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The information below explains how to apply for a transfer, who is eligible, and the process that the BHA uses to make decisions about transfers. Please read this Information before completing a Transfer Request Form. Development managers and staff will be happy to assist all residents who wish to apply for a transfer. A printed copy of this guide is available in management offices.
Who May apply for a Transfer?
As a resident of the BHA, you may apply for a transfer. However, only residents who meet the eligibility criteria will be approved.
Eligibility for Transfers
Except in certain very serious situations residents must meet certain eligibility requirements including:
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Must be a resident of BHA for at least one year
- Must be current in all rent payments
- Must be a "tenant in good standing"- that is, if eviction actions are pending against you, you are not eligible for a transfer
.
In certain very serious situations or where necessary as a reasonable accommodation for a disabled resident, one or more of these requirements can be waived.
Transfer Review Committee (TRC)
The Transfer Review Committee (TRC) makes all decisions regarding transfers. This is a committee of BHA staff who review each application for a transfer. This committee determines eligibility as described above, and determines whether or not the resident’s reason for wanting a transfer falls into one of the allowed reasons for transfers as described below.
Tenant Requested Transfers – Reasons
You may request a transfer for a variety of reasons. These reasons usually fall into the following categories:
CIVIL RIGHTS REASONS
A BHA tenant who is the victim of physical harassment, extreme or repeated vandalism
to personal property or extreme or repeated verbal harassment, threats, intimidation, or coercion, which is bias motivated and which can not be remedied in other ways, may qualify for a transfer.
MEDICAL REASONS
A resident who has a serious physical or mental illness or impairment, which may or may not be life-threatening, which is expected to be of long duration and is either severely aggravated by his/her present housing or could be substantially improved by moving to another apartment, may qualify for a transfer.
If you are applying for a reasonable accommodation or transfer for asthma related reasons, click here to access the asthma form.
For information about how to apply for a Reasonable Accommodation and access the related forms, click here .
MAINTENANCE
If a unit becomes unsafe or unhealthy due to maintenance conditions that cannot be readily repaired by the Housing Authority, or cannot be repaired while the unit is occupied, the resident may qualify for a transfer.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
If a resident is disabled, and needs different housing features to accommodate the particular disability they have (such as needing a wheel chair accessible unit) the resident may qualify for a transfer.
SAFETY & SECURITY
If a resident is being threatened in some way, including domestic violence or as a result of retaliation because he or she was a witness to a crime, the resident may qualify for a transfer.
OVER- AND UNDER- HOUSING
If a resident is living in an apartment with an inappropriate number of bedrooms for the household size, the resident may qualify for an under or over housed transfer. For instance, if there is only one individual on the lease and he/she lives in a three bedroom apartment, that resident is over-housed. If there are five family members on the lease, and the apartment contains two bedrooms, that family is under-housed. Over-housed residents are required to transfer. Under very limited and unusual circumstances, residents may apply for a waiver to continue to live in a unit of the inappropriate bedroom size.
Families who are over- or under-housed may choose to move within their current development ("on-site") or may choose to go on the “city-wide” waiting list to be offered an appropriate unit anywhere in the city. Over- and under-housed transfers are made only when the occupancy rate of the housing authority is relatively high in the case of the city-wide list, or when the development's occupancy rate is high in the case of the on-site list. Because of this, not many under or over housed transfers are currently taking place.
Management Requested – Administrative Transfers
Managers will sometimes request transfers for residents for some of the reasons above, especially for over/under housing and maintenance reasons, but usually they request Administrative Transfers. Administrative transfers are restricted to moving residents during a development renovation project. Occasionally we will request that a resident in a specially-adapted unit who does not need the adaptations move to a standard apartment, if another resident or applicant needs the specially-adapted features of that apartment.
Levels of Transfers – Emergency or Substantial Cause
Transfers will be approved for residents who can show evidence of need based on the reasons provided above. A determination will also be made as to the level of transfer for which the resident qualifies. For all but over/under housed and administrative transfers, the transfers will be defined as either:
- An Emergency Transfer or
- A Substantial Cause Transfer
The determination of which level the transfer is assigned will depend on the seriousness of the situation. Emergency Transfers are moved as quickly as possible; all other transfers may wait for some time before actually moving due to long waiting lists.
City Wide and On-Site Waiting Lists
The BHA uses a City-Wide Waiting List for Family Developments and Site Based Waiting Lists for Elderly/Disabled Developments. There are some exceptions to this rule as noted below:
Family Developments - Exceptions to city-wide assignments are made for:
- Over/under housed residents who choose an on-site assignment
- Families who establish good cause to move to a particular neighborhood.
Elderly/Disabled Developments – Residents who require emergency transfers are placed on the waiting list of the development of the residents choice.
Good Cause
Good Cause refers to the need to move to a particular area of the city due to proximity to medical services or other needs. In accordance with the BHA's Tenant Selection and Assignment Plan, good cause is defined as follows:
"Clear evidence that acceptance of a given offer will result in unusual or undue hardship or handicap (for example, inaccessibility to special education facilities needed by the applicant's children, or, in the case of an elderly or handicapped person, inaccessibility to friends, relatives or institutions that provide necessary living assistance; or physical inaccessibility to the unit due to severe medical problems."
Good cause must be documented fully. Documenting good cause can occur as part of your transfer application or after you are offered a unit and refuse it. The Authority looks very carefully at good cause requests and the TRC may agree to a transfer but may not agree to good cause status.
