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A. J. Johnson
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Medical Marijuana Presents Management Challenges

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A. J. Johnson
As of April 2014, 21 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and two states – Washington and Colorado – have legalized recreational use of marijuana. This creates a number of issues for owners and managers of…

HUD Leadership Change

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A. J. Johnson
President Obama has nominated San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro to be the next Secretary of Housing & Urban Development. Castro will replace Shaun Donovan, who has been HUD Secretary since the election of Obama. Obama will nominate Donovan to be…

HUD Updates List of Federally Mandated Income Exclusions

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A. J. Johnson
HUD is required to periodically publish in the Federal Register a notice that lists amounts specifically excluded by any Federal Statute from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility or benefits in a HUD program. The last such notice…

Hobby vs. Self-Employment

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A. J. Johnson
As managers of affordable housing, we are often faced with applicants and residents who refer to themselves as “self-employed,” but are unable to adequately document their income. Such individuals are not generally considered self-employed since persons who are self-employed are…

Say No to Voluntary MORs

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A. J. Johnson
42 States still do not have approved Performance Based Contract Administrators (PBCAs) for the review of Section 8 properties. PBCAs in these states have no authority to conduct any type of Management & Occupancy Review (MOR)- even voluntary or “informal”…

Promise Zones Offer Potential for Affordable Housing

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A. J. Johnson
In the 2013 State of the Union address, the President announced the creation of “Promise Zones. (PZ)” The goal of these zones is to provide a mechanism for a partnership between the federal government and local governments in order to…

Casual Statements Can be Deemed Discriminatory

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A. J. Johnson
Leasing staff and others working at apartment communities should be warned about making small talk with applicants at their properties. A Massachusetts real estate broker recently learned the hard way that even a casual remark – with no ill intent…

HUD Releases 2014 HOME Income and Rent Limits

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A. J. Johnson
HUD has released the 2014 Income and Rent limits for the HOME program. The new limits will be effective May 1, 2014. To obtain the new limits go to www.onecpd.info/news/2014-home-income-and-rent-limits-published/. Keep in mind that if HOME funds are combined with…

Hoarding is Now Considered a Disability

person
A. J. Johnson
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently announced that compulsive hoarding is now considered a mental disability, and is therefore protected under the nation’s various disability related laws; this includes the fair housing laws under The Civil Rights Act of…

HUD to Ease PHA Income Verification Requirements

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A. J. Johnson
HUD is in the process of preparing new rules that will allow public housing authorities (PHAs) to drastically alter the income verification requirements for public housing and Section 8 Voucher tenants. These changes could impact owners of Low-Income Housing Tax…

DOJ Aggressively Pursuing Accessibility Cases

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A. J. Johnson
On February 24, 2014, the Department of Justice announced that a federal district court in Jackson, MS approved a settlement of a DOJ lawsuit against the original owners and developers of nine apartment complexes in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. The…

2014 Appropriations Act Makes Changes to Program Rules

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A. J. Johnson
The President signed the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act into law on January 17, 2014. In addition to funding for the Nation’s various housing programs, the Act also made some substantive changes to the law relative to Housing Choice Vouchers and…

Farm Bill Protects Rural Area Designation

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A. J. Johnson
After a three-year struggle, the Farm Bill (H.R. 2642) was finally passed by Congress on February 4, 2014, and will now go to the President, who has indicated that he will sign the bill into law. The 357 page bill…

Domestic Violence Policies

person
A. J. Johnson
Public housing and assisted housing communities (as well as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit [LIHTC] projects) are subject to the requirements of the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA). HUD is currently developing regulations to implement the VAWA provisions passed into law…

Nonprofit Set-Aside Issues for LIHTC Properties

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A. J. Johnson
IRC §42(h)(5) requires that a portion of each state’s annual credit ceiling be set aside for allocation to projects involving qualified nonprofit organizations. Specifically, at least 10% of the state’s allocable credit must be set-aside for a nonprofit pool.  …

HUD Amends Verification Requirements

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A. J. Johnson
On December 10, 2013, HUD put online a revised transmittal for Handbook 4350.3, Chg. 4. It provided clarification for verification techniques – primarily those relating to EIV disputes and discrepancies. There is also an important change to Appendix 3, Acceptable…

Fair Housing Reminders During the Holidays

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A. J. Johnson
As we approach the holiday season, it is important to remember the fair housing prohibition against discrimination on the basis of religion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being festive during the holidays. Seasonal decorations do not have to be…

Developer Fees in Eligible Basis

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A. J. Johnson
The most important calculation in the LIHTC program – at least in terms of credit generation – is qualified basis. Qualified basis is directly related to the amount of eligible basis (Eligible Basis times Applicable Fraction = Qualified Basis). So,…

Small HUD Projects Get Break from Financial Reporting

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A. J. Johnson
HUD projects that receive less than $500,000 in total federal financial assistance annually no longer have to have full financial audits performed. HUD Notice 2013-23 eliminates the audit requirement for these projects regardless of existing regulatory provisions. Owners of such…

HUD Mortgage Insurance Premiums for LIHTC Projects

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A. J. Johnson
HUD published a Notice in the Federal Register on September 26, 2013, clarifying that conventional or FHA-insured projects with existing LIHTC’s, and other affordable projects that meet LIHTC affordability criteria are eligible for the LIHTC Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) rate.…

IRS Approves Same-Sex Marriage for Tax Purposes

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A. J. Johnson
Yesterday, I sent you an email that the IRS had not yet decided whether to recognize same-sex marriage for purposes of filing a joint federal tax return. I also indicated that I believed this was clearly contrary to the Supreme…

HUD Notice on Violence Against Women Act of 2013

person
A. J. Johnson
On August 6, 2013, HUD published a Notice titled The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013): Overview of Applicability to HUD Programs. This notice provides an overview of the applicability to HUD programs of the recently enacted…

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Guidance

The Professional Property Manager's Guide to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit

An easy to understand and in-depth guide written by a nationally recognized leader in affordable housing compliance, A. J. Johnson.


The Professional Property Manager's Guide to the Violence Against Women Act

Designed to provide professionals in the affordable housing industry with an easy to understand reference manual for issues related to VAWA.

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