On June 23, 2009, HUD issued Change 3 to Handbook 4350.3 REV-1, “Occupancy Requirements of Subsidized Multifamily Housing Programs.” The changes in the new version are not as extensive or significant as the ones HUD made in Change 2 in June 2007, but there are still some points you...
Unless it has been removed by a professional lead abatement contractor or during normal renovation or painting, most housing that was built before 1978 has some painted surfaces with layers of old lead-based paint underneath. Because exposure to even small amounts of lead can be permanently...
One of the toughest jobs of a site owner or manager is writing a good tenant selection plan. The tenant selection plan is a crucial document, says Dan Bancroft, an attorney who has written tenant selection plans for project-based sites. It gives you a way to explain and justify your decisions if...
In April 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued important new rules on renovation, repair, and painting of housing that was built before 1978. According to the EPA, the new requirements are part of a comprehensive federal effort to eliminate childhood lead poisoning.
For the first time since the 1940s, bedbugs in the past five years have become a serious problem for housing providers across the United States and Canada.
The costs of dealing with a bedbug problem can easily overwhelm a site's annual budget for pest control. Bedbug control expert...
Federal law requires housing providers to disclose to potential renters and buyers the presence of lead-based paint hazards on the premises. Almost all housing built before 1978, whether subsidized by HUD or not, is covered by the disclosure law. The penalties for noncompliance can be...
The Alabama Association of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (AAHRA) is cracking down on the unwanted presence of drug dealers and those engaging in criminal activity at its public housing sites. In February 2009, the 150-member association of housing authorities in the state revised its...
In late March, HUD announced that it was delaying the effective date of the Enterprise Income Verification System (EIV) and Social Security verification rules it issued in January (as discussed in last month's Insider). HUD has changed the effective date for the new EIV and Social...
Dealing with reasonable accommodations may be trickier than you think. Last year the Department of Justice (DOJ) and HUD jointly issued new guidance on reasonable modifications under the Fair Housing Act. Since then, HUD has issued new statements on the housing rights of disabled applicants and...
When you're dealing with households whose rent is subsidized through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, formerly known as the Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance Program, it is important to remember that it is not the same as the Project-Based Section 8 program you are familiar with....
With tens of thousands of military personnel overseas in 2003 and 2004, Congress rewrote a World War II-era law that provides certain financial protections to members of the military and their families. Today, the conflicts abroad are continuing to require the service of thousands of men and...
In late January 2009, HUD issued a final rule refining the income and rent determination requirements in its public and assisted housing programs. The final rule has two major new requirements for PHAs and multifamily housing program owners and managers:
