Feature

HUD Releases Final HOTMA Rule on Income Reviews and Asset Limits

March 15, 2023    
HUD recently released its final rule for implementing the remaining Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) provisions. HOTMA was a bipartisan bill that sought to align and streamline public housing and multifamily programs.
Compliance

Ask 6 Questions When Considering Accommodation Requests for Assistance Animals

March 15, 2023    
Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), housing residents or applicants can request reasonable accommodations, including the ability to have an assistance animal in their homes. The FHA requires owners “to make reasonable accommodations that a person with a disability may need to have equal...
HUD Audits

Owner, Management Agent Must Pay Over $1.2M for Breaching HAP Contract

March 15, 2023    
In September 2021, after an onsite review of a 150-unit project-based Section 8 property in Waukegan, Ill., discovered deplorable conditions at the site, HUD initiated an administrative action against the owner and management agent for failing to provide decent, safe, and sanitary conditions to...
In the News

HUD Announces Environmental Justice Initiative

March 15, 2023    
The HUD Inspector General recently launched an initiative to advance environmental justice in HUD-assisted housing. In a statement, Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis said, “My office is prioritizing oversight work that promotes safe, affordable housing by reducing environmental and public...
In the News

Ex-Housing Authority Official Must Pay Restitution for Federal Fraud Crime

March 15, 2023    
A former housing manager was recently sentenced and ordered to pay $17,543.92 in restitution and sentenced to five years of federal probation, including six months of home detention, for altering a postal money order and embezzling more than $28,000 from the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority (...
Feature

HUD Warns Site Owners & Managers of Lithium-Ion Battery Risks

February 13, 2023    
E-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds, and other small electric mobility devices have experienced a surge in popularity. These devices use a small electric motor to increase their range and reduce the effort it takes to reach a destination. For example, e-bikes look and behave like traditional bicycles...
Income Calculations

How the SECURE 2.0 Act Impacts Retirement Account Withdrawals

February 13, 2023    
Personal retirement accounts can be tricky to navigate when completing income certifications. They can be considered assets or income depending on if the resident has access to the retirement account funds and if distributions are regular and periodic or sporadic. Generally, when the regular...
Income Calculations

IRS Boosts Business Standard Mileage Rates for 2023

February 13, 2023    
The IRS recently issued Notice 23-03, which contains the 2023 standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical, or moving purposes. Last year, the IRS made a rare midyear mileage rate adjustment in June as a way to combat...
In the News

White House Announces Actions to Protect Renters and Promote Affordability

February 13, 2023    
The White House recently announced new actions to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing. The announcement coincides with the publications of a white paper entitled, “Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights,” published by the White House Domestic...
In the News

HUD Proposes New Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule

February 13, 2023    
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) not only makes it unlawful for jurisdictions to discriminate, but also requires jurisdictions receiving federal funds for housing and urban development to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). In other words, the FHA requires them to take actions to undo historic...