A termination notice is scary, but it is not the end. Federal rules give you the right to ask for an informal hearing before your housing assistance payments stop. The deadline is short, so start with the date.
Updated October 2026
When a housing authority (PHA) wants to end your assistance because of something your family did or did not do, it must send you prompt written notice. The notice must give a brief statement of reasons, say that you may ask for an informal hearing if you disagree, and state the deadline for asking (24 CFR 982.555(c)). Your PHA sets that deadline, and it can be short.
Even if the notice says you can call, put your request in writing and keep a copy. Say which notice you are answering (by its date), say that you disagree, and ask for an informal hearing. Then send it in a way you can prove: hand it in and have your copy stamped with the date, or use certified mail with a return receipt.
A fill-in letter, with the other letters and checklists families need, is in the Keep Your Voucher Kit.
Could you lose your voucher or your home? The Keep Your Voucher Kit is a plain guide to the moments a family is at risk, plus fill-in sample letters. $12, one time. General information, not legal advice.
Before the hearing you may examine, and copy at your own expense, the PHA documents that are directly relevant to the hearing. If the PHA does not make a document available when you ask, it may not rely on that document at the hearing (24 CFR 982.555(e)(2)).
When a PHA ends assistance because of what the family did or did not do, or because the family was away from the unit too long, it must give you the chance for an informal hearing before it stops the payments under your current contract (24 CFR 982.555(a)(2)).
Examples include breaking a family obligation such as not giving required information or not letting inspectors in, an unreported household member or income, owing money to a PHA, fraud, being evicted for a serious lease violation, and certain criminal activity (24 CFR 982.552 and 982.553). A PHA can act on a "more likely than not" finding about criminal activity even without an arrest or conviction. If it relies on a criminal record, it must give you a copy and a chance to dispute whether the record is accurate and relevant.
In deciding what to do, a PHA may consider all the circumstances: how serious the case is, who was responsible, hardship to family members who did nothing wrong, and mitigating circumstances related to a disability. If your family includes a person with a disability, the decision is subject to reasonable accommodation rules (24 CFR 982.552(c)(2)).
A PHA does not have to offer a hearing for some decisions, including refusing to extend a voucher, refusing to approve a unit, or finding that a unit fails inspection (24 CFR 982.555(b)). Ask for those things in writing anyway, and keep a copy.
Free legal aid may be able to help you prepare. Find it at lsc.gov (find legal aid) or dial 2-1-1. Call as soon as you get the notice, not the night before the hearing.