Housing Search Log Template for Voucher Holders and Caseworkers

Why Keep a Log

Extensions depend on it

Under 24 CFR 982.303, a regular voucher extension is at the housing authority's discretion, and "the PHA may require the family to report progress in leasing a unit" during the term. When the PHA decides whether to extend, the search log is how the family shows progress.

Ask your agency which progress report or supporting records it requires and whether it has a mandatory form. A spreadsheet can supplement that form, but does not replace the agency’s submission requirements.

A log with dated contacts turns "we've been looking" into something a reviewer can check.

Reasonable accommodations

If a household member's disability is why the search is taking longer, the PHA must extend the term "up to the term reasonably required" under 982.303(b)(2). The log helps show the link. For example, it can show that 30 of 34 units were walk-ups the family couldn't use.

Voucher discrimination complaints

When a landlord or broker refuses a voucher, a fair housing agency will ask when it happened, who said it, and what exactly they said. A log entry written that day ("3/14, 2:10pm, called Jane at ABC Realty re 45 Oak St, told 'owner doesn't take programs'") is far better evidence than a memory months later. Screenshots of texts and listing pages should go in the same folder.

Patterns you can act on

After a few weeks the log shows where the search is failing: rent too high for the payment standard, no responses to online inquiries, denials after screening. Each points to a different fix.

The Template

Spreadsheet version

Download the editable Excel file below, or copy this header row into Google Sheets or Excel. Use one row per contact. The rows shown here are fictional examples; the download starts blank.

Notes-app version

For clients searching from a phone, one line per contact is enough:

DATE | ADDRESS | RENT/BR | WHO + PHONE | HOW | VOUCHER OK? | RESULT | NEXT
9/2 | 45 Oak St 3B | 1850/2BR | Jane R ABC Realty 555-0142 | call | yes | viewing | 9/4 5pm
9/2 | 112 Pine Ave 2 | 1700/2BR | owner 555-0198 | call | NO | refused voucher | save text

What to attach

Keep a folder (paper or phone) with:

• Screenshots of each listing on the day you contacted it (listings get taken down)
• Texts and emails from owners and brokers, especially any refusal
• Application fee receipts
• Request for Tenancy Approval copies and the PHA's response letters
• Inspection results

Weekly Totals for an Extension Request

When it's time to ask for more time, add up the log. Extension letters are stronger with numbers:

Protect the Client’s Information

Use a client alias when sharing a working log. Keep identity documents, medical records and private case notes separately with access limited to the people who need them. Share search evidence only with the client’s authorization and according to your agency’s procedures.

Running Search Logs Across a Caseload

A caseworker with 25 active voucher clients can't rebuild each search from memory at extension time. A few habits help:

• Start the log at voucher issuance, not at the first extension. Put the expiration date at the top of each client's log, with reminders 30 and 14 days before.
• One shared format for the whole team. Same columns and outcome values, so a supervisor or covering worker can read any client's search in a minute.
• Log what you do too. Calls you make to landlords on a client's behalf, referrals, and units you send the client all count as search activity.
• Review weekly. Five minutes per client: any responses to follow up, any refusals to report, any rent problems that call for a different area or bedroom size.
• Keep refusals separate. A tab or tag for voucher refusals makes a fair housing referral easy to assemble.

VoucherMatch's workspace for caseworkers keeps each client's documents and the applications you've sent to voucher-friendly listings in one client record, which covers part of this log. If your team wants that, see VoucherMatch for organizations. A spreadsheet works fine too. What matters is that entries are dated and made at the time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do housing authorities require a housing search log?

Not all do, and federal rules don't mandate a specific form. But 24 CFR 982.303(d) lets a PHA require progress reports during the voucher term, and many PHAs ask for documentation when a family requests an extension. A log is the easiest way to have it ready.

What should a housing search log include?

At minimum: the date, the unit address, who you contacted and how, whether they accept vouchers, the outcome, and the next step. Add rent and bedroom count so you can show when units were above the payment standard.

How many landlords should I contact per week?

There's no federal number. Some housing authorities and programs set their own expectations, so ask the PHA or program. In general, more dated contacts make a stronger extension request.

Can a caseworker keep the log for the client?

Yes, and it often works better that way. Log contacts the caseworker makes on the client's behalf and those the client reports, and note who made each one.

What if a landlord refuses the voucher?

Log it the same day with the time, the person's name, and their exact words, and save any text or email. Then look up whether your state or city bans source-of-income discrimination. In New York City, our guide to reporting a landlord who refuses your voucher walks through the complaint process.

Ready for the next search? Browse listings from landlords who accept vouchers.

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