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Suppose a household member is injured on the job and tells you that he'll be getting workers' compensation benefits for a number of weeks. Like many managers, you may have little experience with income from employee benefits. But with the increasing popularity of welfare-to-work programs, managers at assisted sites are certifying more and more residents who've received employee benefit income such as workers' compensation.

As HUD's largest rental assistance program, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program plays a key role in preventing homelessness and supporting local rental markets—particularly in a bad economy. Over the past three years, the country has struggled with persistently high unemployment and a severe shortage of affordable housing. Funding cuts and future budget uncertainties only make managing an area's HCV program that much more difficult.

Many site managers don't know how to handle applications from households headed by minors or including minor co-heads or spouses. By definition, a minor is an individual under the age of full legal responsibility. Therefore, a minor's signature on a lease is generally not legally binding. While HUD's Occupancy Handbook makes brief mention of minor household heads [Handbook 4350.3, par. 5-6(A)(2)], it provides no guidance on what managers should do to protect...

Households often report changes in their composition, employment status, income, or allowances. As a result of such changes, a household may have to move to a smaller or larger unit or pay a higher or lower share of the rent. To determine what effect the reported changes will have on the household, HUD rules require you to perform an interim recertification whenever a household reports any of the following [Handbook 4350.3, par. 7-10]:

If you think your local tax assessor may have overvalued your site, it may be a good idea to hire a company that specializes in appealing real estate tax assessments. While you can take basic steps on your own to check the fairness of a tax assessment, you'll need a tax appeal specialist to challenge an assessment successfully. Appealing an assessment helps you comply with HUD rules, and if you win, you can save your site a considerable amount of money [Handbook 435...

The Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system is a Web-based computer system implemented by HUD. It contains employment and income information on individuals participating in HUD's rental assistance programs. This information is used to meet HUD's requirement to independently verify employment and income when a resident recertifies for continued rental assistance.

Many sites store their resident, financial, and other site-related records in electronic computer files at their management company's office. These files include the site's most vital information: resident files, HUD certification and billing forms, maintenance records, income and expense statements, balance sheets, checking accounts, and more.

Some say the economy is on a healthy rebound. Others say they see a gradual recovery, but we have a long way to go. Still others say, “What recovery?”

Most sites ban door-to-door solicitations for the protection and comfort of residents. But HUD says you must allow this practice in one specific situation—for resident organizers. Here's a look at what you can and cannot do, and how to make sure your policy doesn't violate HUD rules.

Not only is it a smart management practice to keep your household files up-to-date and complete, but it's also something that HUD expects you to do. And not just in time for an occupancy review or audit, but all of the time.

Sloppy files will certainly raise a red flag during a formal review, signaling that you may not know what is needed to be in compliance. On top of that, messy or incomplete files can create headaches for you and your staff in the day-to-da...