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  General Guidelines for Applicants
  • There are dozens of affordable housing developers and property management companies in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay region. Mid-Peninsula Housing Management Corporation (MPHMC) is one of the largest, but we have very low turnover among our residents. You should apply to as many non-profit property management companies as you can. For a list call the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California at (415) 989-8160 or visit their Web site: www.nonprofithousing.org. NPH does not provide housing referrals.
    • Applicants must have gross incomes that fall within the applicable income eligibility guidelines. The income guidelines vary depending on the nature of federal or state subsidies underwriting the cost of the development. (See Step 1 below)
  • Applicants for Senior Housing have to meet income guidelines and you or your spouse must be at least 62 years old depending on the project.
  • Applicants for Studio Apartments must be a person living alone, or a two person household (not necessarily married) that meet the income guidelines.
  • Applicants for Family Housing may be single parent families with children or a two person household with or without children who meet income guidelines.
  • Applicants for Special Needs Housing must meet the income guidelines and also qualify as having a special need such as a developmental, physical, or mental disability.
  • The selection process is governed by a lottery conducted for each property. Most affordable housing rental companies use a lottery system to select residents for vacant units. A lottery assures that regardless of when you file an application, during the open period, you have the same chance of being selected as anyone else regardless of when they applied. However, a number of factors may influence who is chosen to fill vacant units regardless of their placement on the lottery list. For example,
    • In some communities, we are required by regulatory agreements to give preference to applicants who live and/or work in the city or county that hosts the affordable housing,
    • In some situations preference may be given to applicants who have been displaced from an urban renewal area, or displaced as a result of governmental action, or displaced by a "major disaster," as determined by the President.
    • In some situations a family that wins a favorable place in the lottery may not be the family selected for a particular vacancy because the vacant unit may be required by financial regulations to be filled by a family with a lower level of income than the person in the higher lottery position, or the vacant unit may have more or fewer bedrooms than the family in the higher lottery position needs.
    • When a property that has been filling vacancies from the wait list finds the list is getting too small, it may open the list for applications. New applicants are placed, in the order selected through a new lottery, at the end of the established waiting list created by the original lottery.
  • Applicants should have a good credit history and a history of being a cooperative and responsible renter: e.g., consistent monthly payment of rent; no history of "skipping" out from previous housing, being evicted, being disruptive, unsanitary, noisy, or an uncooperative neighbor, and no convictions for fraud or using, making, or distributing controlled substances.
  Four Steps to Apply for MPH Rental Housing
> Step 1. Check to see if you fall within the income maximums.
Income from wages, salary, interest, dividends, retirement, benefits, investments, rents, are all taken into consideration. And there are certain types of income from family members that are discounted.You can do a preliminary check in two ways:
  • Call a specific MPHMC property when a waiting list opens for that property, or
  • Check the Maximum Income Charts (view chart here) to see if your household income is below the income maximums displayed in the charts.
If you have a Section 8 Certificate: We accept Section 8 certificates at all of our properties and we also have some "project based" Section 8 properties that provide the same benefits as a Section 8 certificate.
> Step 2. Identify your housing needs by type, city and number of bedrooms.
  • Make a list of every city or community that you would be willing to move into.
  • Identify the type of housing that matches you or your family:
    Senior: You or your spouse must be at least 62 or older
    Special Needs: You must have a disability (mental, physical, developmental)
    Studio: You must be a person living alone, or a two person household (not necessarily married)
    Family: You may be a single parent with children, a two-parent family with or without without children, or two or more persons who have chosen to live together but not necessarily married.
  • Identify how many bedrooms you need.
    • The general rule of thumb is for two persons to share a bedroom unless for specific medical reasons two persons cannot share the same bedroom. You will be allowed two persons per bedroom in the apartment unless State or local building codes, occupancy guidelines or structural limitations provide otherwise. A single person or a couple may not be offered a housing unit with two or more bedrooms unless there is a medical reason for requiring separate bedrooms.
> Step 3. Review the "Wait List Status" list  (check list here)
> Step 4. If there are no Wait Lists currently open:
  • Check this Web site at least monthly.
  • Call the MPH Rental Information number (650) 356-2900 and ask for a list of "properties in development". Ask to have your name placed on an "Interest List" for any property that is in development that you have an interest in and for which you may qualify (e.g., senior, family, single adult, special needs).
  • When a wait list opens, call the number of the property that is open. Ask for an application to be mailed, or go to the property to get an application, complete it, and submit it by the deadline.
  • Continue to apply to each property as waiting lists open and be sure to apply to other properties managed by other affordable housing companies.
  • Once you have submitted your application(s), be sure to let each property know if you move or change your phone number. In order to remain on a waiting list, you must contact the site manager of each property in writing every six months. You may want to keep a calendar or log so that you know when you need to contact the manager in writing on each property you have an interest in.