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A. J. Johnson Partners with Mid-Atlantic AHMA for April 2022 Training on Affordable Housing

March 12, 2022

During the month of April 2022, A. J. Johnson will be partnering with the MidAtlantic Affordable Housing Management Association for four live webinars intended for real estate professionals, particularly those in the affordable multifamily housing field. The following live webinars…

Recent Court Decision Confirms that ADA Does Not Apply to Private Apartment Complexes

February 20, 2022

In Saint Pierre v. NFG Housing Partners, LP (November 2021), the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not applicable to privately owned apartment communities. This is due to the…

Zillow Home Sales Draw Congressional Scrutiny

February 19, 2022

Zillow’s plans to sell a large portfolio of single-family homes to institutional investors is drawing attention from Congress. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are raising concerns that these investors will turn the homes into rental properties –…

HUD Awards $20 Million for Eviction Protection and Diversion

February 12, 2022

In a first-of-its-kind action, the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $20 million in grants from its Eviction Protection Grant Program. These grants are being awarded to legal service providers to assist their efforts in providing legal…

Treasury Inspector General Issues Report Critical of IRS LIHTC Oversight

February 5, 2022

On January 26, 2022, the Treasury Inspector General (IG) for Tax Administration released a report titled, “Oversight of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program Can Be Improved.” The audit was initiated at the request of the previous Chairman of the…

A Little Known Employment Tax Credit May Assist Multifamily Owners

January 30, 2022

Many owners and managers of affordable multifamily housing properties are finding it difficult to find qualified staff to work either at the properties or at the main office. This problem has been around for a long time but has been…

Massive Pandemic Evictions Fail to Materialize

January 23, 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, many housing experts predicted a wave of pandemic-related evictions from our nation’s apartments. There were predictions that as many as 40 million people would be put out of their homes. The wait…

Child Care and Affordable Housing – A Potential “Win/Win” for Residents and Owners

January 2, 2022

A “gray rhino” is a highly probable, high-impact yet neglected threat. These are not random surprises but occur after a series of warnings and visible evidence. The bursting of the housing bubble in 2008, the aftermath of hurricanes, and the…

A. J. Johnson to Host Live Webinar on The 4 Percent LIHTC Floor – IRS Revenue Ruling 2021-20.

December 12, 2021

A. J. Johnson will be conducting a one-hour live webinar on January 6, 2022, on The 4 Percent LIHTC Floor – IRS Revenue Ruling 2021-20. The Webinar will be held from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Eastern time. On December…

Progress Still Lacking in Distribution of ERAP Funds

November 21, 2021

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) has released findings from the organization’s latest survey of state use of funding from the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). As of late September, of the approximately $25 billion made available by…

California City Settles Claim of Discrimination Against Farmworkers

October 31, 2021

HUD has reached a Voluntary Compliance/Conciliation Agreement with the City of Santa Maria, CA, resolving allegations that the city’s enactment and enforcement of restrictions on housing for certain farmworker visa-holders in residential areas of the city violated the Fair Housing…

Social Security COLA – 2022

October 13, 2021

The federal government announced on October 13, 2021, that the Social Security Cost of Live Adjustment (COLA) for 2022 will be 5.9%, which is the largest increase since 1982 when the increase was 8.7%. This increase will provide an additional…

HUD Provides Clarity on the Granting of HOME Funds to Entities That Then Loan the HOME Funds

October 2, 2021

In a recent edition of HOMEfires, HUD made it clear that a Participating Jurisdiction (PJ) may not grant or provide HOME funds to an entity that then lends the HOME funds to the owner of an affordable rental project. This…

Major Affordable Housing Legislation Introduced in the Senate

September 11, 2021

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has introduced the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All (DASH) Act, legislation to make a generational investment to house all people experiencing homelessness, tackle the housing affordability crisis, and expand homeownership opportunities for young people by…

A. J. Johnson to Host Live Webinar on Verifying and Determining Income for Affordable Housing Applicants and Residents.

July 19, 2021

A. J. Johnson will be conducting a webinar on July 29, 2021, on Verifying and Determining Income for Affordable Housing Applicants and Residents. The Webinar will be held from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern time. A critical aspect of…

