Section 8 apartments in Columbia City, Seattle
Columbia City is in the Southeast area, primarily within ZIP code 98118. 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
Washington HB 2578 (2018) bans SOI discrimination. Reasonable "screening" restrictions apply only to your share of rent.
General information, not legal advice. For help with a specific case, use HUD’s fair-housing resources.
Rental listings in Columbia City, Seattle
Active standalone listings recorded in Seattle, WA with the neighborhood label Columbia City. 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 Columbia City, Seattle. 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 Columbia City
For Columbia City, compare the residential doorway with both Rainier Avenue services and the Link station on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Those are different corridors. Record required charges and appliance responsibilities before asking SHA to evaluate the complete rental proposal.
Plan paperwork on Rainier Avenue
Columbia Branch at 4721 Rainier Avenue South lists computers, print/copy/scan, fax and study rooms. Check current hours and reservation requirements for the visit you need.
Columbia Branch | The Seattle Public LibraryUse the rail station’s actual location
Sound Transit lists Columbia City Station at 4818 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, with ticket machines on the platform near its entrances and no agency parking. Compare the walk from the unit instead of using the library address as a rail-stop location.
Columbia City Station | Sound TransitQuestions about your Columbia City search
- Are Columbia Branch and Columbia City Station on the same street?
- No. The library is on Rainier Avenue South and the station is on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. Plan the route between them.
- Does an included appliance mean its utility bill is included too?
- Ask separately who supplies each appliance and who pays the service it uses, then keep those responsibilities consistent in the lease and SHA packet.
Compare other Seattle searches
- Compare Hillman City rentals
Compare document services and the trip toward Othello Station.
- Compare Mount Baker rentals
Compare station entrances and crosstown connections.
Seattle rental checklist and official agency documents
Guidance by VoucherMatch Editorial Team. Sources reviewed October 14, 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 Columbia City
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 98118
Small-Area FMR · FY2027| Bedrooms | HUD benchmark / mo |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,990 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,080 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,430 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,170 |
| 4 bedrooms | $3,770 |
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: 98118
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Own property in Columbia City?
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