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A. J. Johnson

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Familial Status Discrimination Case Illustrates Importance of Treatment of Children

October 3, 2014

On Friday, July 25, 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced an agreement with the owners of Woodland Garden Apartments in Fremont, California, settling allegations of discrimination against families with children. Under the Consent Order, the owners are required…

Changes in Administration of State Supplementary Payments (SSP)

October 1, 2014

Almost all states have a Supplementary Payments (SSP) Program, which supplements the Federal Supplemental Security benefit (SSI), which is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). In the past, many states had their program administered by the SSA, making it…

HUD Issues Notice Regarding LGBT Protections

September 16, 2014

On August 20, 2014, HUD published Notice PIH 2014-20 (HA), which provides details on the final rule published by HUD on February 3, 2012 guaranteeing equal access to housing in HUD programs regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. This…

HUD REAC Rules Updated (August 12, 2014)

August 31, 2014

HUD released HUD Compilation Bulletin on August 12, 2014, providing updated guidance to REAC inspectors regarding when certain areas of properties are not to be inspected for REAC purposes and changing the way certain inspection elements will be reviewed. These…

Violence Against Womens Act (VAWA) Recommendations Relative to the LIHTC Program

August 24, 2014

United States Code Title 42, Chapter 136, Subchapter III, effective March 7, 2013, provides housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The following housing programs are required to comply with the VAWA: *Supportive…

RD Proposed Amendment to 3560 Regarding Reserve Accounts (August 2014)

August 15, 2014

On August 13, 2014, the Rural Housing Service (RHS) issued a Proposed Rule to amend 7 CFR 3560.306 (e) (2) to change the requirements of the Reserve Account for Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Projects that also have funding from…

Uniform Relocation Act Requirements

August 2, 2014

Overview of the Uniform Relocation Act (URA) The Uniform Act, passed by Congress in 1970, is a federal law that establishes minimum standards for federally funded programs and projects that require the acquisition of real property or displace persons from…

HUD Update of Tenant Participation Requirements – June 13, 2014

July 20, 2014

On June 13, 2014, HUD issued a memorandum amending Notice H 2012-21, Implementation of Tenant Participation Requirements. Section F of the Notice was amended, and clarifies what information must be included in written complaints from tenants. The Notice…

Insufficent Recertification Notices Void Landlord Right to Collect Contract Rent

July 18, 2014

If owners and managers of HUD Project-Based Section 8 properties doubt the importance of ensuring that tenant notices contain the exact wording required by HUD, a recent court case out of New York [Lambert Houses Redevelopment Company v. Jobi, May…

Medical Marijuana and Multifamily Housing

July 14, 2014

Medical Marijuana and Multifamily Housing An increasing number of states are legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,…

HUD Implements HERA Changes to Tenant Based and Project Based Vouchers

July 6, 2014

On June 25, 2014, HUD published a notice implementing changes made by the Housing & Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008 to the Tenant Based and Project Based Voucher Programs. Two changes will make it easier to use Project-based…

HUD Notice on Implementation of FY 2014 Appropriations Provisions

June 29, 2014

On June 25, 2014, HUD published a Notice establishing the terms and conditions by which HUD will implement changes to the statutory definition of a “public housing agency” (PHA), the frequency of housing inspections, the statutory definition of “extremely low-income,”…

General Partner Removal – Rights of the Limited Partner

June 29, 2014

The Delaware Supreme Court recently decided a case important to investors and developers of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit housing. The case (DV Realty Advisors LLC v. Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, DEFAX Case No. D65838 {Del. 2013}), is…

Medical Marijuana Presents Management Challenges

May 30, 2014

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

May 29, 2014

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

May 29, 2014

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

May 3, 2014

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…

VAWA Model Emergency Transfer Plan for RD Multifamily Housing Projects

May 2, 2014

On February 10, 2014, the Rural Development Service issued Administrative Notice (AN) No. 4747 (1944-N), titled “Implementation of 42 U.S.C. 14043-e 11 of the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act in Rural Development’s Multi-Family Housing Programs.” The AN provides guidance…

Say No to Voluntary MORs

May 2, 2014

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

April 27, 2014

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…

Failure to Spot Unauthorize Occupants Can Lead to HUD and IRS Problems

April 26, 2014

A recent court case (Matthews v. Housing Authority of Baltimore City, March 2014) shows the importance of keeping track of who is living in your HUD assisted or tax credit units. Both HUD and the IRS have strict requirements relative…

Requiring Adult Supervision of Children May Cross the Line to a Fair Housing Violation

April 25, 2014

A recent fair housing court case (Dumas v. Sunview Properties, February 2014) has clarified that while it is OK to have property rules relating to the safety of children, rules relating to behavior and rules requiring unreasonable supervision of children…

Casual Statements Can be Deemed Discriminatory

April 19, 2014

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

April 18, 2014

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

April 12, 2014

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

April 11, 2014

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

March 8, 2014

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…

Draft House Tax Reform Act of 2014 Retains (but changes) LIHTC Program

February 28, 2014

On February 26, 2014, the House Ways & Means Committee under Chairman David Camp released a discussion draft Tax Reform Act of 2014. While tax reform almost certainly not going to happen in 2014, this draft proposal is significant in…

Social Security Administration Changes Rules Regarding Proof of Income Letters

February 28, 2014

On February 4, 2014, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that effective October 1, 2014, SSA field offices will no longer offer benefit verification letters. Budget cuts are responsible for this cutback. Households needing verification of SS benefits should now…

2014 Appropriations Act Makes Changes to Program Rules

February 23, 2014

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…

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