What Is the RFTA Packet — and Who Fills Out Which Part?

An RFTA approves a tenancy, not a landlord

The Request for Tenancy Approval asks CMHA to approve one household, in one unit, at one rent. It is not a landlord application, and there is no landlord application: CMHA's leasing page says "Please note that CMHA does not have a pre-approval process for landlords or units," and its HCV Administrative Plan agrees that "[t]he PHA does not formally approve an owner to participate in the HCV program." Nobody is approved as a Section 8 landlord in Cuyahoga County. A tenancy is.

It is step 4 of the seven CMHA publishes, and steps 5 through 7 — rent offer, inspection, HAP contract and lease — do not exist until the packet lands.

None of it is compulsory, either. In the City of Cleveland source of income is not a protected class — the City's Office of Fair Housing lists 13 classes, none income-related — so an owner there may lawfully decline a voucher.

The packet comes from the tenant, not from CMHA

Owners go looking for the RFTA on cmha.net and cannot find it. That is by design. CMHA's step 4 reads: "Submit Request for Tenancy Approval Packet (RFTA) provided to you by HCV Family." The household receives the packet with its voucher and hands it to you.

CMHA's landlord Forms & Documents library holds 16 items — the Automatic Deposit Form, the Agent/Payee Form, the Inspection Checklist, the 2026 HAP Payment Calendar — but no blank RFTA and no blank HAP contract. Those are standard HUD forms, issued inside the tenant's voucher packet and downloadable from HUD.gov:

What is actually inside: nine documents

CMHA's Landlord Participation Guide lists the packet as nine items, and reproduces the HUD-52646 voucher form (07/2019 edition) plus sample RFTA, HAP and Tenancy Addendum forms as appendices — so you can read them before one reaches you.

• Request for Tenancy Approval — the request itself, HUD-52517
• HUD Tenancy Addendum — HUD-52641-A. CMHA's owner materials describe landlords using their own lease, with tenant obligations defined in the Lease Addendum: your lease and the addendum
• Landlord Fraud Letter
• Landlord Certification
• Drug-Free Housing Lease Addendum
• Lead-based Paint Disclosure
• Direct Deposit Form (if applicable) — not really optional: "All owners are required to go on direct deposit to receive HAP payments"
• W-9 (new vendors only) — CMHA "will not execute the HAP contract until the owner has submitted IRS form W-9"
• Agent Form (if applicable) — where a managing agent is named

Who fills out which part

The household. It brings the packet and it holds the voucher. CMHA's guide tells owners to read that voucher first — the unit size it authorizes, and the expiration date, described there as 180 days from the issue date — because the RFTA and proposed lease must be submitted no later than that date. One limit belongs to this side alone: "The family may not submit, and the PHA will not process, more than one (1) RTA at a time."

The owner. You sign, you may file, and you supply the owner-side attachments: the W-9 if you are a new vendor, the direct deposit authorization, the agent form if someone manages for you. You also supply the proposed lease, which CMHA reads the RFTA against; the guide states the initial term must be at least one year, with the HAP contract running concurrently. In 17 named suburbs a Certificate of Occupancy and/or Rental Registration must be collected with the RFTA: Bedford, Bedford Heights, Brook Park, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Lyndhurst, Maple Heights, Parma, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, University Heights and Warrensville Heights. Since October 1, 2025, CMHA also verifies active City of Cleveland rental registrations through the City's Citizen Access Portal.

One thing the packet is not: a screening report. "It is the landlord's responsibility to screen prospective HCV tenants just as you would any other tenant."

CMHA. It verifies ownership through the County Auditor's website and confirms the unit is not in foreclosure and is current on property taxes. It reviews the RFTA for completeness and consistency with the proposed lease, makes the rent reasonableness determination after that review, then schedules the inspection and issues the HAP contract.

The signatures CMHA states in writing

Two are explicit in CMHA policy. First, the RFTA "must be signed by both the family and the owner," and "[t]he owner may submit the RTA on behalf of the family." That second clause is the one owners miss: file it yourself and you — not the applicant — decide whether it goes in complete.

Second, the W-9: CMHA "will not execute the HAP contract until the owner has submitted IRS form W-9," so an unsigned tax form at the front becomes a stalled contract at the end.

Completeness beats speed: CMHA will not accept missing information or corrections by phone, so deficiencies must be fixed in writing. Packets go by email to rfta@cmha.net or through the kiosks in CMHA's Main Campus lobby at 8120 Kinsman Road: how to submit an RFTA.

What submitting the packet sets in motion

Effective January 1, 2026, submitting an RFTA triggers a requirement that the owner or designated managing agent complete CMHA's Virtual Landlord Orientation — once every 24 months, and before CMHA can execute a HAP contract for a new tenancy. It is a live virtual session of roughly 90 minutes, booked through Eventbrite, attendance verified by CMHA. Existing HAP contracts and current HAP payments are not affected.

We have completed CMHA's orientation. Name us as managing agent and that trigger is satisfied the day the packet goes in: what changed January 1, 2026.

Two published clocks also start from the packet. Neither is an average — CMHA publishes no turnaround statistics, only policy targets:

What we charge to run it for you

We work Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, under CMHA, and we have already completed the orientation an RFTA submission triggers.

• 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 inside 24 hours. Nothing starts without your approval

The short version

Nine documents, two stated signatures, one household's shot at one unit. The tenant brings it, the owner may file it, CMHA will not fix it by phone. Call (440) 444-4737, or read Section 8 Stress Free.

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.