CityFHEPS Transfer to Another Apartment: Requirements, Steps

Can You Move with CityFHEPS?

You can, with approval. The agreement every CityFHEPS tenant signs says: "I must get HRA's approval before I move into a new apartment." Source: CityFHEPS Program Participant Agreement, DSS-7p.

The rule does not say that a lease ending is enough on its own, and it does not define "good cause" for a move. HRA has not published a list of accepted reasons. The situations its own documents do name are in the table below.

The new rent must also fit the CityFHEPS payment standard for your household size.

Watch outThe 2026 figures are slightly lower than 2025, so a rent that was approved last year may be over the limit now. A single room is capped at $1,100. The CityFHEPS payment standards guide has the full schedule.

Get Approval Before You Sign or Move

Do not sign a lease, pay a deposit or move on your own. Approval has to come before the move, and under the rule a household that moves without it cannot keep CityFHEPS, apart from the narrow late-request exception in the table above.

There is a lease signing in the CityFHEPS process, but your caseworker or provider arranges it.

• Landlord FAQThe worker prepares the housing packet and schedules the lease signing after the unit passes its walkthrough, and the lease must be signed by both sides for the packet to be reviewed. Source: CityFHEPS FAQ for Landlords and Brokers, DSS-8j
• Leasing FAQThe signing and key exchange happen once the provider says the checks are ready. Source: CityFHEPS Leasing FAQ, DSS-7y

Watch outThe two documents do not describe the timing the same way, so ask your worker when to sign and do not sign before they tell you to.

Step-by-Step: Requesting a Transfer

HRA has not published a transfer request form for tenants or a written procedure for transfers. The form "Request for a Modification" (DSS-7s) is for income changes and rent increases at your current apartment, not for moves. What follows combines the contact points HRA does publish with its standard process for approving a new unit.

• Ask for approval and explain why you need to move. HRA's documents point to three doors: your caseworker, your local Homebase office (named for transfers when a household outgrows its unit), and HRA at 718-557-1399, the number tenants outside the city are told to call about a good cause transfer. Use the Homebase locator or call 311 to find your office. Bring proof of your reason.
• Find out your maximum rent and what paperwork you will carry. For households looking for new housing through Homebase, HRA issues a shopping letter that is valid for 120 days and shows the highest rent allowed for your household size. HRA's documents do not say whether a tenant approved for a transfer gets a new one, so ask. The letter with your subsidy amount and your share of the rent, the Household Share Letter, is for you only and is not meant for landlords.
• Find an apartment within the limit. Browse CityFHEPS-friendly apartments or search all listings on VoucherMatch.
• The unit gets registered. The landlord, broker or your caseworker enters the unit on the DSS Offer Registration website. This is the "apartment registration" people search for. Tenants do not do it themselves.
• DSS reviews the rent and the building. The rent must be reasonable compared with similar units, and at or below the legal rent if the unit is rent stabilized. The rent review applies to transfers, and the State data match can take up to 3 weeks. The unit and building must also be clear of a set of violations. Source: Rent Review FAQ, DSS-34.
• Walkthrough. Someone inspects the unit. The guide to why apartments fail the walkthrough covers the common problems.
• The packet goes in. The landlord gives their documents to your provider and you give yours, including the Program Participant Agreement and your tenant contact form. The provider submits everything to HRA. The landlord's side includes a lease for at least one year, proof of ownership, a W-9, the Landlord Information Form (DSS-8f for apartments, DSS-8g for rooms), the security voucher form and the utility form. The landlord packet checklist goes through each one.
• HRA approves and issues checks. You get a notice saying how much HRA will pay the landlord and how much you will pay. Your provider schedules the key exchange.
• Tell HRA and your old landlord. You agreed to notify HRA at 718-557-1399 when you move.

Steps 4 to 8 come from HRA's landlord FAQ (DSS-8j) and the community track of the CityFHEPS Road Map. HRA does not publish how long a transfer takes.

• After an approved moveHRA recalculates your subsidy, and that amount is fixed for one year from the start of the new lease. If the new lease starts ten months or less into your current program year, your year starts over on the new lease date (68 RCNY § 10-10).
• Every yearYou still have to renew.
• Within sixty days of a denialIf HRA denies the move, you can ask for an agency review conference or an administrative hearing. Source: 68 RCNY § 10-13

Finding an Apartment Within the New Limits

The limit follows your household size, not the apartment you pick.

• Bedrooms: HRA pays for one bedroom or sleeping area for every two people.
• Smaller apartment: If you rent a smaller apartment than your household qualifies for, HRA pays up to the standard for the smaller unit.
• Larger apartment: You may rent one only if its rent fits the standard for your household's size.

