The tentative agenda for our fifth annual national housing conference is now available, and when you register now you'll receive early bird pricing!

Join us August 21-22, 2017, for two fantastic days of networking, learning,
and exploring the beautiful and historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Industry experts will present sessions and panels on the latest topics in affordable housing, including:

• An update on UPCS-V, the proposed inspections protocol to replace HQS (panel session)
• Best practices in managing FSS, plus how to start a new FSS program in PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBRA and RAD PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBV and RAD PBV
• Best practices in SEMAP (hands-on session)
• CDBG-DR and resilience
• Effective waitlist management
• How to deal with generational differences in the workplace
• Nan McKay's annual legislative update, including new rules and notices
• Public/private partnerships and grant funds (panel session)
• Quality control
• Rent reasonableness
• Roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners
• Succession planning
• Understanding tax credits and RAD finance
• What you need to know before applying for MTW
• What you need to know if you're a new executive director
• What's new in capital fund finance
• What's new in fair housing

Visit our website to register!

Go8 owner and president Richard Cupelli, presenting a session on rent reasonableness software at the inaugural 2013 conference

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of GoSection8.com, the largest rental listing service for the Section 8 housing program, serving tenants, landlords, and public housing agencies across the United States since 2004. Go8's rent reasonableness software experts will be presenting the following session at at The Housing Conference in San Antonio this September.

Best Practices for Program Success

Go8 Software Demonstration: Get a First Look at the New RentWatch5 Housing Authority Dashboard
Presenters, Richard Cupelli, Frank Gualtieri, and Dominic Muttillo, GoSection8.com

GoSection8 has been busy building the most advanced version of rent reasonableness software ever designed — RentWatch5 and a new dashboard interface. GoSection8 is always innovating with new features and enhancements; we solicited feedback from several agencies and built this software from the ground up. Our panel of experts will be available to answer any questions you have during this interactive session.

To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.

Just one week left for early bird pricing! Register by June 30 to receive the best rates for The Housing Conference.

The updated agenda is now available here. Industry experts will present sessions and panels on the latest topics in affordable housing, including:

• Affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) final rule
• Community partnerships
• Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
• Creating an ongoing leasing plan
• Family self-sufficiency and resident opportunities
• Insurance for development projects
• Rent reasonableness
• Technology strategies
• Strategies for success in HCV audits
• Upcoming legislation
• New inspection protocol for the voucher program
• Best practices in managing portability
• Best practices in managing VASH vouchers
• Best practices in preventing shortfall
• Best practices in public housing unit turnover and vacancy tracking
• RAD post-closing operational transition for PBRA and PBV
• What to consider before applying for the MTW program

Presented by NMA and HAI Group, this year's conference in San Antonio, Texas, will also feature a roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners.

The Housing Conference

• September 19–20, 2016
• San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
• 889 East Market Street
• Register now and save $50 on each registration

Visit our website to register!

Did Leap Day have you hopping around to get as much done as you could on your extra day? Did you miss GoSection8’s presentation on RentWatch5? Want to see it again or share it with your team? NMA can make that happen!

This webinar covers the newest improvements to the Go8 software, including better methodology for selecting comparables, increased performance speed, advanced address verification, and a live demo. Learn about GoSection8’s newest rent reasonableness tool with founder and president Richard Cupelli.

https://youtu.be/1Ycak62rt9k

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of GoSection8, the largest rental listing service for the Section 8 housing program, serving tenants, landlords, and public housing agencies across the United States since 2004. To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, visit gosection8.com or email sales@nanmckay.com.

Register now to get a first look at the latest enhancements to the new rent reasonableness software, RentWatch5. Improvements include better methodology for selecting comparables, increased performance speed, advanced address verification and much more.

GoSection8.com is hosting a free webinar February 29 for new users and anyone who's interested in how Go8 improves workflow, increases accuracy, and implements a more proactive approach to negotiating rents.

Go8: First Look at RentWatch5

• Monday, February 29, 2016
• 1–2 p.m. eastern time (10–11 a.m. Pacific time)
• After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar
• Space is limited, don't delay!

Register online now!

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of GoSection8, the largest rental listing service for the Section 8 housing program, serving tenants, landlords, and public housing agencies across the United States since 2004. To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.

Today at the HUD User website, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the final fair market rents (FMRs) for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016. The final 2016 FMRs will also be published tomorrow in the Federal Register. Below are direct links to the HUD User files containing the components of the 2016 final FMR data set:

• A prepublication copy of the preamble to the Federal Register notice announcing the final 2016 FMRs
• Schedule B—FMR Tables (PDF and DOC)
• Schedule B Addendum—Small Area FMRs (SAFMRs) for the demonstration areas
• Schedule D—FMRs for Manufactured Home Spaces in the HCV Program
• County-Level Data File
• FY 2016 Unadjusted Rents (for use in setting public housing flat rents)

An additional link labeled “Small Area FMRs” leads to a spreadsheet showing SAFMRs for the five metropolitan areas included in HUD’s SAFMR demonstration program. Hypothetical SAFMRs for other metropolitan areas are available here. According to the preamble, final SAFMRs “will be” posted to the site.

