Not only is it a smart management practice to keep your household files up-to-date and complete, but it's also something that HUD expects you to do. And not just in time for an occupancy review or audit, but all of the time.
Sloppy files will certainly raise a red flag during a formal...
Suppose you or someone on your staff notices the young son of a resident riding his bike around your parking lot with no adult in sight. Should you scold him and send him home? Ignore him? Find his parent or guardian and lecture them?
Dealing with unsupervised children poses a real...
If you are ever approached by a resident complaining of harassment by another resident, you need to take the claim seriously and follow up accordingly. The worst thing you could do is to ignore the complaint or write it off as a personal issue just between the two residents.
The REAC scoring system has long baffled site owners and managers. With its algorithms, weights, criticalities, and levels of severity, you might think you need a degree in advanced mathematics to understand it. Not so, says REAC inspections consultant Michael Gantt.
Requesting photo identification from prospects before taking them to tour a vacant unit is a sound practice for safeguarding your staff, say security consultants. At the same time, fair housing experts caution that, unless you request photo identification from every prospect—not just those...
HUD's model lease clears the way for site owners and managers to access residents' units “for the purpose of making reasonable repairs and periodic inspections.” Doing so can help uncover unsafe or unsanitary conditions and unreported maintenance problems. Dealt with early,...
HUD's regulations governing resident participation in multifamily housing projects are found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 24 CFR Part 245. The regulations reflect HUD's commitment to resident participation, individually and through legitimate resident organizations. HUD has...
When you are calculating household income, a “freelancer” presents special challenges. Freelancers are self-employed, and their income often can be sporadic. Paragraph 5-5 of the HUD Occupancy Handbook 4350.3 considers such income to be “irregular” and provides some...
Unit kitchens can be a hot spot for deficiencies when inspection time rolls around. REAC inspectors check for an array of problems in the kitchen, both large and small, from missing or damaged countertops to leaking faucets to inoperable range hood exhaust fans. But you can minimize deficiencies...
Your staff members deal with various types of requests from residents every day. Occasionally, a resident may feel that his or her issue has not been properly acknowledged, is not being followed up on, or that things are just taking too long. Very quickly, the request can turn into a complaint....
As you work with families and individuals who apply to live at your site, you may give preference to certain categories of applicants. HUD says that it's okay to establish preferences, as long as you follow certain rules. HUD views the process of assigning preferences to applicants who meet...
The REAC Reverse Auction Program (RAP) published revised Guidelines for Scheduling REAC Inspections on Oct. 20, 2010, for inspections of multifamily and public housing sites that are awarded through the RAP. There are two exceptions: the Puerto Rico and New York Housing Authorities, which are...
