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HUD recently released PIH Notice 2018-19, “Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) – Implementation of Minimum Heating Standards in Public Housing Properties.” It provides implementation guidance related to the minimum heating requirements within public housing dwelling units as required by Section 111 of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA).

HUD recently issued Notice H-2018-08 to provide updated guidance to HUD Multifamily staff regarding actions to take when a private property assisted with various HUD programs has a Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) score of less than 60 and/or when a property owner fails to certify within three days that Exigent Health and Safety (EHS) deficiencies have been corrected.

The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) amended an income limitation on public housing tenancy for families, otherwise referred to as an “over-income” limit. After commencing a notice regarding its implementation of HOTMA in 2016, HUD recently published a notice of its final implementation of the “over-income” limit. The income limit amounts are effective on Sept. 24, 2018.

In 2012, as part of the FY 2012 HUD Appropriations Act, Congress authorized the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) to help preserve and improve low-income housing. Administered by HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs, RAD allows public housing agencies (PHAs) and owners of private, HUD-assisted housing to leverage Section 8 rental assistance contracts in order to raise private debt and equity for capital improvements.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a landmark piece of legislation that sought to improve criminal justice and community-based responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the United States. It was originally enacted in 1994 and has since been reauthorized several times. This year, VAWA is set to expire in September and is up for reauthorization. Recently, U.S. Rep. Sheila Lee and several other ranking House members announced that they would introduce VAWA’s reauthorization to the U.S. House.

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) recently issued Notice PIH 2017-20, which provides guidance regarding the implementation of Housing Quality Standards for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs. The notice relates to the initial inspection of dwelling units. The decision to implement these provisions rests with the individual public housing authority (PHA).

Floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Between 1980 and 2013, the United States suffered more than $260 billion in flood-related damages. These significant losses translate to a large volume of flood insurance claims. In 2005, for example, Hurricane Katrina resulted in claim payments of $16.3 billion from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), ranking as the most expensive flood in the U.S. since the NFIP’s inception in 1968.

Preventing lead poisoning in children who will be born in 2018 would provide an estimated $84 billion in long-term benefits, according to a recent report from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The savings would come from reduced spending on health care costs, special education, juvenile justice, and other social services.

It may be tempting to take shortcuts when keeping records of rehabilitation and repair costs, rather than fully documenting the need for and reasonableness of these costs. But taking shortcuts could backfire, especially if you get audited.

Under HUD rules, you must be able to show that all costs, including those for repair and rehabilitation, are “reasonable, necessary, and properly accounted for” by site management. HUD auditors check for detailed records to back up the amounts you charge the site for repair and rehabilitation.