As an owner or manager, one of your key responsibilities is to work with households and individuals to determine their correct level of eligibility and amount of rent and to ensure that they are placed in an appropriate unit. This is accomplished through a thorough interview where information is...
You already know you must provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and residents who are disabled and use a wheelchair for mobility. But as an owner or manager, you also must be certain that you maintain a safe environment for all your residents and visitors.
You can hope you never need the services of a collection agency, but it's likely that you will. Suppose a resident skips out without paying the share of his rent above his subsidy. You are entitled to pursue the resident within legal means to collect past-due debts. That's when a good...
When new residents move in to your site, you should take steps to assure that they understand their responsibilities as outlined in their lease and house rules. While HUD does not require you to do this, HUD strongly encourages you to—and it is a good site management practice.
In “Follow HUD Guidelines for New Resident Orientation,” above, we discuss the importance of briefing new residents on the terms of the lease and house rules. HUD's guidelines for conducting this briefing include providing information in written form, such as a packet of handouts...
Chances are you've probably heard or received complaints about these situations. Some of them were probably easy to deal with. Others weren't. And when they happen frequently, and the...
Under the federal Fair Housing Act and HUD guidelines, you must make every effort to provide “reasonable accommodations” at your site for residents with disabilities. For example, if a resident with limited mobility requests a ground-floor unit, HUD expects that you would try to...
It's not uncommon for residents to want to use devices such as air conditioners, fans, and space heaters for personal comfort and to better control the temperature in their unit. Some site owners and managers would prefer to prohibit such use, but it's likely that residents would use...
A resident reports a broken lock in her unit. It's late in the evening, so you decide to wait until the next morning to have it checked out by maintenance staff. That's a mistake you don't want to make, say security experts. Your failure to repair or replace the lock immediately...
From time to time, you may be asked by a resident to approve the addition of a “live-in aide” to his household. Reasons for the aide vary. The resident may have a disability and need help with day-to-day living. An elderly resident may need an aide for assistance and companionship to...
