The Trainer

The Trainer — August 2015

July 14, 2015    
Conducting Required Meetings In this month’s feature, we discussed how HUD requires you to offer to meet with applicants and residents in specific circumstances. These meetings let applicants and residents dispute important decisions that you’ve made about their housing assistance. We...
Feature

How to Verify Applicants Claiming Eligible Immigration Status

June 17, 2015    
HUD’s noncitizen rule says that only households made up entirely of U.S. citizens and/or certain eligible noncitizens (such as a permanent resident alien) can benefit from federal rental assistance [HUD Handbook 4350.3, par. 3-12 (A)]. To ensure that an ineligible noncitizen doesn’t get...
Dealing with Households

Set House Rule Barring Residents, Guests from Site's Roof

June 17, 2015    
During summer months, household members often like to use a site’s roof for recreational purposes, such as sunbathing, barbecuing, watching fireworks, or catching a breath of fresh air. But letting residents and guests use your roof could lead to liability for your site. For example, if a...
Q & A

When Does Resident's Absence Become Abandonment?

June 17, 2015    
Q A resident who moved into an assisted unit a year and a half ago has not been living there. She pays rent, but she uses the unit only as a storage space and a mail drop. She hasn’t stayed in the unit since her lease began. She admitted that, for the past year, she has been sleeping at her...
In the News

House Approves Amendment to Limit "Disparate Impact"

June 17, 2015    
Recently, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to H.R. 2578, the Fiscal Year 2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act, authored by Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., that would limit disparate impact prosecutions. The amendment would bar the Department of Justice from using funds...
In the News

Report: Renters Competing for Fewer Affordable Units Nationwide

June 17, 2015    
A report recently issued by the Furman Center at New York University and Capital One examined rental housing affordability trends in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas (New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Houston; Philadelphia; Dallas; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Atlanta; and...
In the News

HUD Seeks Input Regarding Small Area FMRs

June 17, 2015    
On June 2, in a Federal Register notice, HUD announced its intention to amend Fair Market Rent (FMR) regulations for the Housing Choice Voucher program. The notice seeks public comment regarding the use of small area FMRs (SAFMRs) in certain metropolitan areas. HUD proposes to use SAFMRs in the...
In the News

Obama Threatens to Veto GOP Spending Bill for Transportation, HUD

June 17, 2015    
President Obama has threatened to veto a $55 billion Republican funding bill for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The White House recently stated that Obama would reject the measure, which is known as THUD, on the grounds that it underfunds federal transportation...
Recent Court Rulings

Resident Didn't Harbor a Fugitive

June 17, 2015    
Facts: A resident’s daughter was arrested at the resident’s unit approximately 10 minutes after signing in on the site’s visitor log. The daughter was wanted by the police for allegedly stabbing a family member in the leg with a knife during an altercation.
Recent Court Rulings

State A.G. Can Investigate Discrimination Complaints Against City

June 17, 2015    
Facts: The City of Tempe, Ariz., challenged the authority of the Arizona Attorney General (AAG) to investigate a complaint alleging discriminatory housing practices against a municipal corporation. The City of Tempe is organized as a municipal corporation that operates Tempe Housing Services (THS...