In the News

HUD Releases FY 2015 Income Limits

March 16, 2015    
On March 6, 2015, HUD released the FY 2015 income limits and FY 2015 median family income estimates. These income limits are used to determine income eligibility for HUD’s assisted housing programs, including public housing, Section 8, Section 202, and Section 811. Participating owners must...
In the News

HUD and Berlin, N.H., Settle Housing Discrimination Allegations

March 16, 2015    
HUD recently announced that it had reached a Conciliation Agreement with the city of Berlin, N.H. The agreement settles allegations that the municipality violated the Fair Housing Act when it enacted an ordinance requiring owners to evict tenants cited three or more times for “disorderly...
In the News

Lourdes Castro Ramírez to Lead Office of Public and Indian Housing

March 16, 2015    
HUD Secretary Julían Castro announced in a Feb. 27 letter to HUD employees that he was appointing Lourdes Castro Ramírez to be Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing (PIH).
Recent Court Rulings

Owner Not Required to Move Resident to Two-Bedroom Unit

March 16, 2015    
Facts: A disabled African-American resident sued a New York owner for discrimination based on her race or her disability. The resident lives in a one-bedroom unit with a daughter who’s also her live-in aide. According to the owner, the resident never added her daughter as an additional tenant...
Recent Court Rulings

Resident Submitted Photographs in Lieu of Inspections

March 16, 2015    
Facts: A Section 8 resident failed an initial inspection to check whether she’s maintaining her unit in compliance with federal standards. Federal law requires that all housing assisted by the voucher program meet certain housing quality standards at the start of occupancy and throughout the...
Recent Court Rulings

Former PHA Chairperson Not Liable for Discrimination

March 16, 2015    
Facts: A Section 8 resident sued the former chairperson of the local PHA’s board of commissioners. The resident claimed that the chairperson improperly allowed the director of the Section 8 program at the PHA to terminate the resident from the Section 8 program because of the resident’s...
The Trainer

The Trainer — April 2015

March 16, 2015    
Complying with HUD’s Equal Access Rule In this month’s feature, we discussed a recent HUD rule relating to the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), which bans discrimination against applicants and residents on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or...
Feature

Take Proper Steps When Terminating Over-Income Households' Assistance

February 13, 2015    
Do you have households at your site that were eligible for housing assistance when they moved in but aren’t anymore? These are households whose income has increased enough that they’re no longer eligible for assistance because they can now afford to pay the gross rent. The HUD Handbook...
Q & A

Disposing of House for Less than Fair Market Value

February 13, 2015    
Q An elderly couple at our assisted site owned a house that their son was living in. Last year, they sold it to him. I understand it was a “sweetheart deal,” allowing him to buy it at very low cost. For recertification purposes, what is the rule about disposing of an asset for less than...
Q & A

Classifying Assets Placed into an Irrevocable Burial Trust

February 13, 2015    
Q If an applicant puts monies into an irrevocable burial trust, would that be considered an asset disposed of for less than fair market value? I have an applicant who put monies into an irrevocable burial trust a few months before the anticipated move-in date.