Contact | Section8Max
Get in touch with the Section8Max team for support, partnerships, data questions, or feedback on our Section 8 housing tools.
About this page
Section8Max provides free analytics and education for the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program. Use the navigation above to look up HUD Fair Market Rent by ZIP code, calculate maximum voucher rent for your area, score investment properties against local FMR and payment standards, or browse our library of landlord and tenant guides. Every calculator on the site publishes its formula and every ranked list publishes its inputs so you can verify our reasoning before acting on the numbers.
Why our data is trustworthy
Fair Market Rent figures come directly from HUD's 2026 fiscal-year publication, refreshed annually within 30 days of the October 1 release. Small Area FMR figures for the 24 designated metros come from the same HUD dataset. Crime grades come from licensed FBI Uniform Crime Reporting and local-agency feeds, refreshed quarterly. Property and price information is aggregated from public MLS feeds and county assessor records. Income limits use HUD's Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project income tables. PHA directory data is compiled from HUD's official PHA Contact Information database and cross-checked against each agency's public website.
About the Housing Choice Voucher program
Section 8, formally known as the Housing Choice Voucher program, is the federal government's largest rental-assistance program. Eligible households pay roughly 30% of their adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities; the local Public Housing Authority (PHA) pays the rest directly to the landlord, capped by a payment standard set between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent (up to 120% in high-cost exception areas). The program serves more than 2.3 million households nationwide and is funded annually through HUD's appropriations bill. More than 3,300 PHAs administer the program at the local level — they run waitlists, issue vouchers, inspect units against Housing Quality Standards (HQS), sign Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contracts with landlords, and process annual recertifications.
Why landlords work with Section 8
The landlord-portion of rent — typically 60–80% of gross rent — arrives from the PHA by electronic funds transfer on the first business day of every month, eliminating the chase for late rent. Vacancy on voucher units runs 2–4% versus 6–8% for market-rate rentals because voucher tenants stay an average of 8.5 years according to HUD's Public and Indian Housing data, versus roughly 27 months for unassisted renters. In many secondary and tertiary metros the HUD payment standard exceeds unassisted market rent, creating a structural rent premium for units that pass HQS.
Why tenants use Section8Max
If you hold a Housing Choice Voucher, our ZIP-level lookup shows exactly how much rent your voucher will cover in any U.S. neighborhood — no account required. That makes it easier to plan a move, evaluate a portability transfer between PHAs, or negotiate with a prospective landlord who hasn't rented to voucher holders before.
Free, no paywall, no account required
Every calculator, lookup, and ranked list on Section8Max is free to use without registration. We do not sell tenant data, we do not charge tenants to look up voucher information, and we do not gate FMR data behind an email capture. The site is funded by non-intrusive display advertising and by optional affiliate partnerships with landlord-service vendors that we disclose on every page where a partner appears.