Guidance

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Premises Liability – When Property Owners are at Risk

One of the least understood risks that owners of multifamily properties face is the risk related to someone being injured due to a violent crime at their property. This short article is intended to provide a general overview of “premises…

Update on State Positions Regarding Income Averaging

State Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) continue to release information regarding how they will approach the new minimum set-aside election – the “Average Income” election. As of August 1, 2018, 20 HFAs have provided some guidance on how the new election…

ADA Service Animal Guidance May be Instructive for Housing Providers

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that state and local government agencies and non-profits that provide goods or services to the public make “reasonable modifications” in policies, practices, or procedures when needed to accommodate persons with disabilities. This requirement…

Website Accessibility

In recent years, there has been a spate of litigation relating to website accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA provides that no person shall be discriminated against in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods,…

States Begin Issuing Average Income Set-Aside Guidance

A number of states have now begun to issue guidance regarding the implementation of the “Average-Income” minimum set-aside test, which was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. Eight states have provided formal guidance. Alaska…

HUD Publishes 2018 HOME Rent and Income Limits

HUD has now published the 2018 income and rent limits for the HOME program. These limits are effective beginning June 1, 2018, and HOME grantees may not use the new rent and income limits until the effective date. Owners and…

HUD-DOJ Initiative to Fight Sexual Harassment in Housing

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have begun a nationwide initiative intended to combat sexual harassment in housing. This effort includes an interagency task force between HUD and DOJ, an outreach toolkit,…

HUD Publishes 2018 Income Limits

On March 30, 2018, HUD published the 2018 income limits for HUD programs as well as for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Tax-Exempt Bond programs. The limits are effective on April 1, 2018. The limits for the LIHTC and…

More Thoughts on the Income Average Test

This article is a follow up to the one I posted on March 26, 2018, relating to the Average Income Test which was included in the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018,” as a third set-aside election for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit…

Income Averaging Discussion and Examples

I posted an article on March 24, 2018, describing the two changes made to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program by the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018,” the increase in credits and the new “Average Income Test.” I want to…

HOME Funds and Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans

In February 2018, the HUD Office of Community Planning and Development issued guidance relating to the requirement that projects funded with HOME funds have an Affirmative Fair Housing and Marketing Plan. This requirement is contained in the HOME final rule…

The Importance of Internal Controls

All executives are taught the importance of “internal controls.” Unfortunately, many executives don’t fully understand what is meant by the term “internal controls.” A recent HUD audit of a Section 8 project in Port Arthur, TX serves as a reminder…

Rental Assistance – Is It Income or Not?

After more than 40 years in the affordable housing business, I still occasionally get the question as to why federal rental assistance – such as Section 8 – is not counted as income. After all, it is a regular, recurring…

Self-Employed Individuals in Affordable Housing Properties

One of the most difficult type of income to determine for managers of affordable housing rental properties (e.g. Section 8 or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit [LIHTC]) is self-employment income. Based on the number of issues we see when reviewing the…

Correction to State Minimum Wage Increases

I recently published a news item on upcoming minimum wage increases across the United States. One of my clients found an error in the information for New York State and I wanted to correct the item. The correct information for…

Streamlining HUD Regulations – Interim Final Rule – December 12, 2017

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register on December 12, 2017, titled “Streamlining Administrative Regulations for Multifamily Housing Programs and Implementing Family Income Reviews Under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation…

Additional HUD VAWA Guidance – November 2017

The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) recently issued clarifying guidance regarding the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The guidance addresses the following areas of VAWA: Applicability; Notice of Occupancy Rights & Certification Form; Emergency Transfers; Lease Addendum; Lease…

Foreign Students in LIHTC Projects

Managers of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Projects (LIHTC) are sometimes faced with having to determine the eligibility of foreign students for occupancy at a Section 42 property. This is actually easier in most cases than determining the eligibility of U.…

2018 Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs) Released by HUD

On November 8, 2017, HUD published the Section 8 Housing Assistance Program – Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs), fiscal year 2018 in the Federal Register. These factors are used for adjusting or establishing Section 8 rents under various Section 8 programs.…

HUD Revision to Effective Date for 2015 DDA and QCT Designations

On October 26, 2017, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register, “Statutorily Mandated Designation of Difficult Development Areas and Qualified Census Tracts: Revision of Effective Date for 2015 Designations.”   This notice revises the effective date for designations of…

DOJ Announces New Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative

On October 19, 2017, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing. The initiative specifically seeks to increase DOJ efforts to protect women from harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers,…
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