Income-based apartments in Charlotte: how to find and apply

Inlivian, Charlotte's housing authority, takes applications for income-based apartments community by community, through its Applicant Portal. For income-based housing it asks for six months of full-time work, and it has a work rule for adults who are not elderly or disabled. Read the work sections before you apply.

What we track in Charlotte. As of October 5, 2026, we list no open Charlotte listings. The closest is one Gastonia Housing Authority waitlist in Gaston County. Our other North Carolina listings are in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh and Albemarle. This guide points to the official lists instead. See our subsidized housing guide for the basics.

What does "income-based" mean in Charlotte?

Inlivian uses the phrase for housing where your income must fall under a yearly limit. Its page says limits for income-based housing and vouchers are set by the government and change every year, while limits for mixed-income and workforce communities vary by development.

In income-based subsidized housing your rent follows your income. For a voucher, Inlivian says you pay 30% of your adjusted monthly income for rent and utilities, and a family moving into a new unit can pay up to 40%. Adjusted income is income after certain deductions. Voucher holders must report any change in household income to Inlivian with documents within ten days, and Inlivian says the rent share will not rise until the next yearly review. In its communities, Inlivian's FAQ says to tell your property manager within 10 days.

Some apartments carry an income limit but charge a set rent instead. Ask which model a building uses. Our guide to income-restricted apartments explains both.

Who runs what in the Charlotte area?

• Inlivian. The housing authority at 400 East Boulevard, phone (704) 336-5183. It runs apartment communities and the Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8). It is a Moving to Work agency, a federal program that lets it set some of its own rules.
• Gastonia Housing Authority. Serves Gaston County, which is in the Charlotte metro area. As of October 5, 2026, our record shows all its waitlists are accepting applications. You download an application and return it by drop box, email or mail.
• City of Charlotte. The city's housing page lists help with emergency assistance, home repair and buying a first home, through nonprofit partners. It also says housing is generally called affordable when a family spends no more than 30% of its income on it.
• North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. The state agency finances affordable apartments owned by private companies. It does not rent them. It points renters to NCHousingSearch.org, a free statewide search, with a help line at 1-877-428-8844.

For vouchers elsewhere, HUD's contact list names the local agency.

What are the 2026 income limits for Charlotte?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes limits for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia area, which includes Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston and Union counties in North Carolina and York County in South Carolina. We list none of our own for Charlotte, so the table below is HUD's. The 2026 median family income is $117,400. That is the middle family income in the area: half of families earn more and half earn less. The limits took effect May 1, 2026. All figures are yearly household income.

HUD names its extremely low, very low and low limits after 30%, 50% and 80% of the area median income for a four-person household. It scales them for other household sizes. It raises some where rents are high compared with incomes. It never sets the extremely low limit below the federal poverty guideline. So a figure can differ from that share of the median.

HUD calls the middle column "very low income," and vouchers are generally for households at or below it. Tax-credit and mixed-income buildings often use a different line, such as 60%, so read each building's chart. Not sure where you fit? See what area median income means, try our qualify check or read how to qualify for affordable housing.

What is open right now?

• Inlivian vouchers. Its website said the voucher waitlist was closed on October 5, 2026, and it will post an announcement if it opens.
• Inlivian communities. Each has its own list. Search the "find housing" tool on Inlivian's site for communities with an open waitlist. The wait varies by property.
• Gastonia. All lists open, according to our record.

How do you apply?

Inlivian lists these steps.

1. Check the basics. For income-based housing Inlivian says it looks for proof of full-time employment (over 30 hours a week) for six months, an income under the yearly limit, eligible immigration status and a pass on credit, criminal and eviction checks. Eligibility for Family Self-Sufficiency, a federal program that helps residents work toward independence, may also be required.
2. Search for homes that fit your housing type and have an open waitlist.
3. Apply to each community you want through the Applicant Portal. You need a valid email address.
4. Wait for a letter. When your application nears the top, staff ask all adult household members to come in for an interview.
5. Expect screening. The property checks rental, criminal and credit history and verifies income and assets.
6. Hear the result. If you are approved, you get your estimated rent and deposit amount.
7. Keep your details current. Inlivian says updates must be made in the portal.

Our step-by-step application guide lists the documents to gather.

What is Inlivian's work requirement?

Inlivian's Work Requirements page says residents under age 62 who are not disabled are expected to work, or do a work-related activity, for at least 20 hours a week or earn $7,540 a year. It covers residents of its communities and voucher holders, and Inlivian says it began for vouchers on January 1, 2018. Volunteering does not count, and neither does being in school or in its Family Self-Sufficiency program. Adults in the household over 18 can count toward the total. If you are applying for disability benefits, you must still comply until a provider documents that you cannot work.

The steps apply to the head of household. They get a six-month introductory period, then a three-month warning period. After that, the household's rent is figured as if it earned minimum wage for 20 hours a week, which generally raises its share. After that comes a phase in which the household loses its subsidy for up to 180 days and pays the contract rent, the full rent for the home. Inlivian says nonworking households are not asked to move out, and offers life coaches.

HUD's 2026 proposal cites Charlotte's approach as one way to check compliance. See our guide to HUD time limits and work requirements.

How do you spot a scam?

• Never pay anyone to be added to a waitlist. HUD's inspector general warns of fake waitlist announcements on social media.
• Apply only through Inlivian's own website and portal, or the housing authority's phone number.
• The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake rental ads ask for wire transfers or gift cards and rush you.

What do we list in North Carolina today?

As of October 5, 2026, we list 17 open North Carolina listings, none in Charlotte. Eleven are homes for sale from community land trusts in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Raleigh. Six are rentals: three Durham apartments, rental cottages in Raleigh, the Gastonia list above and a public housing list in Albemarle, which is outside the Charlotte area. See our North Carolina page and all listings.