Portability: Moving outside of the state

First, check what type of voucher you have. This guide applies to Section 8 tenant-based voucher holders; the voucher will say “Housing Choice Voucher” on it. If the family has a different voucher such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) or Continuum of Care Program, you are not eligible to move outside of the state with your voucher. In those cases you can withdraw from the program. See our voluntary termination steps here.

Step 1 – Are you eligible?

If you are considering porting out of our jurisdiction, you need to first check if you meet the eligibility requirements to move. The requirements are:

• Not be in the first year of your lease
• Not be pending termination from our agency for any reason
• Be in good standing in terms of payments with the owner and
• Not in a repayment agreement with our agency (if you do have a repayment agreement, you will need to pay off the complete amount before you will be considered for porting out)
• Provide proper notice from either to both the owner and Metro Housing|Boston:
  • One full calendar month before the termination date or in accordance with the lease.
  • Or through a Mutual Termination Agreement at an agreed time frame between you and the current property owner).
  • http://www.metrohousingboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Mutual-Termination-Agreement1.pdf

If you meet all of the requirements above, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2 Identify the state/area you are moving to

If you have identified the area, you will need to fill out the two request forms below:

• Request to move out of state: https://www.metrohousingboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Request-to-Move-out-of-State-01.03.19.pdf
• Port and transfer information: https://www.metrohousingboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-Port-and-Transfer-Info.pdf

Forms should be sent to [e-mail]. They will remain your contact throughout the portability process. 

Please do not supply these documents if you have not properly broken your lease or met the eligibility requirements.  We will not process them until you have been approved to relocate.

Step 3 File transfer and processing

It will take a minimum of 3 weeks to transfer your file to the new housing agency in the identified area.