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HUD Proposed Rule on Small Area Fair Market Rents – June 16, 2016

June 25, 2016

In the June 16, 2016, Federal Register, HUD published a proposed rule titled, “Establishing a More Effective Fair Market Rent System; Using Small Area Fair Market Rents in Housing Choice Voucher Program Instead of the Current 50th Percentile FMRs.” …

HUD Demonstration Program on Housing Choice Voucher Physical Inspections

May 29, 2016

A. J. Johnson

On April 27, 2016, HUD published in the Federal Register a “Notice of Demonstration to Test Proposed New Method of Assessing the Physical Conditions of Voucher-Assisted Housing.” Through this Notice, HUD is seeking comments on a demonstration designed to…

HUD Announces Housing Trust Fund Awards – May 5, 2016

May 5, 2016

A. J. Johnson

On May 5, 2016, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the fiscal year 2016 Funding Awards for the Housing Trust Fund HTF). HUD had originally estimated that $120 million would be allocated in 2016, but this notice…

HUD Releases Final AFFH Assessment Tool

April 10, 2016

A. J. Johnson

HUD Releases Final AFFH Assessment Tool On March 23, 2016, HUD published a Notice in the Federal Register regarding the final Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment tool. This tool is for Public Housing Agencies. HUD had already released assessment…

HUD Issues Guidance on Criminal Record Screening

April 6, 2016

A. J. Johnson

On April 4, 2016, the HUD Office of General Counsel (Helen R. Kanovsky) issued guidance on the relationship of using criminal records as a screening tool for housing decisions to federal fair housing laws. The essence of the guidance is…

HUD Publishes 2016 Income Limits

March 28, 2016

A. J. Johnson

On March 28, 2016, HUD published the 2016 income limits for HUD programs as well as for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Tax-Exempt Bond programs. The limits for the LIHTC and Bond projects are published separately from the limits…

Defining “Principal Residence” for Affordable Housing Purposes

March 13, 2016

A. J. Johnson

Defining “Principal Residence” for Affordable Housing Purposes Virtually all affordable housing programs, including Section 8 and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), require that the lessees of the unit use apartments being rented under the applicable program as a…

National Housing Trust Fund Money Now Available

March 6, 2016

A. J. Johnson

National Housing Trust Fund The National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) was established as part of HERA 2008, and will provide communities with funds to build, preserve and rehabilitate rental homes that are affordable for extremely low and very low-income…

Airbnb and Affordable Housing

March 5, 2016

A. J. Johnson

Airbnb: A Potential Challenge for Affordable Housing Properties Airbnb is a website for people to list, find, and rent lodging. It has over 1.5 million listings in 190 countries. Users of the system must register and create an online…

Cash for Rent – Can Apartment Communities Refuse

February 15, 2016

A. J. Johnson

Cash for Rent – Can Apartment Communities Refuse? It has long been considered a “best practice” in the multifamily housing world not to accept cash rent payments. There are many good reasons not to accept rent payments in cash,…

Boosting Rent (and Therefore Value) for Apartments Through Design and Improvements

February 14, 2016

A. J. Johnson

Boosting Rent (and Therefore Value) for Apartments Through Design and Improvements Whether purchasing or renting, the nation’s 75 million Millennials have strong opinions about what they expect in terms of housing. This age group (mid-20s to mid-3os) constitutes a…

Graffiti Removal and Restoration

January 16, 2016

A. J. Johnson

Graffiti Removal & Restoration When providing training on preparing properties for physical inspections, I always spend a little time talking about graffiti removal. I have recently received a number of email requests from clients for suggestions on how to…

Computing Adjustments to the Allowable Annual Credit for LIHTC Properties

December 6, 2015

A. J. Johnson

At the conclusion of an audit of a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) taxpayer, the IRS will determine whether any adjustments to the amount of annual credit are appropriate. This will be done after auditing the eligible basis, applicable…

Satellite Dishes – Rights of Landlords and Residents

November 28, 2015

A. J. Johnson

Federal rules published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) give residents of apartment communities the right to install satellite dishes at an apartment community, subject to FCC limits. Many landlords are still unsure of exactly what the rules permit residents…

The Determination of Qualified Basis for LIHTC Projects

November 27, 2015

A. J. Johnson

The Determination of Qualified Basis for LIHTC Projects Qualified basis is a portion of a low-income building’s eligible basis associated with the low-income units. In simplest terms, it represents the amount of money spent on the construction of a building…

Eligible Basis: IRS Reconciliation of Allowable Costs

October 24, 2015

A. J. Johnson

During an audit, a primary point of examination by the IRS will be the reconciliation of eligible basis, and identification of large, unusual or questionable items. Reconciliation of Eligible Basis The eligible basis shown on Line 7 of…

No Increase in 2016 Social Security Rates

October 15, 2015

A. J. Johnson

The federal government announced today that the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2016 will be zero. This means that there will be no change in the Social Security income of SS recipients for the upcoming year. Owners…

HUD Moving Aggressively on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

August 17, 2015

A. J. Johnson

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is moving forward aggressively with the departments new “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” campaign to desegregate the country’s primarily white neighborhoods. Rockford, IL will be an early test for HUD’s ability to impose…