ExampleA household of three qualifies for the 2-bedroom standard of $2,997; it can rent a 3-bedroom only if the rent is $2,997 or less with all utilities included. (Source: DSS-7r.)

CityFHEPS can pay for a whole apartment anywhere in New York State, including Long Island and Westchester, but rooms and SROs only within the city. (Source: DSS-9n.)

• RentRents outside the city follow the local standard; HRA posts a maximum-rents-by-county tool on its Statewide CityFHEPS page.
• WalkthroughDone in person in Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester and virtually in other counties.
• Cash Assistance or SNAPYour NYC benefits continue for one month and then you apply in the new county.
• Another stateYou cannot take CityFHEPS to another state.

Landlords and brokers cannot refuse to rent to you because you have CityFHEPS. The NYC Commission on Human Rights lists these as evidence of source-of-income discrimination:

• statements like "This building does not take vouchers"
• a "waitlist" for voucher holders
• a demand for six months' rent up front

• NYC Commission on Human RightsCall 212-416-0197 or see its source of income page.
• State Division of Human RightsAlso takes reports at dhr.ny.gov/report.
• VoucherMatch guideReporting a landlord who refuses your voucher explains the process.

What Happens to Your Old Lease

CityFHEPS approval does not end your old lease.

• Leaving before the lease is upWhat you owe depends on the lease and on whether your landlord agrees to release you, so get any release in writing.
• Breaking a lease for a roomThe rule spells this out: you must show good cause or the landlord's willingness to let you out.
• Behind on rent at the old apartmentReport it. You agreed to call HRA at 718-557-1399 if you fall behind, and Homebase can help if you are having trouble paying your share. HRA's documents do not say that arrears block a transfer.
• Not sure you have to leaveIn a rent-regulated apartment you can generally stay, and you do not need a renewal lease to keep CityFHEPS as long as you renew the subsidy (DSS-7r and DSS-7z).

Watch outHRA's payments follow where you live. Your old landlord must tell HRA within 5 business days of learning you have left and must return any payment for a period when you were not living there (DSS-8j). That is another reason to line up the dates with your worker before you hand back keys.

What Landlords Should Know

A transfer tenant is processed like any new CityFHEPS tenant.

• ✓Registration. You or your broker register the unit on the DSS Offer Registration website.
• ✓Rent review. The rent goes through rent review.
• ✓Clearance and walkthrough. The unit and building go through both.
• ✓Landlord package. You complete it (DSS-8f for apartments).
• ✓Payment. After approval, DSS pays the CityFHEPS portion to you by check each month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move with CityFHEPS before my lease ends? Only with HRA's approval, and the rule asks for good cause whether or not your lease is ending. The exception is moving from a room to an apartment. HRA has not published a list of reasons it accepts, so explain your situation to your caseworker, Homebase or HRA at 718-557-1399 before you commit to anything.

What happens if I sign a new lease before HRA approves it? You risk being responsible for a lease CityFHEPS will not pay for. If you have already moved, call 718-557-1399 right away. HRA may consider a request made after a move only when you could not get approval first for reasons beyond your control.

What are the current CityFHEPS rent limits? Within the five boroughs, with all utilities included, these limits took effect April 1, 2026. Outside the city the local standard applies.

• Studio: $2,604
• 1-bedroom: $2,734
• 2-bedroom: $2,997
• 3-bedroom: $3,753
• 4-bedroom: $4,077

What if I owe back rent at my current apartment? Report it to HRA at 718-557-1399, which your participant agreement requires, and contact Homebase if you cannot pay your share. HRA has not published a rule on how arrears affect a transfer request.

Can a landlord refuse to rent to me because I have CityFHEPS? No. Report a refusal to the NYC Commission on Human Rights at 212-416-0197.

• Covered: The Commission says most rental properties in the city are covered regardless of the number of units.
• Exceptions: Small owner-occupied buildings and units that are not publicly advertised.

Can I transfer my CityFHEPS voucher to another state? No. HRA's statewide FAQ says CityFHEPS can only be used within New York State.

Does moving change how long I can keep CityFHEPS? An approved move can restart your current program year; HRA's documents do not say how that affects the five-year count, so ask when you request the transfer.

• Program length: The program generally runs up to five years, with extensions for good cause.
• No five-year limit: It does not apply to households with someone 60 or older or an adult on federal disability benefits (DSS-7r).

TipBefore you call, write down your reason for moving, your household size and your current rent. Those are the three things the rule turns on.

Looking for an apartment that accepts your voucher? Browse voucher-friendly listings on VoucherMatch.

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