CMHA's Mandatory Landlord Orientation: What Changed January 1, 2026

Since January 1, 2026, CMHA requires the property owner or designated managing agent to complete its Virtual Landlord Orientation — once every 24 months — before CMHA can execute a HAP contract for a new tenancy. Submitting an RFTA triggers the requirement. The live virtual session runs about 90 minutes and is booked through Eventbrite.

What changed on January 1, 2026

Effective January 1, 2026, submitting a Request for Tenancy Approval triggers a requirement that the property owner or designated managing agent complete CMHA's Virtual Landlord Orientation — once every 24 months — before CMHA can execute a HAP contract for a new tenancy. CMHA's wording is narrower than "every landlord": it reaches owners and agents who have not completed a CMHA landlord training within the prior 24 months.

It is now step 2 of the seven-step path CMHA publishes for HCVP landlords — after advertising the unit, ahead of screening, the RFTA and the inspection. What did not change, in CMHA's words: "Existing HAP contracts and current HAP payments are not affected." A voucher tenant already in place, with no new tenancy starting, is untouched.

An orientation, not an approval

"Mandatory orientation" reads like licensing. It is not. CMHA states that "CMHA does not have a pre-approval process for landlords or units," and its Landlord FAQ says "No application process is required." The Administrative Plan agrees: "The PHA does not formally approve an owner to participate in the HCV program" — though CMHA may still deny a specific tenancy over past owner behavior, and must refuse to approve a unit where the owner is a close relative of a household member, under 24 CFR 982.306 (paragraphs (c) and (d)). Paragraph (e) of that same section says something narrower: no owner has a right to participate in the program at all.

The orientation gates one event: execution of a HAP contract on a new tenancy. It does not register you, certify your building, or add you to a list — see Do You Need CMHA Approval? Nor does it oblige you to take a voucher: in the City of Cleveland source of income is not a protected class, so an owner there may lawfully decline. CMHA's territory is the whole county, though, and five municipalities inside it do have source-of-income ordinances — Cleveland Heights, Linndale, South Euclid, University Heights, and Warrensville Heights — with the Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, and University Heights laws naming Housing Choice Vouchers specifically (Signal Cleveland, August 2024). If your unit sits in one of those, check the local ordinance before you decline anyone.

Who has to take it

Match your situation to what CMHA published:

CMHA's language names people, not parcels — the owner or the designated managing agent. If the deed sits in an LLC or is co-owned, settle in advance whose name registers
CMHA's published landlord outreach contact is Aleksandra Tyler, Mobility & Landlord Outreach Coordinator, 216.271.2599 or tylera@cmha.net

Your situation	What CMHA's rule means
Self-managing, new voucher tenancy starting	You complete it before CMHA can execute the HAP contract
A managing agent runs the property	CMHA names "the property owner or designated managing agent"
CMHA landlord training done in the last 24 months	Already satisfied — it repeats every 24 months
Sitting voucher tenant, no new tenancy	"Existing HAP contracts and current HAP payments are not affected"
RFTA packet already filed	Submission of the RFTA is what triggers the requirement

How often it repeats, and how long it runs

Once every 24 months — a look-back, not a calendar anniversary. The requirement applies to owners and agents who have not completed a CMHA landlord training within the prior 24 months.

The session is live, virtual, and about 90 minutes (1.5 hours), scheduled and registered through Eventbrite, and CMHA verifies attendance before the HAP contract is executed. Which is why one small instruction carries real weight: CMHA asks landlords to register using the same name and email address used for CMHA correspondence. Register from an assistant's inbox or an entity alias CMHA has never written to, and the attendance record may not land in the file CMHA checks.

What happens to your HAP contract if you skip it

Nothing dramatic happens the day you skip it — no fine, no removal from a list, because there is no list. What happens is that a contract does not get signed.

CMHA cannot execute the HAP contract until the orientation is complete and attendance verified, and nothing is payable before execution. Execution then sits under an outer limit: the contract "must be executed no later than 60 calendar days from the beginning of the lease term." Signed inside that window it still covers the term already run, up to 60 days. Past it — "Any HAP contract executed after the 60-day period is void." That is not a penalty. It is a lease that has started, a household in your unit, and a subsidy that can no longer attach.

