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Smoking in Apartments – Two Recent Court Cases Illustrate Landlord Right to Permit or Prohibit Smoking

June 21, 2020

Two recent court cases have strengthened the rights of landlords to either permit smoking or to prohibit smoking in apartment communities. In Davis v. Echo Valley Condominium Association, Michigan (6th. Cir.), December 2019, a federal appeals court ruled that a…

State Eviction Moratoriums for COVID-19 Due to Expire As Unemployment Benefits Dry Up

June 20, 2020

A. J. Johnson

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, most states put a hold on evictions from rental properties. In many states, those moratoriums are expiring at about the same time that more generous unemployment benefits are set to dry up.…

HUD Publishes 2020 Income Limits for HOME, CDBG, HOPWA, HTF, and NSP and 2020 Rent Limits for HOME and HTF

June 17, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On June 17, 2020, HUD published the Income Limits for 2020 for a number of programs, including: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG);HOME Program;Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA);Housing Trust Fund (HTF); andNeighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). HUD has also published…

Boston and New York Landlords Sue Over COVID-19 Eviction Moratoriums

June 14, 2020

A. J. Johnson

Landlords in New York and Massachusetts have filed legal challenges to eviction moratoriums put into place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the bans on eviction are unconstitutional. On May 27, 2020, a group of landlords in…

HUD Releasing $800 Million in CARES Act Assistance for Section 8 Properties

June 6, 2020

A. J. Johnson

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provides $1 billion of additional appropriations to Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including to maintain normal operations and take other necessary actions during…

A. J. Johnson Partnering with Mid-Atlantic AHMA for Affordable Housing Webinars

June 5, 2020

A. J. Johnson

A. J. Johnson is partnering with the Mid-Atlantic Affordable Housing Management Association (Mid-Atlantic AHMA) in a series of webinars relating to the development and operation of affordable housing properties. Upcoming webinars include: June 9: Section 8 Management & Best Practices;June…

Warn Residents of COVID-19 Scams

May 30, 2020

A. J. Johnson

Scammers, fraudsters, and other criminals are taking advantage of rapidly changing data and facts associated with COVID-19, both in the workplace and in our homes. Government agencies, corporations, and news outlets continue to warn individuals to be mindful of increased…

HUD Issues Notice on Electronic Signatures

May 27, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On May 26, 2020, HUD issued Notice H20-4, Electronic Signature, Transmission and Storage – Guidance for Multifamily Assisted Housing Industry Partners. This Notice provides guidance to HUD multifamily assisted housing partners on electronic signatures, electronic transmission, and electronic storage of…

Webinar on Fair Housing and COVID-19

May 20, 2020

A. J. Johnson

A. J. Johnson will be conducting a webinar on June 2, 2020 on Complying with Fair Housing Law in the Age of COVID-19. The Webinar will be held at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. This one hour webinar will provide property…

COVID-19 Takes Disproportionate Toll on Affordable Housing Residents

May 17, 2020

A. J. Johnson

A new survey by the Federal Reserve (FED) shows that 39% of former workers in households earning $40,000 or less lost work during the current pandemic, and many of these households do not have the resources to make it through…

Joe Biden Releases Housing Plan

May 16, 2020

A. J. Johnson

Former Vice President and presumed Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden has released a comprehensive housing plan – much of which deals with affordable rental housing, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Following are the major elements of the 81-page…

HUD Issues Issues Waivers for Public & Indian Housing Programs, Including Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers During COVID-19 Emergency

April 19, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On April 10, 2020 the HUD Office of Public & Indian Housing (PIH) issued waivers to provide administrative relief and ensuring continued program operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. These waivers can be reviewed in their entirety in Notice PIH-2020-05. These…

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules that Payments Made to a Parent to Care for a Disabled Child Count as Income

April 19, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On February 12, 2020, the Supreme Court of Minnesota held that some of the payments made by the state under a program for families with children having developmental disabilities who need to stay at home, which are made to offset…

CARES Act – Impact on Multifamily Housing Operators – REVISED POSTING

April 1, 2020

A. J. Johnson

THIS IS AN AMENDED ARTICLE FROM ONE THAT I POSTED IN LATE MARCH. IT HAS BEEN AMENDED BASED ON GUIDANCE INDICATING THE LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROJECTS ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE TENANT PROTECTION MEASURES CONTAINED IN THE ACT. On…

CARES Act – Impact on Multifamily Housing Operators

March 28, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Senate Amendment to H.R. 748. This $2 trillion bill provides financial aid to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and state and local governments. It…

A. J. Johnson Consulting Operations During COVID- 19 Crisis

March 17, 2020

A. J. Johnson

Aside from the onsite training sessions we conduct on a regular basis, the current COVID-19 health crisis is not impacting the operations of our company. All of our staff work remotely and we are fully operational with regard to all…

Dealing with Coronavirus (COVID-19) at Multifamily Properties

March 15, 2020

A. J. Johnson

At this time, all but one state (West Virginia) has reported cases of coronavirus, more accurately known as “corona virus disease 2019,” or COVID-19. Areas with dense populations are particularly susceptible to an outbreak due to the proximity of individuals…

NSPIRE – HUD Replacement for REAC Protocol is Moving Forward

February 22, 2020

A. J. Johnson

The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is well underway in the overhaul of its Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) physical inspection protocol. The REAC inspection process will eventually be replaced with a new physical inspection procedure known as…

