If I am planning to stay as a guest with family or friends until I am added to their housing lease, what are some suggested steps I can take to make sure we are following all the guest policies?

Yes, you can try to negotiate with the PHA or owner of the government-assisted property.

For example, if your family is seeking to add you to the lease—but the screening process to add you to the lease TAKES LONGER than the amount of time the family is allowed to have you as a guest—your family, or an advocate working on your behalf, may be able to negotiate with the housing provider at the start to extend the period of time that you are allowed to stay as a guest in that government-assisted household.[1347] If your family can negotiate a policy that allows you to stay longer as their guest, this helps avoid problems later on if the PHA or owner of the government-assisted housing accuses your family of exceeding the time limits for guests, in violation of their lease agreement.

  1. 1347

    The Somerville (Massachusetts) Housing Authority, Policies and Procedures, http://sha-web.org/policies.aspx..