The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) has provided clarification on utility allowances for 2012 Multifamily Housing Program applicants. The notice does not change the application, rather provides further guidance on acceptable utility allowance submissions. For instance, PHFA has clarified that all developments must include development-paid utilities including water, sewer, electric and heating but notes that phone and TV cable services may be omitted. Each applicant must also submit “intent to serve” letters on company letter head from each of the aforementioned utility providers and current rate schedules from water and sewer utilities with documentation and calculations detailing how the utility costs were estimated. In addition, all projects receiving rental assistance must use the PHFA tenant-paid utility (TPU’s) allowances and must submit the most current rates from the authority with the correct TPUs identified.
To view the Multifamily Housing Program Guidelines Package along with instructions regarding utility allowances, click here.
