AHTCS Blog

Does your Tenant Selection Plan Go Far Enough?

Evan Einhorn — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:40:34 +0000

When a tenant requires services that you don’t offer, does the tenant then need to consider assisted living rather than independent living? Does your Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) address whether your community is an independent living facility versus an assisted living community?

Recently a Section 8 property manager called me about a situation she had [...]

Unit Inspections for Section 8 Housing

Evan Einhorn — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:30:43 +0000

I hate cleaning…well, I hate some aspects of it. I don’t mind vacuuming or mopping the floors…but I know I dislike dusting which makes me sneeze. No Matter how much I dislike cleaning, it is imperative to have well maintained affordable housing units. Having a clean and well maintained property contributes to a healthy environment [...]

MOR’s May Be Suspended, But Let’s Pretend They Weren’t!

Evan Einhorn — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:13:06 +0000

As you may or may not have noticed, nobody from HUD or your Contract Administrator is knocking on your door to perform your annual management occupancy review (MOR). This past year all of the performance-based contracts went out for re-bid. Some PBCA’s were happy with the results but most were not. The eleven PBCA awards [...]

How to Deal with Extended Absence or Abandonment in Section 8

Evan Einhorn — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:32:55 +0000

I recently received a call from a client asking how long should a resident be considered a tenant if they are only there 6 months a year. What is a reasonable amount of time before you determine that this tenant has been gone for a while? Is it 2 weeks, 4 weeks…what is the limit [...]

Just Announced — HUD Releases 2012 Income Limits

Evan Einhorn — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:15:03 +0000

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has just released the 2012 Income Limits for both LIHTC and Section 8 however they are on separate web pages. The MTSP income limits are to only be used by projects financed with tax-exempt housing bonds – referred to by HUD as Multifamily Tax Subsidy Projects [...]

Carbon Monoxide Detector Mandates

Evan Einhorn — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:54:51 +0000

“Safety First”…is one of those phrases we hear quite often…especially if you have kids or loved ones. When it comes to where we live, no matter what type of affordable housing we live in there resides the possibility of the silent killer…Carbon Monoxide. HUD has created a division called Healthy Homes Program to combat this [...]

AHTCS, LLC provides HUD Section 8 file audit and file reviews

Evan Einhorn — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:45:24 +0000

AHTCS, LLC will perform a complete HUD Section 8 file audit of your resident files to determine errors, weaknesses, lapses in performance, missing or inadequate documentation, etc. Upon completion of the file audit, we will complete all required corrective actions that must be completed to correct the Errors/Findings. The file audit is based on the [...]

October TRACS Industry Working Group Meeting

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:32:29 +0000

Our TRACS industry meeting began on a sad note: Willie Spearman, Gail Williamson and Deb Lear have announced their retirement from HUD. These three individuals have made large contributions to the multifamily housing industry. They will be sorely missed!

Also discussed at the TRACS industry 202D working group meeting last week was how to address [...]

Best practices for affordable housing Section 8 Owner/Agents that work!

Evan Einhorn — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:03:27 +0000

I have attempted to assemble a list of best practices observed by O/A’s that work with multifamily affordable housing. The list is not all inclusive or in order of importance. The ideas presented are merely another tool to assist O/A’s in the challenging role of retaining tenants and trying to keep units fully occupied by [...]

Implementing an Integrated Pest Management Strategy for Affordable Housing Properties

Evan Einhorn — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:44:46 +0000

My kids can be pests but that is story for a different day. Pests on a property are certainly no joking matter.

Maintaining your property is no easy feat and when you add the unpredictable and uninvited guests…well it can be an arduous task to get rid of them. Having the right strategy for pest [...]

Revised EIV Notice 2011-21 Issued – August 19, 2011

Evan Einhorn — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:33:52 +0000

Housing Notice 2011-21, Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) System, was issued today, August 19, 2011. This Notice supersedes Notices H 2008-03, H 2009-20, and H 2010-10. The Notice is posted on our website at: http://www.ahtcsonline.com/Industry Links/HUD Notices/HUD_Notice-H11-21.pdf.

The revised Notice:

Clarifies that IPAs may use printed EIV documents when auditing an owner’s compliance (An IPA is [...]

Save Money, Save the Environment going “Green” at your Affordable Housing Property

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:53:25 +0000

I think it should be clear now to everyone that conservation or “Going Green” as they say, isn’t just for those “Hippie” types and not just a trend. Conservation is our overdue way of showing respect for our environment. Respecting our environment and capitalizing on this new way of life can also be achieved at [...]

