# Question about California Section 8 law

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-california-section-8-law/735767>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 26, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-california-section-8-law/735767 "2015-10-26T02:44:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-california-section-8-law/735767/1 "2015-10-26T02:44:55Z")

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Here is the situation: A woman, 69 years old and disabled, has lived in the same apartment for nearly ten years with a Section 8 subsidy. The certificate is hers; it does NOT go with the unit, but with her.

The building is being sold.

Assuming the buyer wants to evict the tenants (there are three units; the other two tenants do not have Sec. 8 certs) and assuming the owner does not intend to move in (there is no way anybody with that much money would live in the neighborhood in question):

1. Is the status of the apartment as a Section 8 unit voided because of the new owner?

2. As I said, the tenant is over 62, disabled and has lived there for 10 years. Can they throw her out in three months’ time, or does she get a year’s notice?

3. My friend says that there are state regulations regarding destroying low-income units where if you do that, you must offer a comparable unit to the same tenant at the same price. But a Section 8 unit is not the same thing as “low income housing,” is it?

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**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-california-section-8-law/735767/2 "2015-10-26T05:26:57Z")

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Hi. She really needs to get in touch with a legal aid organization, and there are plenty of them that deal with housing issues for low-income people. If she’s in LA, I’d suggest contacting Bet Tzedik (you can Google them). They have a staff of attorneys who live for this kind of stuff. And if she’s not in LA, call them anyway. They can refer you to a legal aid organization in her area.

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-california-section-8-law/735767/3 "2015-10-26T11:23:23Z")

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Nothing is voided by this purchase.  
If the current owner is forced to lease it to her for 11 more months,  
the new owner is too.