vouchers, posting “No Section 8” ads, or setting full-rent income rules.
Companies hired to screen tenants and fill units are responsible for their own decisions.
Reports prepared or delivered without the notices and copies California law requires.
Running background checks without a standalone written disclosure and your signed permission.
Denying loans or credit because your income comes from rental or public assistance.
Any person or business California law treats as denying housing or services illegally because of a voucher.
Get help
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Resources
Complaints about voucher refusals and credit-check denials by landlords.
800-884-1684
Federal housing discrimination complaints.
1-800-669-9777
Complaints about lenders and credit card companies.
855-411-2372
Ask about search-time extensions before your voucher expires, especially if you’ve faced refusals.
Check and dispute errors on your credit report. annualcreditreport.com
Look up whether an apartment community is a tax-credit property. lihtc.huduser.gov
About ACTS
American Community Training Services is a California nonprofit working with Housing Choice Voucher holders. State law requires most landlords to accept vouchers, yet many still turn families away, post ads that shut them out, or deny them over credit scores that don’t reflect what they actually pay.
We help people search smarter, apply with confidence, and pursue legal remedies when they are refused or denied illegally. We also train landlords and property managers on how the voucher program works and what California law requires.
ACTS provides housing search help and education. We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. When you pursue a legal claim, we connect you with attorneys who can represent you.