Residents to Disclose Social Security Numbers, HUD Says

HUD is expected to announce a Final Rule implementing the revisions to the requirement for disclosure of Social Security numbers, says Linda Kornegay, director of HUD's Rental Housing Improvement Integrity Project (RHIIP) Listserv.

Once the new rule is in effect, applicants will have to disclose—and provide verification of—Social Security numbers for all household members before they can move into a unit. And residents must do the same for all current household members—if disclosure and verification has not yet occurred—by the time of their next interim or annual recertification. HUD will not permit any exceptions.

HUD is encouraging owners and managers to notify applicants and residents who have not disclosed their Social Security number (or the Social Security number of any child under 6 years of age) of this requirement. For applicants and residents who have certified that they do not have a Social Security number, HUD is requiring them to obtain one.

EDITOR'S NOTE:The new HUD rule arises out of a proposed rule published in the Federal Register in June seeking a revision of HUD's regulations at 24 C.F.R. 5.216 to require disclosure of Social Security numbers.

Further reading: For background information, see “Requiring Applicants to Show Social Security Card,” Insider, June 2007, p. 5. See also, “No SSN? Individual Taxpayer ID Is Acceptable Alternative,” in the same issue, p. 1.

Insider Source

Linda Kornegay:Director, Rental Housing Improvement Integrity Project Listserv, HUD, 451 7th St. SW, Washington, DC 20410; (202) 708-1112; linda.kornegay@hud.gov.