WinnCompanies review: Above market rent increase in the middle of my one-year term of my lease.

I have owned a HUD-VASH Housing Choice Voucher since 2010.

Winn Residential raised my rent from $920 to $1,115 effective November 2023.

The increase was/is above fair market rent (FMR), which is currently $1,079 -- and months before my lease was/is due for renewal in 2024. Pursuant to HUD Section 982.507(a-4), "...the rent to owner may not exceed the reasonable rent as most recently determined...by the PHA."

I previously mailed 2 letters of complaint directly to the Winn office and turned the complaint over to the building manager, Kevin Bucher. No response. The office had an inaccurate unofficial FMR. Kevin's assistant, Nicole, searched and discovered that the FMR is indeed $1,079.

Moreover, there are dozens of legal sources clearly stating that the landlord can NOT increase my rent until the lease comes up for renewal. The only exceptions are if I agree to it, or there's an MCI, or the original lease provides an option for it. My lease has no option to raise my rent before it expires.

I have already paid two months increase of $107. The same sources state that a Section 8 tenant does not have to pay an illegal increase. I'll pay for February at the previous FMR rent of $920 and hold back the balance in a checking account.

Thanx