Compliance News Briefs - November 2021

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s (OHFA’s) Office of Multifamily Housing updated its utility allowance (UA) policy, clarifying that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME program does not allow the public housing authority (PHA) utility allowance to be used when determining gross rent. When a household also hosts a housing choice voucher (HCV) tenant, the owner must use an OHFA-approved utility allowance for HOME and the public housing authority utility allowance for low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) homes. This means gross rent for an HCV unit that is also a LIHTC unit layered with HOME funds established after Aug. 23, 2013, requires two calculations. For LIHTC rent compliance, owners will use the PHA utility allowance, tenant-paid rent and any nonoptional charges to determine the gross rent. For the HOME program, owners will use the OHFA-approved UA, tenant-paid rent and the HCV assistance amount to determine gross rent. Owners must comply both programs’ max rent if they decide to make an HCV tenant a HOME unit. The policy took effect Nov. 1.

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The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation released a draft of changes to its LIHTC compliance policies and procedures manual in September. Among the proposed alterations were adding citizenship requirements, clarifications to the elderly housing exception and richer details about income and assets for tenants. The final copy of the policies was expected in October.

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Oregon Housing and Community Services hosted a meeting Oct. 21 with the intention of adopting the newest version of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Oregon Energy Assistance Program operations manuals. The income and matrix payments were proposed for changes. Comments were accepted through Oct. 29.