Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority: Section 8 Waiting List Open (September 2026)
Updatewe do not have a current, verified opening for this list. Confirm its status with the housing authority. The details below describe an earlier opening and are kept for reference. See which Section 8 waiting lists are open now.
As of September 19, 2026, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (OH001) had its Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) waiting list open to new applications. Getting on the list is the first step, not the voucher itself. Most applicants wait a long time before their name comes up.
What Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority says
CMHA's site lets you apply for the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist anytime through its RentCafe portal, and says waitlist selections are in process with notices sent by mail and email. CMHA also warns of a projected HCV funding shortfall, so expect a long wait. Help: 614-421-6000.
We checked this on September 19, 2026 against the authority's own page. Housing authorities open and close lists with little notice, so read that page yourself before you rely on this.
How to apply
- Where: the official application page. Apply only through the housing authority itself.
- Questions: call 614-421-6000.
- Cost: free. Anyone charging a fee to apply, to hold a place in line or to "guarantee" a voucher is not the housing authority.
Keep a copy of your confirmation, and tell the authority whenever your address, phone number or email changes. Applicants the authority cannot reach are removed from the list.
Other waiting lists in the Columbus, OH area
This is the only Housing Choice Voucher waiting list we track in the Columbus, OH area. Every list we track there, with phone numbers and status, is on the Columbus, OH Section 8 page.
Who can apply
Living outside the Columbus, OH area does not bar you from applying. Expect two things if you do: local residents often rank ahead through preferences, and the authority can require your first 12 months of renting to be inside its area (24 CFR 982.353).
Income limits and what a voucher pays depend on the county. See Section 8 in Columbus, OH for the rent figures in this area.
If the list closes before you apply
Lists close without much warning. If this one is closed when you try, you still have options.
First, check which Section 8 waiting lists are open now: we recheck every list we track and date each entry. Second, sign up for the waiting list alert on the Columbus, OH page, and we will email you when a list in the area opens. Third, apply to more than one authority. Being on several lists improves your odds, and nothing limits how many you can join.
Already have a voucher?
Then you do not need a waiting list. Search apartments from landlords who accept vouchers on VoucherMatch.
VoucherMatch Editorial Team
Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected
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