What Happened to GoSection8? Where the Listings Went and How to Search for Section 8 Apartments in 2026

GoSection8 did not shut down. It changed its name. On September 13, 2021, GoSection8.com became AffordableHousing.com, and typing the old address still lands you on the new site through a redirect. If you searched "go section 8 brooklyn" or "gosection8 nyc" because a caseworker or a friend told you about it years ago, that is where the listings went.

Five years later the old name still gets searched more than the new one in New York City, partly out of habit and partly because NYCHA quietly depends on the site for something most tenants never see: every rent check on a Section 8 apartment in the city runs through it. This post explains what the site is today, how to use it, the imposter sites that trade on the old name, and where else voucher holders in the five boroughs find apartments.

Last checked: September 24, 2026, against AffordableHousing.com's own pages and help center, its August 2024 fraud notice, and NYCHA's rent reasonableness FAQ. VoucherMatch is a competing listing service; we have kept this to what the sources say. This is general information, not legal advice.

The short version

• GoSection8.com is AffordableHousing.com. Same company, new name since September 13, 2021. The company's help center says the "Section 8" name "didn't reflect the populations we hope to serve."
• It is free for renters after registration, and landlords can list for free, with paid tiers for extra tools.
• It is not a government site. It describes itself as a marketplace that "partners with over 700 government agencies," including NYCHA, the Chicago Housing Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. It does not issue vouchers and cannot put you on a waiting list.
• Copycats exist. The company warned in August 2024 that fraudsters had built sites "using URLs like gosection8.us and affordablehousing.us" to collect fees and personal information. The real site ends in .com, and it "does not charge tenants to apply for Section 8 waiting lists."

Why the name changed

The company's own explanation, from its help center: "GoSection8.com is a trusted brand and the most recognized affordable housing listing service in the country," but the Section 8 name was too narrow. The new domain, it says, "speaks to our mission of providing comprehensive services to all people in need of affordable housing." In practice the site lists apartments for anyone looking for lower-cost rentals, not only voucher holders, and lets you flag whether you hold a voucher when you register.

The change matters for one practical reason: anything you find online today that still carries the GoSection8 logo, a GoSection8 social media account, or a gosection8 address that is not the .com redirect is either out of date or not the real company.

What AffordableHousing.com is now

The site calls itself "the most visited and largest affordable housing listing network in the country," with "tens of millions of visitors" a year. What that looks like for a renter:

• Browsing is open; features need an account. You can browse rentals by city and property type without logging in, but the site says that "after free registration, renters are given unlimited access to dozens of features." The Brooklyn page, for example, gates its matching tool behind sign-up.
• A matching questionnaire. The "Housing Assistant" asks whether you have pets, accessibility needs, a Section 8 voucher, your move-in timing, preferred city, bedrooms and maximum rent, then says "owners of properties that fit your needs will contact you directly."
• A universal application. The site says it offers "the first universal 'common' application for all affordable housing."
• Waiting list information. It maintains a page of Section 8 and public housing waiting lists, and its own fraud notice tells renters to "verify open lists on our official Section 8 & Public Housing Waiting List Page or directly on the agency's website."

For landlords: "Owners can post property listings on AffordableHousing.com for free," with premium memberships for larger listings, lead filtering and renter screening tools.

The part NYC voucher holders should know: NYCHA runs rent checks through it

When you find an apartment with a NYCHA voucher, NYCHA has to confirm the rent is reasonable compared with similar unsubsidized apartments nearby before it approves the lease. NYCHA's FAQ is explicit about who does that work: "NYCHA uses an outside vendor, AffordableHousing.com, for all rent reasonableness evaluations."

The vendor "looks at units near the unit you are trying to rent and units within a ¼ mile radius to find the most similar units without subsidy to yours," comparing "similar unit size and type, age, property amenities, services, and utilities." If the asking rent comes back too high, the owner has two options: accept the rent NYCHA found reasonable, with an amended lease, or "upload comparable units to AffordableHousing.com and ask NYCHA to re-run the rent reasonableness analysis." NYCHA adds that new comparables do not guarantee approval.

Two consequences for you as a tenant:

• A landlord who lists on AffordableHousing.com is not "in" the program. The site is a listing service and a data vendor. Program approval still comes from NYCHA, HPD or HCR, and only after inspection and the rent check.
• An apartment can fail on rent even when the landlord accepts vouchers. If the rent is above what comparable unsubsidized units nearby charge, NYCHA will not approve it at that price no matter how willing the landlord is. Our guide to NYCHA payment standards explains the rent limits that apply on top of the reasonableness check.