You’ll find links to all components of the final 2016 FMR data set on this web page. For complete documentation of the development of the final 2016 FMRs for your area, click here.

The preamble to tomorrow’s Federal Register notice addresses several issues involving the development and use of 2016 FMRs.

Methodology: Based on the comments received and as a way to estimate FMRs more accurately, HUD has replaced the historical-based annualized change in gross rent trend factor with a forward-looking forecast for these final FY 2016 FMRs. The national trend factor for the final FY 2016 FMRs uses a model that forecasts national rent and utility consumer price index indices based on economic assumptions used in the formulation of the president’s budget.

SAFMRs: The SAFMRs are for reference only, except for PHAs participating in the demonstration program and PHAs investigating an alternative basis for public housing flat rents. However, other PHAs may use the SAFMRs as a guide for setting payment standards within an FMR area, and may use them in requesting exception payment standards.

Rent surveys: HUD rejected surveys submitted by some PHAs as justification for higher FMRs. The data submitted did not meet the threshold for representativeness and/or statistical reliability. HUD may not use data from newspaper ads, Craigslist, or rent reasonableness studies. Guidance on acceptable surveys is available at the bottom of this page.

Effective dates: For the HCV program, the new FMRs are effective “when published.” They are not retroactive to October 1.

For the public housing program, Notice PIH 2015-13 states that PHAs must review flat rents for required adjustments “no later than 90 days after issuance of new FMRs or SAFMRs by HUD.”

To receive more updates and analysis like this on the latest HUD news, subscribe to NMA’s PIH Alert and receive a daily email with breaking stories and other important information for PHAs and housing professionals. Have you entered our contest to win a free year’s subscription to the PIH Alert? Don’t delay, the contest ends next week!

Go8 owner and president Richard Cupelli, presenting a session at the inaugural 2013 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of GoSection8.com, the largest rental listing service for the Section 8 housing program, serving tenants, landlords, and public housing agencies across the United States since 2004. Go8's rent reasonableness software experts will be presenting the following session at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference.

Regulatory Knowledge for Smart Management

Go8 Software Demonstration: Get a First Look at RentWatch5
Presenters, Frank Gualtieri and Dominic Muttillo, GoSection8.com

Go8 has been busy building new improvements to our software. RentWatch5 has several enhancements, including an improved methodology for selecting comparables, increased performance speed, a new interactive map, enhanced address verification, and much more. Our panel of experts will be available to answer any questions you have during this interactive session.

To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.

As we reported earlier this week, HUD has issued two notices concerning changes to the flat rent rule included in the fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations act: an interim rule published Tuesday, and Notice PIH 2015-13, published Wednesday. The notices offer PHAs two methods for setting flat rents at a lower level than 80 percent of the applicable fair market rent (FMR): by utilizing an FMR for a smaller geographic area, or by requesting an exception flat rent from HUD.

Notice PIH 2015-13 also places some restrictions on PHAs’ ability to phase in flat rent increases. Under the previous HUD guidance (Notice PIH 2014-12), PHAs were required to phase in increases exceeding 35 percent, and had discretion to phase in increases of 35 percent or less over a three-year period. For example, a 30 percent increase could be phased in at 10 percent per year over three years.

Notice PIH 2015-13, which replaces Notice PIH 2014-12, restricts PHA flexibility to phase in flat rent increases. Since PHAs are now permitted to establish flat rents at a lower level, only increases exceeding 35 percent will be phased in. Flat rents will be phased in at the full 35 percent per year. The notice contains the following instructions for implementing the new requirement:

On a case-by-case basis, at the family’s next annual rent option, compare the updated flat rent amount applicable to the unit to the rent that was being paid by the family immediately prior to the annual rent option;

a. If the new flat rent amount would not increase a family’s rental payment by more than 35 percent, the family may choose to pay either the updated flat rent amount or the previously calculated income-based rent;

b. If the PHA determines that the updated flat rent amount would increase a household’s rental payment by more than 35 percent, the family may choose to pay the phased-in flat rent amount resulting from the flat rent impact analysis or the previously calculated income-based rent.

Is your PHA in search of a proven methodology for ensuring that program participants are paying reasonable rents? GoSection8.com can help. Specializing in rent reasonableness, Go8 has served tenants, landlords, and housing authorities across the United States since 2004. Go8 can also assist public housing agencies with the new flat rent requirements. To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.

