Dos & Don'ts

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As the pandemic continues, Internet connectivity for information and services has become increasingly important. From virtual doctor’ visits to virtual learning as schools delay openings, these critical services have underscored the importance of Internet connectivity during this time. But, despite progress in expanding Internet connectivity in the U.S., a report from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) finds that approximately 21.3 million Americans live i...

Showing that residents committed a substantial or material lease violation isn’t enough to evict them from federally assisted housing. You must also furnish a proper lease pre-termination notice letting residents know exactly what they did wrong. If the notice isn’t clear and specific enough, it will be deemed defective. And if the notice is defective, you won’t be able to evict the residents no matter what violations they committed.

In this month’s feature, The Risk of the Incomplete Lease, we told you what documents HUD requires you to attach to your leases. But can you make other modifications to a HUD model lease?

If households at your site have foster children, you need to know how to certify these households for eligibility, rent, and unit size. To do this right, you’ll need to know when to count foster children as household members and when not to, and how to deal with income and allowances.

We’ll give you five dos and don’ts to keep in mind when certifying households with foster children to make sure you correctly determine household size and income.

HUD rules require you to give every applicant you reject an opportunity to appeal the rejection. A written rejection notice must include the specifically stated reason(s) for the rejection, notice of the applicant’s right to respond to the owner in writing or request a meeting within 14 days to dispute the rejection, and notice that persons with disabilities have the right to request reasonable accommodations to participate in the informal hearing process [HUD Han...

When determining and verifying household income, be sure to gather information from households about how much each member is expected to earn in tips over the next 12 months. HUD Handbook rules say you must count tips as part of household income [HUD Handbook, Exhibit 5-1].

Many assisted sites would like to hire a social service coordinator but don’t know where to get the money to pay the coordinator’s salary. With government grants very limited, it’s important to know what other sources you can tap to get the funding you need. And to get this funding, you need to know what documents and information to include when requesting HUD approval.

You can—and should—evict residents who engage in illegal drug activity in their units. But make sure you have adequate proof that the illegal activity took place.

Before seeking to evict a resident for failing to comply with Section 8 rules, make sure you comply with any local notice requirements that would give the resident an opportunity to cure his Section 8 lease violation. As stated in the previous item, don't assume that termination of Section 8 benefits automatically terminates the lease.

Beware of telling ethnic prospects or residents not to cook certain foods with exotic or unpleasant odors. Experts say that there's a common misconception among even well-meaning site managers that people from certain countries cook foods that give off objectionable odors. Sometimes, it's true that certain ethnic dishes give off odors that some might consider unpleasant. But stereotyping is not only ignorant, it can lead to a fair housing disaster if you warn su...