HUD Section 202 Senior Apartments: Who Qualifies and How to Get In

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Section 202 is HUD's housing program built specifically for older adults with low incomes. Nonprofits own the buildings, HUD pays part of the rent, and many properties have a service coordinator who helps residents find support. The catch is that you don't apply to HUD. You apply to each building, one waiting list at a time. Here's how it works and how to improve your odds.

AT A GLANCE

Age: at least one household member must be 62 or older when you move in.
Income: the household must be very low income, meaning under 50% of the area median income (AMI).
Rent: usually about 30% of your adjusted income. A federal rental assistance contract covers the rest of the building's costs.
Where to apply: directly with each property's owner or manager. HUD doesn't handle leasing.
Find buildings: use the HUD Resource Locator's "Find Affordable Elderly and Special Needs Housing" option.

What Section 202 housing is

HUD describes Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly as a way to "expand the supply of affordable housing with supportive services for the elderly." HUD gives nonprofit sponsors a capital advance to build, buy or rehab apartment buildings for very low-income people 62 and older. Each property also gets a renewable Project Rental Assistance Contract (PRAC). The PRAC covers reasonable operating costs beyond what tenants pay.

A few features set these buildings apart from ordinary subsidized housing:

Small units. Federal rules (24 CFR 891.210) limit resident units to efficiencies and one-bedrooms. Two-bedrooms are allowed only in certain cases, such as when part of the project has other financing.
Service coordination. HUD says properties usually have a service coordinator who connects residents with community services such as cleaning, cooking and transportation. Owners can use up to $15 per unit per month for supportive services.
Independent living, not a nursing home. The rules bar infirmaries, nursing stations and spaces for overnight care in these projects.
Owned by nonprofits. The owner must be a private nonprofit or a public body's instrumentality whose purposes include the welfare of the elderly.

Who qualifies

Requirement	Rule	Source
Age	At least one member is 62+ at the time of initial occupancy	24 CFR 891.205; HUD program page
Income	Very low income: under 50% of AMI for your household size and the property's area	24 CFR 891.410(c); HUD program page
Social Security numbers	Meet HUD's SSN disclosure and verification rules	24 CFR 891.410(c)
Consent forms	Sign consent for the owner to get state wage and claim data	24 CFR 891.410(c)
Project rules	Meet any extra HUD-approved occupancy requirements for that building	24 CFR 891.410(c)

Your spouse or other household members don't all have to be 62. The definition looks at whether at least one person is. Because the income test uses the area median income where the building is located, the same income can qualify in one county and not in the next. HUD posts 50% AMI figures for every area on its income limits site.

Some buildings may also set additional HUD-approved requirements. For example, HUD defines "frail elderly" as someone unable to perform at least three activities of daily living, such as eating, bathing, grooming, dressing or home management. Owners can set extra eligibility standards based on local supportive services programs.

What you'll pay

HUD says residents are typically charged 30% of their adjusted income for rent. Adjusted income is your household's annual income minus HUD's deductions under 24 CFR 5.611. For an elderly or disabled family, these include:

a set deduction for any elderly or disabled family, which HUD adjusts for inflation each year
unreimbursed health and medical care expenses, to the extent they exceed 10% of annual income
a deduction for each dependent

Our own simplified example: if your adjusted income comes to $1,000 a month, your rent would be around $300. Utility allowances and the property's own figures can change the exact amount. Your income and household are reviewed at least every 12 months, and the rent is adjusted to match.

At move-in, the owner collects a security deposit equal to one month's tenant rent or $50, whichever is greater, and may let you pay it in installments. The deposit sits in a separate interest-bearing account. After you move out and give a forwarding address, the owner has 30 days (or less if state law says so) to refund it or give you an itemized list of what's owed.

How to apply

GETTING ONTO SECTION 202 WAITING LISTS

Look up the 50% AMI limit for your county and household size on HUD's income limits page to confirm you're likely eligible.
Search the HUD Resource Locator (resources.hud.gov) and choose "Find Affordable Elderly and Special Needs Housing." Make a list of every property you'd consider living in.
Call or visit each property's management office. Ask whether the waiting list is open, how long it is, and whether the building has any extra occupancy requirements.
Fill out each property's application. You and the owner both sign it, and you'll certify your eligibility, provide Social Security numbers and sign consent forms.
Keep a copy, write down the date you applied, and update every property right away if your phone number or mailing address changes.
Apply at several buildings. Being on more lists improves your chances of getting an offer sooner.

How waiting lists work

Each owner must keep a written, chronological waiting list showing each applicant's name and application date. If you're eligible and a suitable unit is open, the owner assigns you one. If no unit is open, you go on that property's list and the owner notifies you when one may become available.

If a list is so long that a new applicant probably wouldn't get in within the next 12 months, the owner can stop taking applications for that reason. A closed list at one building doesn't mean they're all closed.

If you're turned down

The owner must tell you in writing why you were rejected and explain your right to request a meeting to review the decision. That review can't be done by the staff member who made the original decision. You also keep any rights under federal, state or local civil rights laws if you believe you were rejected for discriminatory reasons. Owners must select tenants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, familial status or disability.

If you are interested in applying to live at a 202 property, you should contact the property owner or manager directly. HUD does not manage the leasing of 202 properties. (HUD Multifamily Programs)

Your rights once you live there

Topic	What the rules say
Lease length	At least one year. If you don't sign a new one, it renews month to month automatically
Leaving	Leases may let you end them with 30 days' notice. Leases longer than a year must include this option
Pets	Owners of housing for the elderly can't ban common household pets or deny you housing for having one (24 CFR 5.309), but reasonable pet rules may apply
Assistance animals	Pet rules can't be used against animals needed as a reasonable accommodation for a disability (24 CFR 5.303)
Rising income	You keep your lease even if your rent share grows to cover the full gross rent. Assistance can restart if your income falls again
Ending tenancy	HUD's termination rules in 24 CFR part 247 apply to evictions and lease changes

You also have obligations. Pay rent directly to the owner, provide requested income documents, allow inspections with reasonable notice, tell the owner before you move out, and live in the unit as your main home. You can't receive another federal housing subsidy for a second unit at the same time.

Section 202 vs. other options

Section 202 isn't the only option for older renters. Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) let you rent on the private market and can move with you. Public housing authorities also run senior buildings. In rural areas, USDA's rural rental program may have openings. Because wait times vary so much, it's often worth checking more than one of these.

Related guides

Official sources

Last checked: October 30, 2026, against HUD's Multifamily Programs page and eCFR text of 24 CFR 891.205–891.440 and 24 CFR 5.303, 5.309 and 5.611. The rent example is our own simplified math.

This is general information, not legal advice. Each property sets its own application process and occupancy rules within HUD requirements. Confirm the details with the property manager, and check HUD's income limits for your area.