There are no Vacancies for Sexual Predators in Affordable Housing

Evan Einhorn — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:23:30 +0000

There is no doubt about it, I am a “News Hound”. I watch the news all of the time. One of the most gripping headlines always includes how a woman or a child was assaulted by a sexual predator. MSNBC has even created a long going documentary called “To Catch a Predator”.

I have [...]

Landlord Refuses to Rent to a Woman with Children

Evan Einhorn — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:35:18 +0000

I recently read the most appalling article where HUD brought charges to the owner of a five-unit apartment building in Lebanon, NH, for violating the Fair Housing Act because the landlord allegedly refused to rent one of the units to a family with children. HUD is pursuing these charges on behalf of a mother with [...]

Planting the Seed in Affordable Housing

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:45:07 +0000

Looking out of my office window and anticipating the snow’s disappearance, I am anxiously awaiting the emergence of my flowering bulbs. I was reminded of how my three little boys and I planted the seeds and bulbs last year. Even more important was the memory of how much fun it was when we all worked [...]

CA’s obligation to reconcile the Voucher with the property

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:06:23 +0000

In the past year or so I have had two clients who after several months of having their vouchers revised by their CA, were not given any reason for the revision and when they inquired as to why their voucher was revised they were simply told to “figure it out on their own”. I got [...]

Preparing for your next Physical REAC Inspection

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:03:20 +0000

You wouldn’t believe how many affordable housing property owners & property managers I have spoken to who were in a state of panic because they were getting ready for their REAC inspection. My advice to those is just be prepared the best you can. Easier said than done, huh? Not really. My first suggestion is [...]

What should be included in the EIV “Master File?”

Evan Einhorn — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:35:29 +0000

Let us discuss which EIV reports should be maintained in the file. There is no doubt that HUD’s RHIIP initiative (through EIV) has done a great job to reduce over-payments and underpayments to HUD. On the other hand, a great responsibility has been added to the O/A in regard to HUD reporting. I must say, [...]

Section 8 Renewal Guide and M2M Operating Procedures

Evan Einhorn — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:42:51 +0000

Section 8 Renewal Guide and M2M Operating Procedures Guide Set Policy for Renewing Section 8 Project Based Contracts (RHIIP Listserv Posting # 247)

The policy document for renewing Section 8 contracts not subject to restructuring is the Section 8 Renewal Guide that is posted on the HUD website at http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/mfh/mfhsec8.cfm. This Guide and the [...]

Our HUD Multifamily Industry Resources

Evan Einhorn — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:49:05 +0000

During an average day of property management you may find yourself confronted with an issue and asking yourself “what am I supposed to do now?”. We may or may not realize during the heat of the moment that there are resources that are afforded to us within our industry to answer that very question. There [...]

Choosing the right affordable housing software vendor

Evan Einhorn — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:10:34 +0000

Selecting the right affordable housing software vendor is a task which, in my opinion, is like shopping for a new car. How much do you have to spend? Do you want just a car? Do you want an SUV? Or do you need a truck? Once you pick the type of vehicle you want, then [...]

Renters’ Insurance for all Section 8 Tenants

Evan Einhorn — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:25:40 +0000

Notice to all tenants: Your affordable housing property owner’s insurance policy will not cover your losses due to theft or damage.

Renters’ insurance is one of the best investment a tenant could make and it’s very inexpensive. It covers you when there is loss due to theft or damage caused by other people or natural [...]

Disaster Recovery for your affordable housing property…are you prepared?

Evan Einhorn — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:33:43 +0000

What to do, Where to go and What about the office? We never expect tragedy to hit home, but what if…. Listen, if we could predict the future, we would all be very wealthy. But we can’t! What you can do is be as prepared as you can be. Let me ask you, when is [...]

HUD Proposes New Rule To Ensure Equal Access To Housing Regardless Of Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity

Evan Einhorn — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:18:30 +0000

HUD recently published regulations intended to ensure that it’s housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. I think that it is important to note that we don’t see this as any political debate but rather an issue of fairness. Discrimination is never okay. What ever our views [...]

HUD Notice H10-21 “Optional Smoke-Free Housing Policy Implementation.”

Evan Einhorn — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:31:17 +0000

Since I have had recent inquiries abut this policy it spurred me to think how such a policy could affect the multifamily affordable housing owner. The HUD issued Notice H10-21 “Optional Smoke-Free Housing Policy Implementation” encourages owners and management agents to implement smoke-free housing policies in some or all of the properties they own or [...]