In the News

HUD Updates Fair Market Rents for Fiscal Year 2024

September 18, 2023    
HUD is required by law to set Fair Market Rents (FMRs) every year. They represent HUD’s best effort to estimate the 40th percentile gross rent paid by recent movers into standard quality units in each FMR area. With the latest release, FMRs will increase by an average of approximately...
In the News

FCC Boosts Low-Income Internet Subsidy

September 18, 2023    
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created by Congress in late 2021 and implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to replace a previous pandemic-related subsidy program. The FCC recently announced that it will provide a monthly discount of up to $75 toward internet...
Feature

How to Treat Financial Benefits Households Get from Community Solar Programs

August 14, 2023    
Do you factor the benefit into the tenant’s utility allowance or include it in annual income?  
Screening Applicants

Best Practices When Rejecting Applicants

August 14, 2023    
And denying admissions into the Multifamily Housing program.   Earlier this year, the White House published a “Blueprint for a Renter Bill of Rights” that was intended to support the development of policies and procedures that promote fairness for those living in rental housing. In...
Dos & Don'ts

Don't Use ChatGPT for Marketing Purposes

August 14, 2023    
Like other real estate businesses, you may be using ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, and other generative AI products, a.k.a. chatbots, for marketing purposes, such as developing advertising strategies, analyzing housing markets, and generating property listings, ads, social media posts, and other marketing...
Dos & Don'ts

Keep Residents' Personally Identifiable Information Secure and Confidential

August 14, 2023    
Remember to redact personally identifiable information (PII) when submitting or transmitting documents to contract administrators. It’s important to protect this information because owners and their employees are subject to penalties for unauthorized disclosure of applicant or resident...
HUD Audits

GAO Recommends HUD Collect Data on Reasonable Accommodation Requests

August 14, 2023    
You may soon have to report data on requests—and be subject to stricter compliance oversight.  
Feature

Final NSPIRE Inspection Standards: What You Need to Know

July 14, 2023    
The notice marks the first comprehensive overhaul of inspection standards in 20 years.   HUD recently published the Final Notice for the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) in the Federal Register. There are four main notices to HUD’s final package of...
Compliance

HUD Releases NSPIRE Final Scoring, Administrative Procedures Notices

July 14, 2023    
We highlight the noteworthy changes and clarifications in both notices.   HUD’s National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) changes are scheduled to be effective for multifamily inspections as of Oct. 1, 2023. And public housing inspections under the new...
In the News

Latest “State of the Nation’s Housing” Report Is Released

July 14, 2023    
Housing cost burdens have reached record levels.   The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University recently released its annual report, State of the Nation’s Housing 2023. The report combines analyses of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, HUD, Freddie Mac, the National...