Section 8 apartments in Kensington, San Diego
Kensington is in the Mid-City area, primarily within ZIP code 92116. Compare HUD rent benchmarks below, then confirm the housing authority’s adopted standard and utility allowance for the actual unit.
Voucher discrimination is illegal here
California SB 329 (2020) makes SOI discrimination illegal statewide. Vouchers, veterans benefits, SSI all covered.
General information, not legal advice. For help with a specific case, use HUD’s fair-housing resources.
Rental listings in Kensington, San Diego
Active standalone listings recorded in San Diego, CA with the neighborhood label Kensington. Units nested inside building cards are excluded. Missing program tags do not establish refusal; confirm the address, availability, voucher paperwork and utilities with the owner.
No active listings are currently recorded for this search on VoucherMatch. This does not mean there are no rentals in Kensington, San Diego. Compare the broader search below, consult the agency contacts, or get listing alerts.
Inventory checked . Counts cover this site, not the whole rental market, and may change before the next page refresh.
Check before you pay
Applying for housing assistance or joining an agency waitlist is free. An agency will not ask you to pay by app, wire or gift card to get a spot. Use HUD’s contact page to find your housing agency, then call to check an offer.
Do not pay to view a home or hold a waitlist spot. Before sending rent or a deposit, confirm the home and the person’s right to rent it. See FTC advice on checking a rental.
Sources checked October 16, 2026: HUD OIG’s August 2024 waitlist fraud bulletin and FTC rental-scam guidance (June 2026).
Rental terms used on this page
- Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
- Rental help run by a housing authority. You find a home, and the agency checks the unit, rent and your household before it approves payment.
- Payment standard
- An amount the agency uses to work out housing assistance for a unit size and area. It does not mean that any home at that rent will be approved.
- FMR and SAFMR
- HUD rent estimates for an area (Fair Market Rent) or ZIP code (Small Area Fair Market Rent). They include rent and most tenant-paid utilities. Your agency may use a different payment standard.
- Utility allowance
- The agency’s estimate of the cost of utilities you must pay. It is not a promise to pay your actual bills.
- Gross rent and tenant share
- Gross rent combines the lease rent and the agency’s utility allowance. Your tenant share is the part you must pay after the agency works out your help.
- Portability
- Moving with a voucher to an area served by another housing agency. Ask your current worker what to do before you move.
- Request for tenancy approval
- The unit and owner paperwork your agency needs to start its rent and housing-quality review. Ask the agency for its form and deadline.
Definitions: HUD’s tenant voucher guide, checked October 16, 2026. Confirm the rules and forms with your own agency.
Planning a voucher search in Kensington
For Kensington, compare the actual offered apartment with the property-wide description. Ask about shared yards, storage and maintenance responsibilities, and get required charges in writing. Use the street address to distinguish a Kensington advertisement from another listing of the same unit in a broader area.
Check the small branch’s facilities before a document visit
Kensington-Normal Heights Library provides public computers beside a park and playground. Its page notes that there is no library parking lot. Plan the visit for current service hours and do not assume a private meeting space will be available.
Kensington-Normal Heights Library: facilities and parkingCompare the trip to Adams Recreation Center
Adams Recreation Center is at 3491 Adams Avenue. Use its program guide for current activities, then map the trip from the Kensington address you are considering. Sharing the Adams Avenue corridor does not establish walking time.
Adams Recreation Center: facilities and activitiesQuestions about your Kensington search
- Does a yard in the photos come with the Kensington unit?
- Ask whether it is exclusive, shared or unavailable to that unit, and who maintains it. Include the agreed arrangement in the proposed lease.
- Can I assume a nearby recreation program has an opening?
- Check current enrollment, ages, fees and dates with the provider. An advertised public facility does not guarantee a space in a program.
Compare other San Diego searches
- Compare Normal Heights rentals
Compare another Adams Avenue search and shared library trips.
- Compare Talmadge rentals
Review homes toward the Colina Del Sol resource area using exact addresses.
San Diego rental checklist and official agency documents
Guidance by VoucherMatch Editorial Team. Sources reviewed October 13, 2026. Listing availability is checked separately. Confirm changing services with the linked provider. Report a correction and include this page’s address.
Compare two rental offers in Kensington
Copy or print this sheet for a viewing. Record the owner’s written terms for each unit, then take the completed comparison to your housing worker. Blank entries mean information to collect, not zero cost.
| Information to collect | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Address, unit and owner contact | To collect | To collect |
| Bedrooms, entrance and access needs | To collect | To collect |
| Proposed monthly rent | To collect | To collect |
| Utilities paid by renter; heating system | To collect | To collect |
| Required fees and optional charges | To collect | To collect |
| Deposit and other move-in costs | To collect | To collect |
| Trip to work, services and viewings | To collect | To collect |
| Agency, voucher deadline and next step | To collect | To collect |
The advertised rent and utility bills are not your final tenant share. Ask your administering agency to review its payment standard, utility allowance, rent reasonableness and inspection requirements for the actual unit.
Worksheet: VoucherMatch, October 16, 2026. Based on HUD’s tenant search and tenancy-approval guidance. Use your agency’s official forms to submit a unit; this sheet is a preparation aid.
Suggested citation: VoucherMatch Editorial Team. Rental offer comparison worksheet. October 16, 2026. vouchermatch.com/section-8-apartments.
HUD rent benchmarks — ZIP 92116
Small-Area FMR · FY2027| Bedrooms | HUD benchmark / mo |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,220 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,370 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,860 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,790 |
| 4 bedrooms | $4,590 |
These are HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, not an adopted housing authority payment standard or a guaranteed rent approval. Your authority determines assistance using its schedule, household income, voucher size and utility allowance. Rent reasonableness and inspection requirements also apply. How HUD vouchers work.
Compare HUD rent benchmarks for these ZIP codes; confirm the rental address separately: 92116
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