Reducing Insurance Premiums – A Key to Improving Property Cash Flow

July 10, 2021

Nationally, insurance premiums for multifamily housing make up about 4% of the total operating expenses owners face in the operation of these properties, well behind the big-ticket items like taxes (32%) and salaries/personnel (25%). Despite being a low percentage of…

HUD Proposes Restoring Discriminatory Effects Rule

July 4, 2021

On June 25, 2021, HUD announced that it will issue a proposed rule titled Restoring HUD’s Discriminatory Effects Standard. The publication proposes to rescind HUD’s 2020 disparate impact rule and restore the 2013 discriminatory effects rule. HUD believes that the…

Supreme Court Leaves CDC Eviction Moratorium in Place

June 30, 2021

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court is leaving a CDC nationwide ban on evictions due to COVID-19 in place. The Court rejected the request by a Landlord group, led by the Alabama Association of Realtors, to end the CDC…

Biden Housing Plan Stresses Housing as Infrastructure

May 29, 2021

On May 26, the Biden Administration released its full plans for a surge in new housing spending as part of the American Jobs Plan. The proposal would invest $318 billion, including $105 billion in newly proposed tax credits. The goal…

HUD Secretary Announces Increase in REAC Inspections

April 26, 2021

On April 23, 2021, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced that effective June 1, 2021, HUD will substantially increase housing inspections for properties subject to REAC. Within a few days – as early as this week – HUD will formally notify…

A. J. Johnson to Host Asset Webinar

April 18, 2021

A. J. Johnson will be conducting a webinar on April 29, 2021 on Dealing with Resident Assets at Affordable Housing Properties. The Webinar will be held from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern time. This two-hour course provides a detailed…

Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2021 Introduced in Congress

April 18, 2021

Once again, a bill has been introduced in Congress to amend the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. The “Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2021” (AHCIA) was introduced in the Senate on April 15, 2021, by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA),…

A. J. Johnson Partners with Mid-Atlantic AHMA for April Training Series

April 11, 2021

During the month of April 2021, A. J. Johnson will be partnering with the MidAtlantic Affordable Housing Management Association for two live webinars intended for real estate professionals, particularly those in the affordable multifamily housing field. The following live webinars…

HUD Publishes 2021 Income Limits

April 1, 2021

On April 1, 2021, HUD published the 2021 income limits for HUD programs as well as for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Tax-Exempt Bond programs. The limits are effective on April 1, 2021. The limits for the LIHTC and…

HCCP Online Exam Now Being Offered By A. J. Johnson Consulting Services

March 6, 2021

Starting on March 8, 2021, A. J. Johnson Consulting Services will be offering the online version of the Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) exam. Unlike the in-person exam, the online exam will be offered on an ongoing basis and need…

Democratic Control of Executive and Legislative Branches Increase Chances for Affordable Housing Initiatives

January 17, 2021

Since Senators-elect Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won the January 5 Georgia run-off elections, the Senate will be evenly divided between 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will decide the outcome of any tied votes through her…

Work Patterns Will Never Be the Same Again – Long Term Planning & Preparation is Key

January 10, 2021

Despite the death grip COVID-19 has had, the global economy is on the threshold of a burst of growth driven by technology. If long-gestating technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation fulfill their potential, we’ll have the chance to escape…

New York Passes Comprehensive Anti-Eviction Law

December 29, 2020

The New York State Legislature convened an unusual special session just after Christmas to pass one of the nation’s most comprehensive anti-eviction laws, which will ban landlords from evicting most tenants for at least another 60 days. Some studies show…

Affordable Housing Priorities of the Incoming Biden Administration

November 29, 2020

Elections have consequences. With the election of Joe Biden as President, the consequences for the affordable housing industry are likely to be very positive and will at the least put an end to the ambivalent – and even hostile – …

Updated HUD Guidance on REAC Inspections During the COVID-19 Pandemic

November 21, 2020

On November 13, 2020, HUD issued updated guidance on the inspection of Public and Multifamily Housing projects during COVID-19. This guidance was issued in the form of an updated FAQ. The FAQ is comprehensive but following is some of the…

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