Must be true before CMHA executes	CMHA's published rule
Orientation complete	Owner or designated managing agent, within the prior 24 months; attendance verified
W-9 submitted	CMHA "will not execute the HAP contract until the owner has submitted IRS form W-9"
Inside the 60-day window	"No later than 60 calendar days from the beginning of the lease term"; after that, void

Two things that make the delay worse

Do not hand over keys early to bridge the gap: CMHA warns that if the owner lets the tenant move in before the unit passes and the contract is executed, "the tenant will be responsible for the full amount of the rent." And HAP runs on a fixed calendar — the 3rd and the 16th — so a week of slippage is rarely a week; it is a payment run. What Is a HAP Contract.

Take it before the RFTA, not after

CMHA lists orientation as step 2 and the RFTA as step 4, while the training page describes RFTA submission as the trigger. Either way: it is the only item on the list you can finish before you have a tenant, an inspection date or a rent offer.

Once the RFTA is in — by email to rfta@cmha.net or at the kiosks in CMHA's Main Campus lobby — the clocks start: the tenancy determination "within 10 business days of receiving all required information," and the inspection, decision and notice "within 15 days of submission of the Request for Tenancy Approval." That 15-day clock is not absolute: the Administrative Plan suspends it for any period during which the unit is not available for inspection. The voucher is expiring throughout — CMHA's Landlord Participation Guide describes it as 180 days from the issue date, the deadline for the RFTA and proposed lease. A session you have not booked is a poor thing to leave between all that and a signature. See How to Submit an RFTA to CMHA.

We have already completed it

We work Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County under CMHA, and we have completed CMHA's Virtual Landlord Orientation. The rule names "the property owner or designated managing agent" — so with us as your agent, that step is handled the day your RFTA is filed. What it costs:

Tenant placement — one month's rent, charged only after the tenant is placed. No placement, no fee
Inspection attendance with a written report — $100. Attend yourself instead and pay nothing
Ongoing management — 5% of monthly rent, only while the unit is rented
Repair estimates — free, itemized, back within 24 hours. Nothing starts without your approval

The short version

One 90-minute virtual session, every 24 months, for the owner or designated managing agent, verified before a new HAP contract can be executed. Call (440) 444-4737, or read Section 8 Stress Free.

Tell us about your property

Send your details and our leasing team will call you back. We work across Greater Cleveland (Cuyahoga County, under CMHA).

Frequently asked questions

Who has to complete CMHA's Mandatory Landlord Orientation?

The property owner or the designated managing agent — specifically, whoever has not completed a CMHA landlord training within the prior 24 months. Submitting an RFTA packet triggers it, and it applies to new tenancies. An owner with an existing HAP contract and no new tenancy is not pulled in: CMHA states existing contracts and current payments are not affected.

How often do I have to retake the CMHA landlord orientation?

Once every 24 months. CMHA frames it as a look-back: the requirement applies to landlords or agents who have not completed a CMHA landlord training within the prior 24 months. Sit one inside that window and you are covered until it lapses — after which the next RFTA you submit triggers it again.

How long is the session, and where do I sign up?

A live virtual session of about 90 minutes, scheduled and registered through Eventbrite. CMHA verifies attendance before executing the HAP contract, and asks landlords to register using the same name and email address they use for CMHA correspondence — a mismatch is the most avoidable way to have attendance miss your file.

What happens to my HAP contract if I skip the orientation?

CMHA cannot execute a HAP contract for a new tenancy until the orientation is complete and attendance verified, and nothing is payable before execution. Execution carries its own outer limit: no later than 60 calendar days from the beginning of the lease term, and CMHA states any contract executed after that period is void.

Can my property manager take it instead of me?

CMHA's wording is "the property owner or designated managing agent," so an agent is named alongside the owner. We have completed CMHA's Virtual Landlord Orientation. If title sits in an LLC or is shared, settle in advance whose name and email CMHA has on file, because attendance is matched against it.

Sources

This article is general information for property owners in the Cleveland area, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules set by CMHA, HUD, the State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County and individual municipalities change, and individual situations vary — check the sources cited above or consult a qualified attorney or accountant before acting. Rent Finder Cleveland is an equal housing opportunity provider and does business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act.