Yesterday HUD posted Notice PIH 2015-13, "Changes to Flat Rent Requirements — FY 2015 Appropriations Act." The nine-page notice follows Tuesday’s publication of the interim rule on "Streamlining Administrative Regulations for Public Housing: Revisions to Public Housing Flat Rents." In addition to providing supplemental guidance and clarification on the interim rule, yesterday's notice replaces Notice PIH 2014-12.

As we previously reported, the interim rule provides PHAs with two alternatives to the current requirement for setting flat rents at 80 percent of the applicable fair market rent (FMR). First, PHAs may establish flat rents based on 80 percent of an FMR representing a smaller geographic area. This second FMR would be either the small area FMR (SAFMR), issued for metropolitan counties, or the unadjusted rents, for counties not covered by an SAFMR. Yesterday's notice explains the term “unadjusted rents” as follows:

The unadjusted rent is the FMR estimated directly from the American Community Survey (ACS) source data that HUD uses to calculate FMRs before HUD applies its state non-metropolitan minimum rent policy.

HUD will publish the unadjusted rents annually on its website. If neither a SAFMR nor an unadjusted rent has been determined for an area, PHAs must set flat rents based on the applicable FMR for the larger area.

Alternatively, PHAs may request an exception from HUD for a flat rent amount that is lower than either of the two FMRs. Such requests must include a market analysis and a demonstration that the lower flat rent is reasonable in comparison to similar unassisted units. The new notice clarifies that while HUD does not prescribe a particular formula for determining the market analysis, PHAs must compare the public housing unit to unassisted units in the area using the nine factors considered in rent reasonableness determinations for the voucher program:

• Location, quality, size, unit type, age of the unit, and
• Amenities, housing services, maintenance, and utilities the PHA will provide under the lease

PHAs utilizing exception flat rents must conduct a new market analysis, and obtain HUD approval, annually. PHAs that submit an exception request prior to the publishing of final fiscal year (FY) 2016 FMRs (likely in October 2015) will not be required to submit another exception request until HUD publishes final FY 2017 FMRs (likely in October 2016). Proposed FMRs for FY 2016 were posted last week on the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) FMR page.

The new notice also contains the following reminder regarding "over-income" families:

As flat rents are fully implemented, the higher rent levels will ensure that families with higher incomes pay an appropriate market-based rent. It is an important policy goal to provide scarce public resources to those most in need of deeply affordable housing. PHAs are therefore reminded that they have the discretion, in accordance with federal law and regulations (24 CFR 960.261; FR-4824-F-02), to establish occupancy policies that include the eviction of public housing tenants who are above the income limits for eligibility to participate in public housing programs. HUD encourages PHAs to provide a balance between the important goals of supporting the sustained self-sufficiency of families with the ever increasing demand for affordable housing units among families on their waiting lists.

The notice includes previously-issued HUD guidance on flat rents and utility allowances, rent increase phase-in requirements, and annual rent options.

Is your PHA in search of a proven methodology for ensuring that program participants are paying reasonable rents? GoSection8.com can help. Specializing in rent reasonableness, Go8 has served tenants, landlords, and housing authorities across the United States since 2004. Go8 can also assist public housing agencies with the new flat rent requirements. To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.

Today on the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) FMR page, HUD posted the proposed fair market rents (FMRs) for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016 (October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016). HUD addressed publication of the accompanying Federal Register notice as follows:

The FY 2016 proposed FMRs are pending publication in the Federal Register. Publication in the Federal Register will start the public comment process. HUD will not accept public comments in advance of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

A pre-publication copy of the 23-page preamble to the pending notice was also posted. In the preamble, HUD discusses the advance notice of proposed rulemaking on small area FMRs that was published on June 2:

Comments were requested to determine interest in a program that is based on different measures for determining how many and which areas would receive special FMRs to encourage deconcentration, as well as on alternative FMR-based tools for promoting deconcentration, such as small area FMRs estimated at the ZIP code level. HUD appreciates the comments provided and is currently analyzing this input to inform the next steps in the rulemaking process. For the FY 2016 FMRs, however, the current 50th percentile FMR program is still in place with no change to existing regulations.

Materials posted today include the proposed FFY 2016 FMRs for all areas (see Schedule B), the proposed FFY 2016 small area FMRs for the five demonstration participants (see Schedule B Addendum), and the proposed FFY 2016 exception FMRs for manufactured home spaces in the HCV program (see Schedule D).

The accompanying FMR data set was also posted to the FMR page and includes the following items:

• An Excel file containing county-level data
• An Excel file containing the small area FMRs in the Schedule B addendum

For complete documentation of the development of the FMRs proposed for your area, visit this page at the PD&R website.

Is your PHA in search of a proven methodology for ensuring that program participants are paying reasonable rents? GoSection8.com can help. Specializing in rent reasonableness, Go8 has served tenants, landlords, and housing authorities across the United States since 2004. Go8 can also assist public housing agencies with the new flat rent requirements. To learn more about how you can bring Go8 to your agency, email sales@nanmckay.com.