How to apply for Section 8 in Puerto Rico

Section 8 is the common name for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, run by the Public Housing Administration, which is attached to the Department of Housing. The idea of the program is that the help travels with you rather than with a building: instead of being assigned a unit in a public housing development, the voucher is applied to a home you select on the rental market, as long as it meets the program’s requirements and the landlord agrees to participate. That is why AVP maintains a separate Landlord Portal, and why the program runs on a waiting list. It is worth fixing the difference up front: public housing is a development managed by AVP, and Section 8 is a voucher to rent on the private market.

AVP publishes the basic admission requirements: being a family, which may consist of a single person; being a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; meeting the income limits set annually by HUD, in the Extremely Low Income category; being of legal age, 18 or older; not being involved in, nor having a recent history of, any drug-related criminal activity or other criminal activity that threatens the life, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of others; and not being registered as a sex offender in Puerto Rico or in any United States jurisdiction. The specific income limits are deliberately not listed here: HUD updates them every year, and a stale figure on this page could make you believe you do not qualify when you do. Confirm them with AVP.

• Being a family, which may consist of a single person.Verified against the official source
• Being a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.Verified against the official source
• Meeting the income limits set annually by HUD, in the Extremely Low Income category. AVP does not publish the figure in this document because HUD updates it every year.Verified against the official source
• Being of legal age: 18 or older.Verified against the official source
• Not being involved in, nor having a recent history of, any drug-related criminal activity or other criminal activity that threatens the life, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of others.Verified against the official source
• Not being registered as a sex offender in Puerto Rico or in any United States jurisdiction.Verified against the official source
• Completing the application: AVP states that every family wishing to apply for admission to the Housing Choice Voucher Program must complete an application, available at all its regional offices and on avp.pr.gov under the services tab, and clarifies in that same document that it is “available only to serve the preferences”.Verified against the official source

• The Section 8 Housing Application form, which AVP publishes for download in Spanish and English on its application page.
• The Admission Criteria by Preference, which AVP publishes alongside the application and which are especially relevant right now, since preferences are one of the few open routes.
• Proof of income, citizenship or residency, and identification for your family members. AVP evaluates each case individually, so confirm with your regional office the exact list that applies to your application.

1. 1

   Step 1: First read AVP’s notice about new applications

   As of 13 August 2026, AVP’s homepage states that the Section 8 Program is not accepting new applications and that only applications for Project Based Vouchers, preferences and special programs are being accepted. The requirements document says the same in other words: the application is “available only to serve the preferences”. That notice can change, so go to avp.pr.gov and look at it before assuming the program is open or closed for you.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether you qualify under a preference

   Since preferences are one of the routes still open, that document goes from being a detail to being the first thing to read. AVP publishes the Admission Criteria by Preference alongside the application, on the same page. If your situation fits one of those criteria, your case is not in the same queue as a general application.

3. 3

   Step 3: Confirm the basic requirements before gathering paperwork

   The admission requirements AVP publishes are concrete: a family (even of one person), U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, 18 or older, HUD income limits in the Extremely Low Income category, and the criteria on criminal history and sex-offender registration. On income: do not look for the figure in this guide, because HUD changes it every year; ask AVP and do not assume you fail to qualify.

4. 4

   Step 4: Get the application where AVP publishes it

   AVP states the application is available at all its regional offices and on its site under the services tab, and publishes the form for download in Spanish and English. If you prefer to go in person, the central office is at Ave. Barbosa #606, Edificio Juan C. Cordero, 9th floor, San Juan, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

5. 5

   Step 5: If you are already a participant, use the online portal

   AVP has a Section 8 participant portal where you access your account, track the moving process, complete recertification and download documents. It also maintains a Section 8 Waiting List Portal and a Landlord Portal, which is how owners who want to participate in the program come in.

With the Public Housing Administration. The application is available at AVP regional offices and on avp.pr.gov under the services tab. The central office is at Ave. Barbosa #606, Edificio Juan C. Cordero, 9th floor, San Juan, PR 00939-3188, with a mailing address at PO Box 363188, San Juan, PR 00936-3188. The switchboard is 787-759-9407, the toll-free number is 1-855-297-0139, and TTY is 711. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Believing Section 8 and public housing are the same process. They are two different AVP programs, with separate applications, portals and requirements.
• Gathering every document before checking AVP’s notice on whether the program is accepting new applications.
• Not reviewing the Admission Criteria by Preference, when preferences are one of the few open routes.
• Assuming you fail the income test based on a figure you saw somewhere: the limits are set by HUD each year and AVP does not publish them in the requirements document.
• Thinking you must be a household of several people: AVP expressly says a family may consist of a single person.
• Looking for the voucher first and the apartment second without accounting for the landlord having to agree to participate in the program.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Administración de Vivienda Pública (AVP)

  AVP

  www.avp.pr.gov

• Public Housing Administration — homepage and notices

  AVP

  www.avp.pr.gov

• Basic Admission Requirements (PDF)

  AVP

  docs.pr.gov