Many management companies charge employees’ travel expenses to site operating accounts. Travel expenses to visit sites, meet with owners, and attend training are allowed because charges involve work-related travel by employees who perform such frontline tasks as certification, accounting,...
The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) clearly bans intentional discrimination against applicants and others because of a protected characteristic such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Courts often refer to claims for intentional discrimination as...
Once a household has moved out of an assisted site and the unit is ready for reoccupancy, owners and managers can ask HUD to pay part of the contract rent for the vacant unit until a new eligible household moves in. HUD recognizes that owners have a potential financial risk due to limitations on...
Some of your households may have unreimbursed medical expenses that include travel expenses to and from treatment. And if any of these households are classified as elderly or disabled, HUD permits a medical expense deduction to be used to calculate their adjusted annual income. So be sure these...
As an assisted site owner or manager, you must collect security deposits from all households when they move in. The security deposit is a dollar amount that’s intended to protect you by covering damage to the premises beyond normal wear and tear, and by cushioning the financial blow if a...
Along with the cold weather comes the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that kills an estimated 1,000 people each year, according to the National Safety Council.
HUD has issued two notices in the past three years that outline the penalties that owners or managers of HUD-assisted sites may face if they violate tenant participation requirements. HUD’s tenant participation rule requires certain owners to let organizers canvass residents and allow them...
As the holiday shopping season wanes and daylight hours are minimal, we are reminded of the importance of parking lot safety and the continued need to be vigilant in the coming months. Typically, there’s a spike in reported thefts during and shortly after the holiday season as residents...
On Dec. 10, a revised transmittal for the 4350.3 REV-1, CHG-4 Handbook appeared online. It was signed by Carol Galante, Assistant Secretary for Housing, and its issue date was Nov. 27, 2013. Here are the changes based on the transmittal:
In September, HUD Inspector General David Montoya testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee. He highlighted the challenges of conducting investigations with HUD’s limited staffing capacity after sequestration as more fraudulent and abusive activity surfaces within...
Chances are, your site contains “mixed” households—that is, households that, in addition to U.S. citizens and/or eligible noncitizens, include ineligible noncitizens. Special rules apply to the assistance these mixed households can get. For example, you’ll need to prorate...
Very often, household members applying to or already living at a site say they need to have an aide live with them to help them with daily tasks. If a resident who is elderly (age 62 or older) or near elderly (age 50 or older) or who has a disability, asks you to allow her to have a live-in aide...