RHS and HUD Merger Potential

May 29, 2015

A. J. Johnson

During a recent hearing before a House Financial Services panel, a representative of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Housing & Insurance Subcommittee Chair Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) argued that the Rural Housing Service (RHS) should be moved from the Department…

HUD Notice CPD-15-02, Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities – February 20, 2015

May 17, 2015

A. J. Johnson

HUD published Notice CPD-15-02 on February 20, 2015, providing further guidance on the placement of transgender persons in single-sex emergency shelters and other facilities. This guidance is provided in order to clarify the final rule published by HUD on February…

Federal Preemption of State Landlord-Tenant Law

April 24, 2015

A. J. Johnson

A recent ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court reaffirms the constitutional doctrine of Federal preemption. In Milwaukee City Housing Authority v. Cobb, March 2015, the Milwaukee Authority sued to evict a resident because he had violated the terms of his…

Davis-Bacon Requirements for Project Based Vouchers

March 14, 2015

A. J. Johnson

HUD issued a Notice in the March 9, 2015 Federal Register providing further guidance on when Davis-Bacon wage requirements may apply to existing housing developments. This guidance relates to the final rule published by HUD on June 25, 2014 amending…

Update of Housing Trust Fund – February 18, 2015

February 18, 2015

A. J. Johnson

As I noted in an earlier article, HUD has published interim regulations regarding how the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) program will be administered when funds are made available (hopefully in 2016). A final rule is anticipated before Summer 2015. Developers…

HUD Publishes Interim Rule on Administration of the Housing Trust Fund

February 3, 2015

A. J. Johnson

The Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) established a Housing Trust Fund (HTF) to be administered by HUD. The purpose of the HTF is to provide grants to State governments to increase and preserve the supply of rental…

Poverty Guidelines Published by HHS – Income Limits to Follow

January 31, 2015

A. J. Johnson

On January 22, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services published the 2015 Poverty Guidelines in the Federal Register. These guidelines are used to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs, including HUD Subsidized housing programs. HUD had…

E-Book on LIHTC Compliance Now Available

January 22, 2015

A. J. Johnson

As you well know, the federal low-income housing tax credit program is complicated. Staying in compliance with all of the program’s rules – and successfully interpreting the gray areas – is essential for all of the players involved in projects:…

Five Reasons to Go Smoke Free at Multifamily Properties

January 15, 2015

A. J. Johnson

I have worked with a number of clients in assisting them to transition from smoking to non-smoking at their multifamily properties, and in all cases, the change has been positive – for both the owner and the residents. However, I…

Importance of Regular Review of Company Handbooks & Policies

December 27, 2014

A. J. Johnson

Many property management companies create operations and compliance handbooks and policies to assist staff in understanding the company’s operational procedures. Once completed, the handbooks and policies are rarely (if ever) reviewed and updated. A periodic audit of a company’s employment…

2014 Year End Legislative Efforts

December 13, 2014

A. J. Johnson

As always, the end of the year brings intense legislative activity in Washington. Recent actions affecting housing include the following: House Tax Extender Package The House passed the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 on December 3, which will…

Citi Bank Loan Program

October 27, 2014

A. J. Johnson

Developers looking to put together LIHTC deals in California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Delaware, Washington DC, and Florida have a new financing option available to them. Citi Bank has released guidance for its new affordable rental-housing program – The…

Information for Your Business

HUD Proposed Rule on Small Area Fair Market Rents – June 16, 2016

HUD Demonstration Program on Housing Choice Voucher Physical Inspections

HUD Announces Housing Trust Fund Awards – May 5, 2016

HUD Releases Final AFFH Assessment Tool

HUD Issues Guidance on Criminal Record Screening

HUD Publishes 2016 Income Limits

Defining “Principal Residence” for Affordable Housing Purposes

National Housing Trust Fund Money Now Available

Airbnb and Affordable Housing

Cash for Rent – Can Apartment Communities Refuse

Boosting Rent (and Therefore Value) for Apartments Through Design and Improvements

Graffiti Removal and Restoration

Computing Adjustments to the Allowable Annual Credit for LIHTC Properties

Satellite Dishes – Rights of Landlords and Residents

The Determination of Qualified Basis for LIHTC Projects

Eligible Basis: IRS Reconciliation of Allowable Costs

No Increase in 2016 Social Security Rates

HUD Moving Aggressively on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

RHS and HUD Merger Potential

HUD Notice CPD-15-02, Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities – February 20, 2015

Federal Preemption of State Landlord-Tenant Law

Davis-Bacon Requirements for Project Based Vouchers

Update of Housing Trust Fund – February 18, 2015

HUD Publishes Interim Rule on Administration of the Housing Trust Fund

Poverty Guidelines Published by HHS – Income Limits to Follow

E-Book on LIHTC Compliance Now Available

Five Reasons to Go Smoke Free at Multifamily Properties

Importance of Regular Review of Company Handbooks & Policies

2014 Year End Legislative Efforts

Citi Bank Loan Program

Online Training

Guidance

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