High-speed Internet at home has become essential for school, work, and many other areas of life during the pandemic. Some of your households may be struggling to afford an Internet connection. In an April Pew Research survey of American parents with children attending school remotely, 36 percent...
On Jan. 20, President Biden issued Executive Order 13988, titled “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” The order directed executive branch agencies to examine further steps that could be taken to combat such discrimination....
With the aging of the U.S. population, you may find that the average age of your residents and applicants seeking units is older. Helping residents to age in place safely is a win-win for both owners and residents. Residents typically want to live independently for as long as possible, and...
Residents may ask employees to do personal tasks such drop off their dry cleaning or fix a stereo or some other personal equipment. This puts owners in a delicate position because, on one hand, allowing such employee behavior opens you up to liability risks, and on the other hand, barring...
If you manage a blended-occupancy or mixed-finance site that includes LIHTC and Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance program compliance, you should know that HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) recently released a memorandum that details the return-to-operations plan for...
By signing a lease agreement, a resident agrees to follow the terms of the lease. If the tenant breaks a clause of this contract, an owner must often first send the tenant a “Notice to Quit.” A Notice to Quit is a formal legal document an owner sends a resident in an attempt to fix a...
A private letter ruling (PLR) is a written response the IRS issues to an owner or taxpayer when the owner asks a question about the tax effects of its acts or transactions. For example, you may not know whether the IRS can give the owner more time to elect the site’s minimum set-aside, or...
As part of its compliance monitoring responsibilities, a state housing agency must conduct on-site physical inspections and review low-income certifications and other documentation. The agency must perform these inspections and certification reviews at least once every three years after the...
Have you ever had a resident complain to you about another resident’s harassing or abusive behavior? Maybe the other resident is loudly insulting him or, worse, using racial epithets. You might be tempted to ignore the problem. But your decision could be costly. The resident who’s...
Your common areas play a major role in your site’s success. They’re the areas that your residents share and prospective renters see first. But your residents may cause problems in your common areas, inadvertently or otherwise. They may leave their garbage out, store personal property...
One way residents may steal electricity is by stealing from the building supply. Residents may tamper with wiring and hook up directly to your building’s metered electricity supply. A resident who does this taps into power that you’re paying for. Another way to steal electricity is...
HUD recently released a proposed rule that would revise the 2013 disparate impact rule, which set the standard for determining when a practice with a discriminatory effect violates the Fair Housing Act. Disparate impact is a legal doctrine under the Fair Housing Act which states that a policy...
