Drug dealing at assisted sites isn't just a problem for law enforcement. It's also a severe threat to sites' profitability and livability. Drug dealers and their customers often vandalize site security features to ensure ready access to dealers' units or to nonpublic areas where...
The stock market has been incredibly volatile this past year. As a result, some of your residents may have experienced significant reductions in the value of their stock portfolio and may be asking for interim recertifications. Others may have had the benefit of a positive swing in their...
On Aug. 16, HUD issued Notice H2011-20 on the subject of bedbugs in project-based assisted housing programs. Bedbug infestations have become a serious problem in housing throughout the country, and the notice provides information and references to best practices regarding the prevention and...
You're probably familiar with HUD's requirement that you calculate elderly households' medical expense allowances at each recertification based on the households' medical expenses during the prior year. Generally, HUD says, the allowance covers households' “anticipated...
Long-term guests can be big-time headaches at assisted sites. Some residents abuse their housing assistance by letting guests stay over with them frequently or continuously. Residents may think that you won't care because they believe they're using resources at HUD's expense.
Suppose a household member is injured on the job and tells you that he'll be getting workers' compensation benefits for a number of weeks. Like many managers, you may have little experience with income from employee benefits. But with the increasing popularity of welfare-to-work programs...
Having a well-maintained laundry room at one's site is a definite plus for owners and households. Owners can benefit from ancillary income, and households don't have to find off-site laundromats, where they may have to spend hours waiting for machines. But a laundry room can quickly turn...
As HUD's largest rental assistance program, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program plays a key role in preventing homelessness and supporting local rental markets—particularly in a bad economy. Over the past three years, the country has struggled with persistently high...
Many Section 8 sites need to be refinanced, and their owners often include the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program as part of the sites' new financial structure. But once an owner receives an allocation of tax credits for a Section 8 site, the site manager must approve only those...
Many site managers don't know how to handle applications from households headed by minors or including minor co-heads or spouses. By definition, a minor is an individual under the age of full legal responsibility. Therefore, a minor's signature on a lease is generally not legally binding...
On July 29, HUD posted Notice PIH 2011-44 entitled “Guidance on EPA's Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule, and the EPA-HUD Lead Disclosure Rule.” The notice provides guidance to public housing authorities (PHAs) and...
