No. As a landlord, you can decide who is responsible for paying utilities. If a tenant is responsible for paying utilities, this must be indicated on the Request for Tenancy Approval and in the lease. Utilities must be individually metered in order to be approved by the voucher program.

No. The St. Louis Park Housing Authority does not pre-qualify properties. Each time a landlord rents to a voucher holder, their property/unit will be screened for affordability and an inspection will take place. Typically, the Housing Choice Voucher inspection does not have as strict of standards as the city inspection that is needed for a landlord's rental license.

No. A landlord that participates in the Housing Choice Voucher Program would handle any damages left by a tenant the same way they would handle those from an unsubsidized tenant. If a tenant leaves your property not in good standing or has been evicted, they can or will lose their voucher. Anytime a landlord issues a lease violation to a tenant, it is recommended that they copy the Housing Authority they work with and follow up with them.  

When you are making these improvements, make sure the water meter and MIU remain accessible after the work is complete, and that the wiring between the meter and MIU is not damaged.

DON’T:

• Put sheetrock over the wiring in basements. Screws may accidentally be run over the wire, either pinching it or breaking the wire completely.
• Cover the MIU with sheetrock.
• When re-siding your home, do not cut the MIU wire or throw the MIU away. There is a $100 fee for replacing MIUs.

DO:

• Contact public works at 952.924.2562 if you are re-siding your home. Public works staff can then remove the MIU and reinstall it after the siding work is complete. The siding company will need to drill a ½” hole where the existing MIU is mounted so the MIU wire can be reconnected and the unit can be mounted in the same location

If you have any additional questions, contact the public works department at 952.924.2562.

If you own more than one property, you can link them together in the online bill pay system. When registering your accounts, use the same email address and password for all your different accounts. You can then link the accounts and select multiple invoices by only signing in once. You can also request courtesy emails to be sent to your tenants when their account has been billed. A video on account linking can be found by clicking on "Support" → “Help – User Videos" → “Account Linking.”

Based on city ordinance, the Westwood Hills Nature Center must obtain a Minnesota alcohol caterer's permit and a copy of insurance for liquor liability listing "covers all catered events" to permit alcohol. The city will need these at least one month before the event. Once you have secured your vendor, you or your vendor can send the current documents for final approval to hbatistich@stlouisparkmn.gov.

Alcohol is permitted after the interpretive center is closed, 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Alcohol is allowed in the exhibit space, multipurpose room and adjoining patios only. Please keep in mind that the facility does not have ice on hand. The facility does have a mobile bar and mobile cooler that can be rented.

While there are no preferred vendors, you can email hbatistich@stlouisparkmn.gov to get a list of vendors that have been used at Westwood Hills Nature Center before.

The St. Louis Park Housing Authority encourages landlords to have specific written criteria for their tenants, and to consistently adhere to it. When a voucher holder applies, a typical response from a landlord could include, “I am willing to work with the voucher program, as long as the applicant is able to pass my screening criteria.” If you are a landlord that works with the program regularly, including information in your marketing materials such as "Rental Assistance Accepted" will let voucher holders know you are willing to work with them.  

A landlord should screen voucher holders like any other tenants. While the screening process is taking place, a landlord may fill out a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) form. The RTA lets the Housing Authority (HA) know about the unit the tenant is wanting to rent. The tenant is responsible for returning the form, along with an unexecuted lease, to the HA by the 15th of the month in order to be assisted for the following month. We encourage tenants not to leave this form with landlords due to the time-sensitive nature of the program.

Once the HA receives the RTA form, the unit is determined to be affordable or not based on the agency’s payment standards and the family’s income. After the unit is determined to be affordable, the HA will contact the landlord to schedule and complete a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection. The inspection must pass by the first of the month. A unit cannot be included in the program if it does not pass the HQS inspection.

The landlord is required to fill out a W9, sign a HAP contract and submit the executed lease to the HA. At that point, the landlord can be paid based on the HA’s practices.