Federal / Agency News

HUD announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Tenant Protection Voucher (TPV) award amounts for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

HUD extended the comment period for its proposed rule on the Adoption of Additional Safe Harbors for the Fair Housing Act Design and Construction Requirements. Comments were originally due on March 15 and are now due on April 13 and can be submitted here.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) posted the draft chapter three and its corresponding appendix of the updated Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide.

To protect ourselves and our families from the spread of COVID-19 and in accordance with guidance issued by the Office of Personnel Management, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund’s (CDFI Fund’s) employees will be utilizing maximum telework flexibilities beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

The offices of Multifamily Housing and Public and Indian Housing (PIH) at HUD are suspending REAC inspections until further notice in light of COVID-19. Where there is an exigent circumstance or reason to believe that there is a threat to life or property at a specific location, inspections will be conducted by HUD quality assurance inspectors.

HUD released updated Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 fair market rents (FMRs) for six areas based on new survey data: Asheville, NC HUD Metro FMR Area (HMFA), Eugene-Springfield, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), Portland, ME HMFA, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA, Worcester, MA HMFA and Guam. The revised FY 2020 FMRs for these six areas are effective on April 10, 2020.

Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the Revitalizing Economies, Housing and Business (REHAB) Act of 2020 along with Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Dan Kildee (D-MI).

HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson was added to the White House Coronavirus Task Force. While the risk of infections for Americans remains low, HUD is encouraging multifamily owners and agents, Public Housing Authorities, Performance Based Contract Administrators, FHA lenders to make the information below available to residents and employees.

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden released his housing plan, which calls for the expansion of LIHTC authority by $10 billion and the permanent authorization and expansion of the New Markets Tax Credit.

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing published a Housing Notice (HN) & Mortgagee Letter (ML) called Revision of the Section 223(f) Policy Requiring Three Years of Post-Construction Sustained Occupancy. This new policy will allow newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated projects to refinance under Section 223(f) without a three-year waiting period. 

HUD Handbook 4350.1, Chapter 38, contains useful information about disaster preparedness and maintaining an up to date disaster plan. HUD asks owners to continue to keep them apprised of property conditions and vacancies.

On February 28, 2020, HUD published updated Administrative Guidelines governing subsidy layering reviews (SLRs) for Project-Based Vouchers (PBV). Effective immediately, the New Guidelines update prior SLR guidelines issued by HUD on September 26, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 57955).