Why Your RFTA Is Stuck: The Six Things That Stall a CMHA Approval

The clocks CMHA publishes — and the one it doesn't

You emailed the packet to rfta@cmha.net and heard nothing. CMHA's two main clocks are written so they don't start when you hit send.

Those are policy targets, not performance data — most from CMHA's FY2025 Administrative Plan, effective January 1, 2025. CMHA publishes no actual turnaround statistics. And Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority at cmhanet.com shares the initials: a different agency, whose programs and standards don't apply in Cuyahoga County.

Stall 1: the packet is incomplete, and CMHA won't fix it by phone

CMHA names this one itself. Its Administrative Plan says CMHA reviews the RFTA for completeness and consistency with the proposed lease and will not accept missing information or corrections by phone — corrections must come in writing, a common source of delay.

Reread the clock: ten business days of receiving all required information — an incomplete packet doesn't start a slow clock, it starts no clock. The RFTA "must be signed by both the family and the owner," but "[t]he owner may submit the RTA on behalf of the family." File it yourself. CMHA's undated Landlord Participation Guide lists the contents:

• Request for Tenancy Approval
• HUD Tenancy Addendum
• Landlord Fraud Letter
• Landlord Certification
• Drug-Free Housing Lease Addendum
• Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
• Direct Deposit Form (if applicable)
• W-9 (new vendors only)
• Agent Form (if applicable)

Stall 2: the rent isn't settled

CMHA runs rent reasonableness after the RFTA is submitted and reviewed, and under 24 CFR 982.507(a) may not approve a lease until it finds the initial rent to owner reasonable — the one carve-out being certain LIHTC- and HOME-assisted units under 982.507(c). No turnaround is published for it.

Three things reopen the number: it is tested on gross rent (rent plus tenant-paid utilities or the utility allowance); on an initial contract, where gross rent exceeds the payment standard, the tenant's portion may be no more than 40% of the family's monthly adjusted income (24 CFR 982.305(a)(5)), and above that CMHA negotiates a lower rent; and a unit larger than the voucher size is paid at the standard for the smaller size. See Rent Reasonableness.

Stall 3: your municipality's paperwork isn't in the file

CMHA must collect a Certificate of Occupancy and/or Rental Registration with the RFTA in 17 named suburbs: 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.

In the city itself the check is automatic: "Effective October 1, 2025, CMHA will verify active City of Cleveland rental registrations through the City's Citizen Access Portal for units located in Cleveland." A lapse stalls the file and nobody phones to say so. Residents First also requires registration and fees, a local agent in charge, current taxes or a payment plan, and lead-safe certification — valid two years — before a Certificate Approving Rental Occupancy issues.

Stall 4: ownership, taxes or a foreclosure flag

Per CMHA's Landlord Participation Guide, CMHA then verifies ownership through the County Auditor's website and confirms the unit isn't in foreclosure and is current on property taxes. Nothing there involves you, which is why it goes quiet. If title still shows a prior owner or an entity that doesn't match your RFTA — or the tax record is behind — the review parks there and no one calls. Check your own parcel first.

Stall 5: the inspection hasn't happened, or the unit failed

CMHA policy is to inspect, decide and notify "within 15 days of submission of the Request for Tenancy Approval," with the clock suspended for any period the unit is not available for inspection. That suspension is the most common self-inflicted delay — usually a lockbox or a phone number nobody answers.

Fail, and it's rescheduled within 7–10 days; "[w]hen a unit fails an initial inspection the second time, the HCVP applicant/participant is provided with written notice to find another unit." After corrections CMHA reinspects "within five business days of the date the owner notifies the PHA" — your notice is the trigger. Under 24 CFR 982.405(i) photographic evidence may be accepted instead of a second visit.

One clock is far shorter: on a pre-1978 unit cited for defective paint where a child under six will reside, the owner has 10 days to produce a passed lead clearance test and proof a certified lead abatement contractor did the work. CMHA publishes no expedited or self-certification option. See The CMHA Move-In Inspection.

Stall 6: orientation and the W-9

Everything above can pass and the contract still won't execute. 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 — before CMHA can execute a HAP contract for a new tenancy. It is a live 90-minute virtual session booked through Eventbrite; CMHA verifies attendance, so register under the name and email it already writes to. See CMHA's Mandatory Landlord Orientation.

The second gate is smaller: CMHA "will not execute the HAP contract until the owner has submitted IRS form W-9," and direct deposit is mandatory. Then the deadline that turns a slow file into a lost one: the contract "must be executed no later than 60 calendar days from the beginning of the lease term," and one executed after that period is void.

Two stalls that aren't yours to fix

CMHA limits a family to one live request: "The family may not submit, and the PHA will not process, more than one (1) RTA at a time." If your applicant filed on another unit first and never withdrew it, your packet isn't queued — it isn't being processed. Ask. And their voucher is expiring meanwhile: CMHA's guide describes it as 180 days from the issue date, with the RFTA due by then.

What to do this week

1. Send corrections in writing to rfta@cmha.net — phone fixes aren't accepted
2. Make the unit available for inspection; confirm the packet's phone number reaches a person
3. Attach the occupancy certificate or rental registration; confirm a Cleveland registration is active
4. Check the County Auditor record: owner name, foreclosure, taxes
5. Book the orientation, send the W-9, photograph repairs when you report them

Where we come in

We work Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County under CMHA, and we have completed CMHA's Virtual Landlord Orientation — the rule names the owner or designated managing agent, so with us there that gate is already closed.

• 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
• 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.