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HUD Funding Demonstration Program for Housing for the Elderly

February 28, 2016

The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the availability of funding of approximately $15 million under the Department’s Supportive Services Demonstration for Elderly Households in HUD-Assisted Multifamily Housing. Funds obtained under this Notice must be used to…

Cash for Rent – Can Apartment Communities Refuse

February 15, 2016

Cash for Rent – Can Apartment Communities Refuse? It has long been considered a “best practice” in the multifamily housing world not to accept cash rent payments. There are many good reasons not to accept rent payments in cash,…

Boosting Rent (and Therefore Value) for Apartments Through Design and Improvements

February 14, 2016

Boosting Rent (and Therefore Value) for Apartments Through Design and Improvements Whether purchasing or renting, the nation’s 75 million Millennials have strong opinions about what they expect in terms of housing. This age group (mid-20s to mid-3os) constitutes a…

HUD Changes REAC Protocol Regarding Units with Bedbugs

February 7, 2016

On January 21, 2016, HUD issued Inspector Notice No. 2016-01, “UPCS Inspector Protocol Bed Bug Infestation.” The Notice was effective on February 1, 2016, and applies to all properties that are subject to UPCS physical inspections. In states that…

2016 HUD Imputed Interest Rate

January 19, 2016

HUD published Notice 2016-01 on January 19, 2016, announcing that the passbook savings rate effective February 1, 2016, will remain at .06%. The notice applies to all Project-Based Section 8 programs, Section 101 Rent Supplement Program, Section 202 Programs, Section…

Graffiti Removal and Restoration

January 16, 2016

Graffiti Removal & Restoration When providing training on preparing properties for physical inspections, I always spend a little time talking about graffiti removal. I have recently received a number of email requests from clients for suggestions on how to…

Rent to Own vs. Seller Financing

January 15, 2016

The Difference Between “Seller Financing” and “Rent-to-Own” Chapter Five of HUD Handbook 4350.3, Chg. 4 outlines various requirements relative to the determination of value and income for assets. One of the more unusual assets managers of affordable housing developments…

Understanding Vicarious Liability

January 12, 2016

Understanding “Vicarious Liability” – A Key Element of Harassment Liability Under Fair Housing Law In October 2015, HUD issued a proposed rule to create a new fair housing regulation that will apply to both private and federally assisted communities.…

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool – Announcement of Final Approved Document, December 31, 2015

January 10, 2016

On December 31, 2015, HUD issued a Notice in the Federal Register announcing the final approved Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool. This is the Assessment Tool to be used by local governments that receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG),…

Recapture – What it is and When it Occurs

January 6, 2016

Although taxpayers claim the low-income housing credit over a ten-year period, the owner of a low-income housing tax credit project is required to provide low-income housing in compliance with IRC §42 for 15 years (the compliance period). In effect, the…

HUD Final Rule Defining “Chronically Homeless”

December 13, 2015

On December 4, 2015, HUD published a final rule titled “Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing: Defining “Chronically Homeless.” This final rule establishes the definition of “chronically homeless” that will be used in HUD’s Continuum of Care…

Amendment to the HUD Definition of Tuition, Notice H 2015-12

December 2, 2015

Amendment to the HUD Definition of Tuition, Notice H 2015-12 HUD published Notice H 2015-12 on November 18, 2015, amending the definition of tuition as it relates to both HUD Multifamily Housing programs and Public and Indian Housing (PIH)…

HUD Notice on Designation of Difficult Development Areas and Qualified Census Tracts for 2016

December 1, 2015

On November 24, 2015, HUD issued a Notice in the Federal Register designating “Difficult Development Areas” (DDAs) and “Qualified Census Tracts” (QCTs) for purposes of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). For the first time, HUD is using…

Developer Fees – How They are Viewed by the IRS

November 29, 2015

Developer fees represent payment for a developer’s services and are (at least partly) includable in eligible basis for a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project. There are three basic types of developer fees. Turnkey Project Fee The…

HUD Notice Regarding Exclusion of Use of Arrest Records for Housing Decisions, Notice 2015-10

November 29, 2015

On November 2, 2015, HUD issued Notice H 2015-10, Guidance for Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and Owners of Federally-Assisted Housing on Excluding the Use of Arrest Records in Housing Decisions. The purpose of this Notice is to inform PHAs…

