In the News

HUD Issues Guidance on Small PHA Flexible Use of Capital and Operating Funds

December 13, 2016    

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) recently issued Notice PIH 2016-18 providing guidance regarding the ability of small public housing agencies to use capital funds and operating resources in a flexible manner for any activities eligible under the capital fund program and...

HUD Publishes Small Area Fair Market Rent Final Rule

December 13, 2016    

HUD recently published in the Federal Register a final rule regarding the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR) in certain metropolitan areas, and replacing HUD’s existing 50th percentile fair market rent (FMR) policy for the Housing Choice Voucher program. The rule also provides...

HUD Proposes Enhanced Voucher Rules

November 15, 2016    

HUD recently released a proposed rule that would amend HUD’s regulations governing its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to revise its “enhanced vouchers” policy. The program allows private owners to rent apartments and homes at or below fair market prices to qualified low-...

New Guidance on Amending Use Agreements at LIHPRHA-Assisted Properties

November 15, 2016    

HUD recently issued Notice H 2016-16, which implements provisions enacted by Congress in December 2015 that allow owners of sites assisted under the “Low Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990” (LIHPRHA) to access residual receipts and eliminate...

HUD Proposes Revisions to Multifamily Asset Handbook

November 15, 2016    

HUD recently released draft revisions of five chapters of Handbook 4350.1, Multifamily Asset Management and Project Servicing. While Handbook 4350.1 is primarily for HUD Multifamily field staff who monitor owners and managing agents so that HUD-assisted sites are maintained in good physical and...

HUD Issues HOTMA Implementation Guidance

November 15, 2016    

HUD recently published in the Federal Register the initial implementation guidance for the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act (HOTMA). HOTMA, which President Obama signed into law in July, makes several modifications to housing assistance programs. The programs included in HOTMA...

Ohio Housing Authority Charged with Discriminating Against Family with Disabilities

November 15, 2016    

HUD recently announced that it is charging the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority in Warren, Ohio, with violating the Fair Housing Act by denying the reasonable accommodation requests of a family that includes a father and daughter with severe disabilities. The Fair Housing Act prohibits...

HUD Establishes Operating Cost Adjustment Factors for 2017

October 31, 2016    

HUD recently published a notice that establishes operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for Section 8 project-based rental assistance contracts with an anniversary date on or after Feb. 11, 2017. OCAFs are annual factors used primarily to adjust the rents for contracts renewed under Section...

President Obama Signs Continuing Resolution for FY 2017

October 31, 2016    

On Sept. 29, 2016, President Obama signed into law H.R.5325 – Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act. This legislation, referred to as the short-term Continuing Resolution...

MTW PHAs Have Higher Legal Costs than Other PHAs

October 31, 2016    

HUD’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently reported that PHAs participating in the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration have significantly higher costs for legal services than PHAs that are not part of the demonstration. The OIG also asserts that HUD didn’t provide adequate...

HUD Reminds Owners to Maintain Lead-Based Paint Records

October 31, 2016    

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs recently issued Notice H2016-10 that reminds owners and management agents of HUD-assisted sites that they must maintain lead-based paint risk assessment and inspection records and lead disclosure forms as required by HUD’s Lead-Based Paint...

HUD Publishes Energy Benchmarking Notices

October 31, 2016    

HUD recently issued two notices regarding energy benchmarking reporting, one for HUD-assisted or HUD-insured private multifamily housing, and one for public housing. Utility benchmarking involves tracking the utility consumption of a development on an ongoing basis, calculating the energy and...