Move In Program Request

Things to Consider Before Deciding to Move

1. How long have you lived in your current unit?
After your initial 12-month lease ends, you can move with continued assistance. If you are still in the first year of your lease, you are not eligible to move unless your landlord agrees to a sign a Mutual Rescission form. The Mutual Rescission form must be signed/dated by both you and your landlord and both signatures must be notarized. You may have your signature notarized at CGI, free of charge, during normal business hours. CGI is not permitted to notarize your landlord’s signature. A Mutual Rescission form is included in this packet for your convenience.

2. Moving is expensive.
You will want to consider upfront costs such as a security deposit. You may need to pay to hook up utilities such as gas, electric, and/or water. Additional costs associated with moving may include cleaning supplies, moving materials, and snacks/dining out during your move.

3. Moving requires planning.
You must give CMHA/CGI your planned move out date when you submit your Move-in Program Packet. Therefore, you will need to plan ahead to make sure that you – give your landlord proper notice, complete the required steps to move, locate a suitable unit and the unit passes a Housing Quality Inspection – and move out of your current home by the date agreed upon in your notice to vacate.

Before submitting a MIP, you will need to complete, have your landlord sign and get notarized a Mutual Recission of Lease form. A blank copy is available Click here

Move In Program Guidance

1. Should I give my Landlord a Notice to Vacate letter or ask for a Mutual Rescission?

Families living in an assisted unit for less than one year and are in an initial lease term:

If you have been living in your unit less than one year, and are in your initial lease term , you are not eligible to move unless your landlord agrees and signs a Mutual Rescission form to allow you to move within the initial lease term.

Families living in an assisted unit for more than one year and are currently in a lease:

If you are currently in a lease , you are not eligible to move unless your landlord agrees and signs a Mutual Rescission form to allow you to break your lease to move. The Mutual Rescission form must be signed by you and your landlord and both signatures must be notarized. HCV families may obtain notary services at the CGI office located at 107 S. High Street, 2nd floor, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. CGI is not permitted to notarize your landlord’s signature.

Families living in an assisted unit and are currently in a month-to-month lease:

If you are currently living in your unit in a month-to-month lease , you must provide a Written Notice to Vacate letter to your landlord. You must deliver the notice to your landlord as required in your lease; usually 30 days or 60-days’ notice is required. Review the terms of your lease agreement so you can plan how may days ahead of time you have to go to the post office to mail your Notice to Vacate letter to your landlord. Remember, you will be sending your notice USPS Certified Mail letter with First Class mail delivery. You must plan on 3 to 10 business days for delivery!

2. Requirements of the Notice to Vacate Letter to Your Landlord

The Notice to Vacate letter must include:


• The current date
• Your landlord's name, address, telephone number
• The date you plan to vacate the unit.Move-out date must be the last day of the month (ex. 1/31/23, 2/28/23, 3/31/23, 4/30/23, etc.)
• Your name, address, telephone number


3. Mailing Requirements for the Notice to Vacate Letter to Your Landlord

Make two copies of your Notice to Vacate letter; attach one to this packet when you submit it to CMHA/CGI and keep a copy for your records.

Take the original Notice to Vacate letter to the Post Office and send it by Certified Mail with a return receipt. Save your receipt from the post office as proof of mailing.

The date your landlord receives the letter must be within the required notice period stated in your lease.

You must take the letter to the post office early to allow enough time for the letter to be delivered.

When the landlord receives your Notice of Vacate letter, the Post Office will return to you, a Green Return Receipt Card that displays the landlord's signature and date your landlord received the Notice to Vacate.

4. Complete your MIP submission here on myCMHA Portal.

5. What happens If Your Voucher is Approved

If your voucher is approved the HAP Contract will end on the move out date.

Please ensure that you submit your Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) with sufficient time to allow processing before your desired move-in date.

Please allow CGI/CMHA with sufficient time to inspect the unit and approve the rent requested. Timely submission is crucial to avoid any delays in the approval process.

If you change your mind and no longer wish to move or would like to revise your move out date, you and your landlord must submit a written statement to CGI/CMHA certifying that you can remain in the unit and/or identify a new move out date. The Move Cancellation / Revision Agreement Packet is available for this purpose.

The Move Cancellation / Revision Agreement must be submitted prior to the contract cancellation or agreed upon move-out date to avoid a loss of subsidy. If the contract is already cancelled, the unit must be resubmitted for approval, inspection, and processed for a new contract.

If your new unit is not approved by your move-out date, you will be required to either move out of your current unit or you will be responsible for paying the full contract rent to your landlord until your new unit is approved.

Families requiring an extension must submit a request for an extension. If the voucher has not expired or is within 30 days of the date of expiration, the written extension request can be submitted via USPS, hand-delivered, or by email. The family will be granted one (1) additional one hundred and twenty (120) days of search time. If the expiration date of the voucher falls on a weekend or holiday, the request for an extension must be made the following business day.

Alternate Methods of Submission

Submit at the CGI-CMHA office


If you need assistance using myCMHA portal, please visit CGI-CMHA office at 107 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215. CGI members can assist you with submission of Move Process request using myCMHA portal.

Submit a paper packet


While we recommend using myCMHA portal for fastest processing of your MIP Request, you may also visit the CMHA/CGI office to pick up a paper packet. Mail a completed packet with copies of supporting documentation to the CGI Office via USPS, or hand-deliver to the drop-in center.

Mail Completed MIP Packet to:
CGI-CMHA
P.O. Box 163490
Columbus, Ohio 43216

Hand Deliver Completed MIP Packet to:
CGI-CMHA
107 S. High Street, FL 2
Columbus, Ohio 43215



Reporting Policy

The MIP request is considered a completely new certification. As such, you will be required to provide permanent documents for all household members including birth certificates, evidence of US Citizenship or eligible non-citizen documents, social security cards, etc. Please ensure you have these documents ready and available.