Feature

How to Implement an Admissions Preference for Homeless Applicants

December 11, 2015    
Congress and HUD have established various types of preferences in an effort to provide housing to those most in need. HUD rules currently include four different kinds of preferences that apply to various programs [HUD Handbook 4350.3, par. 4-6(B)]. Of these four preferences, three of them apply...
Income Calculations

HUD Amends Definition of 'Tuition' for Determining Section 8 Income Eligibility

December 11, 2015    
On Nov. 18, 2015, HUD published a joint notice under Notice PIH 2015-21: Amendment to the Definition of Tuition, which formally amends the definition of tuition found in Eligibility of Students for Assisted Housing Under Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; Supplementary Guidance [71 FR 18146...
Q & A

Resident's Interim Recertification Request Doesn't Affect TTP

December 11, 2015    
Q A resident informed us that she now has a Medicare Part D prescription plan premium being deducted from her Social Security payments. When we go to process the interim recertification it doesn't change the rental amount. Do we still process the interim recertification just to show the...
Recent Court Rulings

Residents Can File Class Action Lawsuit Against PHA

December 11, 2015    
Facts: Several residents sued a PHA for discrimination and asked the court to certify them as a group. The residents claimed that, on March 1, 2013, the PHA made major changes to its administration of the Section 8 program as a result of federal budget cuts. These changes included revisions to the...
Recent Court Rulings

PHA Didn't Violate 14th Amendment with Random Housing Inspections

December 11, 2015    
Facts: Under federal law, a participant in the Housing Choice Voucher program is required to permit the local PHA to inspect his or her unit. The PHA is periodically required to randomly select units from a list of units that had annual inspections performed within the previous 90 days.
Feature

Use Checklist to Review Resident Files for Completeness

November 12, 2015    
Sloppy resident files are a headache you can do without during your annual audit or management and occupancy review. Auditors routinely review resident files to see how well your company complies with HUD rules. If a file is missing important documents, it may act as a signal to an auditor that...
Compliance

HUD Publishes Operational Cost Adjustment Factors for 2016

November 12, 2015    
On Oct. 13, HUD published the Operational Cost Adjustment Factors (OCAFs) that will go into effect nationwide for eligible multifamily housing projects having an anniversary date on or after on Feb. 11, 2016. These factors are used for adjusting or establishing Section 8 rents under the Multifamily...
In the News

HUD Proposes Fair Housing Harassment Rule, Expands Liability for Agent and Third-Party Misconduct

November 12, 2015    
The Fair Housing Act prohibits harassment in housing and housing-related transactions because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. Yet for many women, their landlords are a source of fear and harassment, demanding sexual favors in lieu of or along with...
In the News

HUD, DOJ Seek to Ease Transition from Prison and Expand Housing Opportunities

November 12, 2015    
As part of President Obama’s efforts to promote rehabilitation and reintegration for the formerly incarcerated, HUD and the Department of Justice recently announced $1.7 million for public housing authorities to aid eligible public housing residents who are under the age of 24 to expunge or...
In the News

Congress Raises Spending Caps, Appropriations Bills to Be Considered

November 12, 2015    
On Oct. 30, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. President Obama signed the bill into law a day before the government would have been in default without the agreements. The legislation provides a two-year framework to relieve federal programs from the bulk of sequester spending caps....