New system creates consistent electronic process for housing voucher leasing statewide

Dover, Del. – Oct. 31, 2025 – On November 1, Delaware’s five public housing authorities (PHAs) will launch a new streamlined, electronic process for landlords who accept housing choice vouchers statewide. The Delaware Housing Access Association (DHAA), which includes the Delaware State Housing Authority, Wilmington Housing Authority, New Castle County, Dover Housing Authority, and Newark Housing Authority, has been working to standardize the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) lease-up process, improve program efficiency, and enhance service through a statewide landlord portal available at delaware.affordablehousing.com/landlords. A new Electronic Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) Submission Process is part of that process.

The HCV program helps low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities afford safe, decent, and sanitary housing in the private market. Through this program, families generally contribute about 30% of their income toward rent, while the voucher covers the remaining amount up to the local payment standard.

“Housing must be affordable for working families in Delaware,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “Today’s announcement reduces the bureaucratic malarkey for hard working Delaware families simply trying to find a safe and affordable place to call home.”

The new electronic RFTA process will:

• Simplify submissions and processing times for landlords and PHAs
• Enhance communication and transparency throughout the approval process
• Support statewide efforts to increase landlord participation and voucher utilization

“The shift to electronic RFTA submission will make the leasing process faster, more consistent, and easier for both landlords and voucher holders,” said Matthew Heckles, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority. “By modernizing our approach and working together statewide, we’re making housing access more efficient and equitable. This is a great next step after the state’s five PHAs centralized our waiting lists for public housing and housing choice vouchers earlier this year.”

This work is guided by Enterprise Community Partners, which provided recommendations for aligning and streamlining processes across Delaware’s PHAs in key areas such as pre-RFTA procedures, RFTA processing, inspections, landlord outreach, and general administration.

“We are proud to support the Delaware PHAs in their collaborative efforts to streamline the landlord registration and Request for Tenancy Approval processes statewide,” said Affordable Housing Managing Director Michael Lazdowsky. “By modernizing and simplifying these critical steps, we’re making it easier for landlords and families to work with the PHAs and move more quickly into safe, affordable housing.”

“The Landlord Portal is a big step forward in modernizing our operations throughout the state,” said Assunta Scarpitti, Administrator, New Castle County Housing Authority. “It streamlines processes for landlords, making it easier to become a vendor, submit a RFTA, and access consistent policies across all participating agencies. This innovation not only simplifies the experience for our partners but also strengthens our ability to provide safe, stable housing for families who need it most.”

“By enabling digital submission for the Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA), we’re making housing more accessible, streamlined, and efficient for Delaware’s landlords and tenants alike, supporting stable homes and stronger communities across the state,” said Elana Davis, Director of the DSHA PHA.