Requiring application deposits for tax credit units is a good way to secure applicants and get signed leases later on, especially when new or substantially rehabilitated buildings aren’t ready. But when you accept a deposit, don’t inadvertently give the applicant the impression that...
Certifying a household that includes dependents—most often children under age 18 or full-time students—isn’t complicated. But if you don’t know the specific rules on counting a dependent’s annual income, it’s easy to make mistakes. And one mistake can lead to...
While the IRS is generally responsible for the low-income housing tax credit program, in 2000 it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce fair housing laws. HUD is generally charged with...
With the beginning of spring, now is the optimal time to think about lease-ups and how you may turn over recently vacated units faster. That’s because spring and summer are the times when most sites experience their busiest leasing months. When a resident moves out, you shouldn’t let...
If you manage several tax credit sites or one very large one, you may find it hard to get an accurate day-by-day picture of how things are going at each of them. That’s because information tends to get altered in the course of reaching you. For example, maintenance staffers and leasing...
As a tax credit manager, you probably know that you can violate the “transient unit rule” if you rent units to low-income households on a transient basis. The IRS presumes that you’re complying with the rule if your initial leases with households are for a term of at least six...
In these economic times, you may have experienced an uptick in qualified applicants applying for units at your tax credit site. Unfortunately, a small subset of these applicants is probably reporting false income in an attempt to take advantage of subsidized rent rates. Recently, the Worcester...
When certifying or recertifying households at your tax credit site, it’s not uncommon to discover that a household member is the creator or beneficiary of a trust. If so, you’ll need to account for the trust when calculating the household’s income. If you don...
In the November 2012 Special Issue, we covered move-in procedures that make good first impressions on new residents. In this issue, we’ll cover an important step to perform when good residents move out, so you can assess the effectiveness of your management practices.
On Dec. 4, HUD released income limits for 2013, but revised the limits after discovering a calculation error. The revised numbers were issued Dec. 11. Under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), income limits are used to determine qualification levels as well as set maximum...
To calculate household income at tax credit sites, you’re required to follow the rules set out in HUD Handbook 4350.3 (Occupancy Requirements of Subsidized Multifamily Housing Programs). But because the Handbook was written for assisted sites, applying it to a tax credit site...