Filling out the Form
You may fill out the transfer request form yourself, or you may sit down with the Manager or other staff who can help you fill it out. We strongly encourage you to work closely with the manager or their staff on your request.
When you fill out the "reason for request" section, please be as clear and complete as possible. If you don't have enough room, attach another page. The clearer and more complete you are, the easier it is for the BHA to process your application. Be sure to complete all sections thoroughly, completely and truthfully. Your writing on the request must be legible or action on your transfer will be delayed. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to fill out this form, you should tell your Housing Manager what assistance you need and he/she will provide it to the extent it is reasonable and necessary.
Providing Documentation
It is very important that all documentation be attached to the transfer application. The following kinds of documents may be necessary:
- Letter from a doctor, licensed practitioner, or other qualified and appropriate professional describing your health problem and what specific housing conditions are required to alleviate it
- For reasonable accommodation requests, your documentation must indicate that you or a member of your family is disabled under the definitions of the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a description of the accommodation being requested. For the purpose of determining whether civil rights protections apply, a person is an “individual with a disability” if he or she has, or has a record of having, or is regarded as having a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. There are three necessary elements to this definition: 1) a physical or mental impairment, 2) which substantially limits, 3) one or more of the person’s major life activities. All three elements must be present. However, a person is not an “individual with a disability” if they are a current illegal user of or is addicted to a controlled substance (illegal drugs which have not been prescribed by a medical provider).
- Police reports
- Civil Rights Incident Reports
- Copies of restraining orders
- Information on maintenance conditions
- Documentation to show “good cause” to move to a certain part of the city.
- Any other documentation which provides the BHA with evidence that the request for a transfer is based on fact.
Generally, you need to provide this documentation. In some cases, such as maintenance conditions, the manager will provide the documentation.
The Transfer Process
1, THE MANAGER SUBMITS COMPLETED TRANSFER REQUEST FORM TO OCCUPANCY
Once you have filled out the form, the manager will provide you with one copy of the form for your records. The manager will attach all documentation to the request and submit the transfer request with the documentation and a transmittal form to the Occupancy Department. The transmittal form includes certain other information, such as the status of rent payments and transfer history information. Managers are required to submit the transfer request within twenty-four hours of receiving it.
2. TRANSFER PROCESS COORDINATOR LOG IN/REFERRAL IF REQUIRED
The Occupancy Department's Transfer Process Coordinator will log in the transfer request and check to make sure that it is complete and that all necessary documentation is attached. In certain cases, the Transfer Coordinator will refer the request to the Civil Rights or the Public Safety Department and request that an investigation be performed to obtain more information. These investigations usually take from 14 to 28 days to complete.
The Coordinator may also return the request to the Manager for more information.
3. TRANSFER REVIEW COMMITTEE REVIEWS AND MAKES A DETERMINATION
Within seven days of the completion of the application and any needed investigation, the request is reviewed by the Transfer Review Committee (TRC). The committee may mark the case as "pending" and request further information.
Once the TRC is satisfied that all information has been submitted, they will approve or deny the application. If they approve it, the TRC will also determine the level of need (emergency or substantial cause). You should reasonably expect to hear back from the Authority in about six weeks. If you do not, call the Transfer Coordinator at 988-4545.
What if your situation Changes while you are waiting for a decision?
You should immediately contact the Transfer Process Coordinator if your situation changes after you have submitted your request but before you have received a response, or if you have been approved but have not yet moved. Be sure to contact the Coordinator if your medical condition worsens or improves. If you are the victim of additional incidents in the case of domestic violence, civil rights problems, or other threatening situations contact the police as well as the Civil Rights Department (if appropriate) and the Transfer Process Coordinator. If your family composition changes you should need to tell both the Transfer Coordinator and your Manager.
What happens if you are approved?
Once you are approved for a transfer, you will receive a letter stating the approval and level of transfer you are approved for and be placed on a waiting list. Emergency transfers receive the highest priority for moving and will be offered the next available unit appropriate to the family size. Administrative transfers receive second priority. The timing of under/over housed transfers depends on the overall occupancy rate of the BHA or your development if the request was for an on-site transfer. Substantial cause transfers have a lower priority, and residents may wait some time for a transfer to actually take place.
Approved transfer applicants for the Family Program will be offered the next appropriate available unit anywhere in the City. For apartments in the Elderly/Disabled Housing Program, you will be offered an apartment in one of the developments you selected at the time you made out your request for a transfer, if you are a substantial cause transfer or showed good cause for where you need to live.
You will be given a period of five business days starting from the date you are offered the apartment to accept or refuse the offer.
What happens if you refuse the unit offered?
You may only refuse an offer of an apartment if you have Good Cause. See information on Good Cause above.
In the event that you refuse a unit without good cause, or the Housing Authority deems that the documentation provided does not constitute good cause, you will be dropped to the bottom of the waiting list and lose any emergency status for a period of six months. You will be informed of your right to appeal any negative decision.
What happens if you are denied?
If you are denied a transfer, you will receive a letter stating that and the reasons for the denial. You may appeal the denial, and the letter you receive will provide information on how to request an appeal of the decision.
Questions?
If you have questions, start by asking your manager. If they are unable to answer the questions, contact the Transfer Process Coordinator at 617-988-4545. TDD 1-800-545-1833 x 420.
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