The imposter sites

Because the GoSection8 name is still so well known, it is a target. AffordableHousing.com's notice of August 29, 2024 says: "Fraudsters have created deceptive sites using URLs like gosection8.us and affordablehousing.us, mimicking our branding to mislead users into providing personal information or paying fees."

How to stay on the right side of that:

• The real site is AffordableHousing.com, ending in .com. Be wary of .us, .org or .net variants using either name.
• Nobody legitimate charges you to apply for Section 8 or to be added to a waiting list. Not AffordableHousing.com, not a housing authority, not a "processing service." The company's own words: "We do not charge tenants to apply for Section 8 waiting lists."
• Waiting list openings come from the housing authority. Confirm any opening on the authority's own site before you type a Social Security number anywhere. In New York City that means NYCHA, HPD or HCR; our guide to the NYC Section 8 waiting lists has the current status of each.
• Social accounts still using the GoSection8 logo are, per the company, not its current accounts.

Where else voucher holders in NYC find apartments

AffordableHousing.com is national, and its listings tag Section 8. New York City's other programs, CityFHEPS, FHEPS and HASA, are not federal vouchers and do not fit neatly into a national Section 8 filter. That is why the search here usually runs across several sources at once.

A New York City voucher marketplace. VoucherMatch lists apartments where the landlord has said which programs they accept, including CityFHEPS, FHEPS and HASA alongside Section 8, organized by borough: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island. You upload your documents once and apply to any listing; landlords see a complete application. We built it, so weigh that when you compare.

Your caseworker, housing specialist or Homebase office. If you are in shelter or came through Homebase, the people handling your case know landlords who have leased to the program before. Ask for names, not just advice.

Brokers who work with programs. For CityFHEPS and FHEPS, HRA pays the broker's fee, up to 15% of the annual rent, and the tenant pays nothing; see does CityFHEPS pay a broker fee. Since June 11, 2025 the FARE Act also bars a landlord's broker from charging any tenant in the city. A broker who asks you for money is a red flag, not a requirement.

General rental sites. You can search anywhere. Refusing you because you pay with a voucher has been illegal in New York City since 2008, and a listing that says "no programs" is advertising a violation. Save the screenshot; our guide to reporting voucher discrimination explains what to do with it.

Whatever the source, the approval steps are the same: the landlord submits the program's packet, the unit is inspected, the rent is checked, and the program pays the landlord directly. Our guide to finding a landlord who accepts Section 8 walks through those steps in order.

For landlords

Listing on AffordableHousing.com is free and, because NYCHA pulls its rent comparables from that database, having your unit there with accurate details can only help when your rent is evaluated. Listing on VoucherMatch is also free and reaches tenants who already hold a shopping letter or voucher and have their documents uploaded. There is no reason to choose one; most voucher-friendly landlords in the city are on several.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GoSection8 still a website? The address still works, but it redirects to AffordableHousing.com, which is the same company under the name it adopted on September 13, 2021.

Is AffordableHousing.com free? Yes for renters, after free registration. Landlords can list for free and pay only for optional premium features.

Is AffordableHousing.com run by HUD or NYCHA? No. It is a private company that says it partners with more than 700 government agencies, NYCHA among them. NYCHA uses it as the vendor for rent reasonableness evaluations, but the site does not issue vouchers, run waiting lists or approve leases.

Why do I have to register to see listings? The site opens most of its renter tools, including its matching questionnaire, only after free registration. Browsing by city works without an account.

How do I know a GoSection8 site is the real one? Only AffordableHousing.com, ending in .com. The company has warned about imposters at gosection8.us and affordablehousing.us that charge fees. No legitimate site charges to apply for Section 8.

Does AffordableHousing.com list CityFHEPS or HASA apartments? Its listings tag Section 8 acceptance. New York City's own programs are not federal vouchers, so for CityFHEPS, FHEPS or HASA you will usually do better on a New York-specific service or through your caseworker.

Does NYCHA require me to find my apartment on AffordableHousing.com? No. You can find an apartment anywhere. NYCHA uses the site's database to check whether the rent is reasonable once you submit the apartment for approval.

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Holding a voucher or shopping letter and searching in New York City? Browse listings from landlords who accept vouchers by borough, program and rent.

Landlord with a vacancy? List your property free and reach tenants whose rent is paid directly by the program.