Affordable Housing Connections
January 2021 Newsletter
We are Expanding....
At AHC, we deliver monitoring and consulting services to governmental organizations, property owners and managers; and education to individuals who aspire to leadership in the affordable housing industry. Our aim is to protect the investment of private equity and tax dollars and to ensure continued quality affordable rental housing.
Are you our new Office Manager?
IMPORTANT DATE: LIHTC & HOME Program Reporting Deadline 2/16/2021
*Instructional email sent to Owner's and Management Agent Contact on 1/6/2021*
Required documents located within Egnyte secured folders
Submission Package Requirements:
1. Owner 2020 CHART Authorization for each project
2. Signed HTC12, HTC12(Y15) and HOME program Owner's Certification including any applicable supporting documentation
3. PY2020 completed HTC and/or HOME CHART Report
4. All completed UA schedules effective during the reporting period
- For project with allocated credits, but not yet Placed in Service, use the owner certification form found in the HTC 12 only CHART on tab HTC 12. Complete the top portion of the HTC12 form, check the box indicating “No buildings have been Placed in Service”. Skip all other items and have the owner representative sign and date the form.
- Projects with tax credits issued by a Suballocator for which AHC conducts compliance monitoring.
- Projects with tax credits and HOME issued by a Suballocator for which AHC conducts compliance monitoring.
HOME CHART PY2020 is to be used for the following type of project:
- All HOME projects that do not have tax credits issued by a Suballocator but that contracts with AHC for monitoring.
- Projects with either a 42m letter or Carryover letter issued prior to 12/31/20 must report with both an HTC12 and an HTC12 Only CHART, whether or not placed in service.
- Projects with tax credits issued by a Suballocator for which AHC conducts compliance monitoring and have no buildings placed in service in 2020.
- Projects with tax credits with at least one building placed in service in 2020 but owner elected to not claim credits in 2020.
Updated CHART Guide
2021 Suballocator Manuals
Suballocator Manuals have been updated for 2021 and are posted to our website. The manuals include reference to new compliance monitoring regulations, language regarding the use of electronic signatures, clarifications on rent increases, and other minor clarifications. Please be sure to review the updated manuals and reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Electronic Signatures, Transmission and Storage
In response to HUD Notice H 20-04, Suballocators will now accept the use of electronic signatures for owner signed documents and in tenant files. AHC will accept dated electronic/digital signatures from electronic signature software including but not limited to AdobeSign, DocuSign, HelloSign, RightSignature and SignNow, on the Owner Certifications (for both LIHTC and HOME), the CHART Authorization and the Certification of Material Participation of Nonprofit. If you do not have access to electronic signature software, AHC will continue to accept PDFs of these forms signed with original (wet) signature and date.
AHC will not fail a tenant file solely because it contains documents signed by electronic means as long as the owner has followed the guidance in HUD Notice H 20-04. Applicants and tenants must still be given the option to use wet signatures on paper, if requested. As part of the inspection of administrative records, AHC will review the owner’s e-signature policy and procedures, if applicable, to determine whether the requirements of HUD Notice H 20-04 are being satisfied for the use of electronic signatures.
Leadership in Affordable Housing Certificate Launches!
The Leadership in Affordable Housing Certificate (LAHC) program collaboration with Hamline University is off to a great start!
There are 17 diverse students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Instructors Barbara Dacy and Lyn Burton indicate they are “thrilled” with the knowledge, curiosity, and dedication of the students. The AHC ELC again thanks the industry corporate sponsors who generously provided scholarship support to those students who requested financial aid in order to take the Certificate courses.
Course 1 began January 7 and ends April 9. Course 2 will be offered September to December 2021.
AHC's 2020 Virtual Housing Conference
Over 100 of you attended our first virtual end of year event, AHC's Annual Housing Conference on Industry Updates and Legislative Insight, on December 10, 2020. We especially thank our diverse affordable housing leaders for participating as speakers and panelists in this new format.
Later, many of the same housing leaders from 43 different companies also attended AHC’s Submitting Your Annual Compliance Report for 2020, virtual event this same day.
In case you missed it, or are interested in further details about the virtual event or speakers, please visit our Education page HERE.
Moratorium on Evictions for Non-payment of Rent and Other Fees has been Extended
The federal government, as well as many any states, cities, and counties are taking steps to minimize the impact of the novel coronavirus crisis on tenants, including placing moratoriums on evictions, holds on shutting off utilities due to nonpayment, and prohibiting late rent fees.
Federal Eviction Protection
On September 1, 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Agency Order titled Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19 (Order). The Order went into effect on September 4, 2020, and was extended on December 27, 2020. (See Section 502 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.)
State Eviction Protection
Even with the Federal Order in place, states can still ban evictions and enact other tenant protections that provide more protection than the Order. This means that tenants who do not meet the criteria for protection under the federal ban might still be protected from eviction under any applicable state or local orders. Make sure to read and understand Minnesota's Emergency Executive Order current until end of the state of emergency.
Remember to Update Utility Allowances
It is the owner’s/agent’s responsibility to contact the appropriate organization to request current utility allowance information. AHC's website has updated allowances published by various housing authorities - click HERE to review the most current allowances.
Affordable Housing Connections
Our Mission
We deliver monitoring and consulting services to governmental organizations, property owners and managers; and education to individuals who aspire to leadership in the affordable housing industry. Our aim is to protect the investment of private equity and tax dollars and to ensure continued quality affordable rental housing.
Email: ahc@ahcinc.net
Website: ahcinc.net
Location: 400 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-222-8319