Satellite Dishes – Rights of Landlords and Residents

November 28, 2015

Federal rules published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) give residents of apartment communities the right to install satellite dishes at an apartment community, subject to FCC limits. Many landlords are still unsure of exactly what the rules permit residents…

Unauthorized Distribution of Project Funds – HUD Announcement, November 2015

November 23, 2015

The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) recently sent a series of emails and published newsletters issuing announcements regarding restrictions on the distribution of project assets. The announcements were sent at the request of the HUD Office of Inspector…

Local Ordinances and Assistance Animals

November 15, 2015

Apartment owners and managers are well aware that when required due to the disability of an applicant or a resident, no matter what a property’s policy on pets may be, fair housing law requires that individuals with disabilities be permitted…

LIHTC Requirements Regarding Common Areas, Required Facilities, and Provision of Services

November 9, 2015

Section 42(d)(4)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code reads: “The adjusted basis of any building shall be determined by taking into account the adjusted basis of property (of a character subject to the allowance for depreciation) used in common areas or…

Short Term Rental Fees for Vouchers

October 19, 2015

In Velez v. Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, 2015 U.S. App. Lexis 13265 (6th Cir. July 30, 2015), an appeals court ruled that fees for short-term rentals are considered rent and must be paid as part of the rent under the…

Allocations Under the Nonprofit Set-Aside – IRS Requirements

September 28, 2015

IRC Section 42(h)(5) requires that a portion of each states annual credit ceiling be set aside for allocation to projects involving qualified nonprofit organizations. Specifically, the Code requires that not more than 90% of the state housing credit ceiling for…

Children For Whom Custody is Being Sought – To Count or Not to Count

September 21, 2015

Children for Whom Custody is Being Obtained – To Count or Not to Count When determining income eligibility for Section 8 or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, HUD Section 8 rules must be followed. The basic HUD guidance…

HUD Clarifications Regarding Completion of Utility Allowances

September 19, 2015

I sent a memo to clients on June 29, 2015, regarding HUD Notice H 2015-04, which was published by HUD on June 22, 2015. This Notice outlined revised HUD requirements relative to the Methodology for Completing a Multifamily Housing Utility…

Definition of a Parent for the Section 42 Student Rule

September 16, 2015

Section 42 (i) (3) (D) states that certain students do not disqualify a unit from being low-income for LIHTC purposes. Five exceptions are outlined in the Code, one of which states “A unit shall not fail to be treated as…

HUD Clarification on HOME Rental Requirements

September 10, 2015

HUD recently provided guidance on components of the HOME program that have raised questions. Following are the clarifications that apply to the use of HOME funds with multifamily housing. HOME funds cannot be used in public housing units that receive…

Determining the Cash Value of and Income from Annuities

September 8, 2015

Determining the Cash Value of and Income from Annuities There is some confusion among managers of affordable rental housing regarding how to determine the value of and income from annuities. Part of the confusion is the result of a…

Claiming Credits without an IRS Form 8609 – Guidance from the IRS Audit Guide

September 6, 2015

Claiming Credits without an IRS Form 8609 – Guidance from the Audit Guide IRC §42(l)(1) requires that taxpayers complete a certification with respect to the first year of the credit period. This certification is made by completing Part II…

Assistance Animals – A Reminder on What is Required

August 5, 2015

On July 15, 2015, HUD charged the owners and manager of Viking Villas, a 36-unit apartment complex in Sioux Falls, SD, with a violation of the Fair Housing Act for refusing to grant a reasonable accommodation to a disabled resident…

Rural Housing Service Accepting Applications for Multifamily Preservation and Revitilization (MPR)

August 3, 2015

On August 3, 2015, the Rural Housing Service published a Notice in the Federal Register announcing the timeframe to submit applications to participate in a demonstration program to preserve and revitalize existing Rural Rental Housing (RRH) projects under Section 514,…

RAD – Revised Program Notice PIH-2012-32, REV-2

July 6, 2015

On June 26, 2015, HUD published a Notice in the Federal Register revising some of the rules of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program. HUD’s original notice on the program was published on June 26, 2012. The RAD program provides…

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