Alabama Court Decision Requires that Restrictions on LIHTC Properties Must be Considered in Property Tax Assessments

February 16, 2020

A. J. Johnson

On December 13, 2019, an Alabama Circuit Court ruled that use restrictions for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (and other types of affordable housing) must be considered when assessing the value of properties for real estate tax purposes. The case is…

A New Tool for Landlords “Non-Smoking” Policies

February 15, 2020

A. J. Johnson

One of the most difficult parts of implementing a non-smoking policy at an apartment community is enforcing compliance. Detection of smokers can be difficult and precisely locating the source of smoke even more so. Now, thanks to a New Hampshire…

2020 Mileage Rates

January 20, 2020

A. J. Johnson

The IRS has issued the mileage rates for 2020, including the rate for miles driven for medical purposes. This is an important rate for Section 8 and Rural Development Properties since elderly households may deduct such mileage as a medical…

What Affordable Housing Managers Need to Know About Changes in Retirement Laws

January 5, 2020

A. J. Johnson

Just before adjourning for the Christmas/New Year holiday, Congress included, and the President signed, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act in the federal government spending bill. This action provides the most significant changes in retirement law…

Minimum Wage to Increase in Many Areas

January 1, 2020

A. J. Johnson

In 2020, 21 states will increase their minimum wage requirements for workers beginning January 1, 2020 and Connecticut, Nevada, and Oregon (and possibly Delaware) will have increases later in the year. Affordable housing managers responsible for determining the income of…

Modular Construction – Another Component for Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis

December 30, 2019

A. J. Johnson

There is an affordable housing crisis in the United States – of that there is no doubt. The reasons for the crisis are well known: a lack of will at the national level to provide necessary funding; a growing labor…

2020 Census – What Apartment Managers Need to Know

December 7, 2019

A. J. Johnson

2020 will be a U.S. Census year. Every household will be required to answer a census questionnaire. This includes renters, so landlords and property managers need to know the rules. Questionnaires should be mailed to individual households by April 1,…

New Overtime Rule Issued by the Department of Labor

December 1, 2019

A. J. Johnson

On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule to make 1.3 million American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is the first change in the overtime regulations…

Rent Guarantors – An Alternative to Rejecting Applicants

November 30, 2019

A. J. Johnson

Owners and managers of LIHTC properties are often faced with applicants who have less than desirable credit, income below the minimum required by the landlord, or no financial history. The common practice in the industry is to reject such applicants,…

Novogradac Study Outlines Expected Income Increases

November 24, 2019

A. J. Johnson

Novogradac & Company has released its study of expected increases in state median incomes for 2020 and 2021. Novogradac estimates that the U.S. median income will increase by just less than 4 percent in 2020 and 3.4 percent in 2021.…

Disability Payments- Calculating & Verifying Income

November 17, 2019

A. J. Johnson

Some applicants and residents of affordable housing properties receive disability payments. These payments may be short-term (temporary) or long-term. Disability payments are intended to offset a reduction in wages for individuals who cannot work due to illness or injury. According…

Emancipated Minors and the Determination of Income on Affordable Housing Properties

October 27, 2019

A. J. Johnson

The determination of income for affordable housing developments (e.g., HUD/Rural Development/ LIHTC) depends on whether a household member is an “adult” or a “dependent,” as defined by HUD regulation. The definition of these terms is found in HUD Handbook 4350.3…

Information for Your Business

Smoking in Apartments – Two Recent Court Cases Illustrate Landlord Right to Permit or Prohibit Smoking

State Eviction Moratoriums for COVID-19 Due to Expire As Unemployment Benefits Dry Up

HUD Publishes 2020 Income Limits for HOME, CDBG, HOPWA, HTF, and NSP and 2020 Rent Limits for HOME and HTF

Boston and New York Landlords Sue Over COVID-19 Eviction Moratoriums

HUD Releasing $800 Million in CARES Act Assistance for Section 8 Properties

A. J. Johnson Partnering with Mid-Atlantic AHMA for Affordable Housing Webinars

Warn Residents of COVID-19 Scams

HUD Issues Notice on Electronic Signatures

Webinar on Fair Housing and COVID-19

COVID-19 Takes Disproportionate Toll on Affordable Housing Residents

Joe Biden Releases Housing Plan

HUD Issues Issues Waivers for Public & Indian Housing Programs, Including Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers During COVID-19 Emergency

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules that Payments Made to a Parent to Care for a Disabled Child Count as Income

CARES Act – Impact on Multifamily Housing Operators – REVISED POSTING

CARES Act – Impact on Multifamily Housing Operators

A. J. Johnson Consulting Operations During COVID- 19 Crisis

Dealing with Coronavirus (COVID-19) at Multifamily Properties

NSPIRE – HUD Replacement for REAC Protocol is Moving Forward

Alabama Court Decision Requires that Restrictions on LIHTC Properties Must be Considered in Property Tax Assessments

A New Tool for Landlords “Non-Smoking” Policies

2020 Mileage Rates

What Affordable Housing Managers Need to Know About Changes in Retirement Laws

Minimum Wage to Increase in Many Areas

Modular Construction – Another Component for Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis

2020 Census – What Apartment Managers Need to Know

New Overtime Rule Issued by the Department of Labor

Rent Guarantors – An Alternative to Rejecting Applicants

Novogradac Study Outlines Expected Income Increases

Disability Payments- Calculating & Verifying Income

Emancipated Minors and the Determination of Income on Affordable Housing Properties

Online Training

Guidance

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