CityFHEPS Landlord Packet Checklist: Every Form, and the Mistakes That Get Packets Returned

A CityFHEPS packet has two halves. The landlord half is the Landlord Package (DSS-8f for apartments, DSS-8g for rooms and SROs) plus the ownership, tax and payment documents behind it. The provider half is the client paperwork and the cover sheet: DSS-8h for shelter cases, DSS-8i for community cases. DSS reviews both together, and missing or inconsistent documents can lead to a return for correction.

Returns are the delay that matters most. At the January 27, 2025 Council oversight hearing, DSS Commissioner Molly Wasow Park said "the most common source of delay is when we return packages back to the provider," and that return rates were "higher than we would like" (hearing record). The City Council's June 2025 report adds that once a problem is fixed, review "frequently restarts from the beginning, adding at least two weeks" (report).

So the checklist below is built around getting it right the first time.

Last checked: September 2026. Form numbers and edition dates are from the CityFHEPS documents page. DSS revises these forms; always pull the current PDF before a lease signing.

Before the packet: preclearance and walkthrough

Collect documents while the unit is being reviewed, but complete the required clearance steps before treating the packet as ready for approval. For a standard NYC unit, the checks occur in this order (DSS-10k):

• Preclearance. You or the landlord register the unit on the DSS Offer Registration site. DSS checks for serious violations and confirms ownership, and emails results to the Inspection Contact "3-5 days after preclearance submission." The checks mirror the Website Clearance Checklist (DSS-10): DOB vacate and stop-work orders, the certificate of occupancy, open HPD lead violations, heat and hot water litigation, the Alternative Enforcement Program, and FDNY vacate orders.
• Walkthrough. A physical review against the Apartment Review Checklist (DSS-10a). The unit needs a "Pass" on every question. Providers schedule at 212-232-0560.

The walkthrough outcome and the proof of preclearance both go into the packet, so keep them.

One preclearance tip from DSS-10k is worth repeating because it is so easy to miss: the apartment number you enter on the Offers form "must be listed on" HPD Online. If the landlord calls it "3R" and HPD lists "3B," the preclearance fails as "listed wrong."

Checklist, part 1: what the landlord provides

These come from Section I of the DSS-8f (E) 04/01/2026 and the leasing checklist on DSS-7y.

DSS-7y and the DSS-8j edition dated 01/28/2026 still list the Unit Hold Incentive voucher (HRA-145). DSS announced in 2025 that the unit hold would end on July 1, 2025, but after a lawsuit the city agreed to go through formal rulemaking and a court barred the change until that rule is final (City Limits). As of September 2026 the rule is still listed as proposed. Include the HRA-145 when the family is leaving shelter, and confirm with your program analyst before you promise the payment.

Checklist, part 2: what the provider adds

For shelter cases, the DSS-8h cover sheet (edition 01/15/2025) lists the mandatory documents:

• Shopping Letter (DSS-7 or DSS-7b)
• Household Share Letter (DSS-7a or DSS-7c)
• Proof of the last 30 days of income for everyone 18 and older
• Request for Emergency Assistance (W-137A)
• Program Participant Agreement (DSS-7p)
• Shelter residency letter
• Tenant Contact Information (DSS-8b)
• Proof of preclearance and the Apartment Review Checklist (DSS-10a)
• Everything from part 1

The cover sheet also asks you to check which upfront payment the landlord chose (1 month or 3 months of the CityFHEPS supplement) and needs a supervisory sign-off from a Director of Social Services or higher.

For community cases, the DSS-8i checklist swaps in the Provider Verification of Eligibility (DSS-8e), the application (DSS-7q for apartments and SROs, DSS-7o for rooms), and proof of the eligibility basis (veteran status, APS letter, eviction, vacate, or shelter history). It also asks for IRS TIN verification. If the household is staying in place, add the arrears documents: court stipulation, rent breakdown, justification letter, and the matching repayment agreement (W-147KK or W-147H).

The mismatches that send packets back

The DSS-8f itself flags the common errors. Almost all of them are one field disagreeing with another document:

• Owner name. It must match the deed "exactly," including "Inc." or "LLC." A landlord who signs as "Smith Properties" when the deed says "Smith Properties LLC" creates a return.
• Lease dates. The rental start and end dates on the DSS-8f "must match date on the lease." So must the unit number.
• Wrong package. DSS-8f is for apartments only. A room rental on a DSS-8f goes back.
• Broker page left partly blank. If a broker was involved, page 6 of the DSS-8f needs the agency name, the agent's name, license number and address. The landlord also represents that the owner is not the agent and does not share in the fee.
• Utilities that don't match reality. The DSS-8f says that if the landlord misstates utilities, DSS "will reduce the ongoing rent by the appropriate amount and recoup past overpayments." This is also the side-deal trap: DSS-7n tells tenants HRA will not pay the all-utilities rent if the landlord isn't providing them.
• Bedroom count. The DSS-8f asks for both the actual bedrooms and the bedrooms on the Shopping Letter. HRA pays the standard for the actual unit if it is smaller, and caps at the household's standard if it is larger (DSS-7n).
• Rent above the legal rent. DSS checks rent stabilization status and the legal rent against DHCR data, and runs a rent reasonableness test (DSS-8j). Ask DSS to verify the lawful subsidy rent for the unit. Some regulated affordable properties have specific Section 610 authorization; HRA explains that DSS processes the allowed increase after approval by the responsible housing agency (HRA Section 610 guidance).

A practical habit: before submission, lay the deed, lease and DSS-8f side by side and read the owner name, address, unit number and dates across all three.

What the landlord gets, and when

Landlords ask this at every showing, so have the answer ready. From DSS-7y and the HRA landlords page:

• At lease-up for a new apartment: prorated rent if applicable, the full first month's rent, and the CityFHEPS supplement for up to three more months, plus the security voucher. The landlord picks one or three months on the DSS-8f.
• Initial payments come by check even if the landlord enrolled in EFT, with a narrow exception for some DHS cases processed through HPD's Homeless Placement Services (DSS-8f, Section III).
• Ongoing rental assistance for a new apartment starts four months after the lease date. The tenant's contribution and any shelter allowance start the month after the lease starts.
• The Special Supplemental Assistance Fund can cover "up to $3,000 in repairs or unpaid rent" later in the tenancy.

Frequently asked questions

Does the landlord have to come to HRA for the lease signing?

No. DSS-7y says CityFHEPS "does not require a lease signing at HRA." The provider coordinates the signing and the key and check exchange.

Who is responsible for getting the landlord documents in?

DSS-8j tells landlords and brokers that they "are responsible for providing all necessary information and documentation to complete the packet and also ensure it is submitted." In practice the housing specialist assembles and submits, so chase the landlord documents early.

Can we submit before the walkthrough passes?

No. A walkthrough cannot happen before preclearance passes, and the packet needs proof of both.

Does the landlord need to fill in the Current NYC section?

Page 7 of the DSS-8f names who should have access to the landlord's account on the Current NYC Landlord Portal. Completing it does not enroll the landlord in the portal or in direct deposit.

Keep it in one place

A final version check can catch documents that exist but are outdated or missing from the assembled packet. If your team tracks client documents across email threads and shared drives, VoucherMatch for organizations keeps each client's documents in one record and lets you apply to voucher-friendly listings for them. If your client's Shopping Letter is close to its 120-day limit, sort that out first: how to get a CityFHEPS Shopping Letter.

Find related guides and editable tools in the caseworker resource library.