HUD Occupancy Training for Leading Industry Credential
IMPORTANT: Learners who complete this course will be prepared to challenge leading industry credential exams.
HUD Handbook 4350.3 Rev-1
This training is designed for anyone who works at a Section 8 site covered by the HUD Handbook 4350.3 Rev-1 and/or is responsible for understanding the rules contained within this Handbook. This is a comprehensive course, broken down into small amounts of information designed both for people who are new to the industry and for seasoned employees who need a refresher on the vast number of rules contained in this Handbook that owners and agents must follow.
Industry Leading Credential Exams
This course is an excellent precursor to industry leading credential exams and allows participants to delve into topics covered in HUD Occupancy at their own pace. Chapter 5 of the Handbook, “Determining Income and Calculating Rent” is covered in depth in a separate training "Section 8: Determining Income and Calculating Rent", as is Chapter 9 in "EIV for Users".This course covers the following HUD Chapters and topics:
- Chapter 1. Introduction: We review the purpose of the 4350.3 Rev-1, the Section 8 programs covered by the Handbook, the various types of Section 8 programs, the role of contract administrators, and how the handbook is organized.
- Chapter 2. Civil Rights and Nondiscrimination Requirements: We have incorporated a discussion of civil rights and nondiscrimination requirements contained in this chapter throughout the course, rather than treating it as a separate topic. The purpose of doing this is for participants to understand how these obligations impact what they must do when performing specific tasks required by HUD.
- Chapter 3. Eligibility For Assistance and Occupancy: We review the following in detail:
- Program eligibility (the criteria by which the owner must determine whether a family is eligible to receive assistance)
- Project eligibility (the criteria by which the owner must determine whether a family is eligible to reside in a specific property)
- Verification of eligibility factors
- Chapter 4. Waiting List and Tenant Selection We review the requirements contained in this chapter regarding activities that occur during the marketing, application, waiting list, and tenant selection process. We focus participants’ attention on a number of extremely important topics:
- Affirmative fair housing marketing plans
- The required and recommended contents of the tenant selection plan
- Waiting list management (i.e. application taking, waiting lists, and record-keeping related to tenant applications)
- Selecting tenants from the waiting list (tenant selection and screening criteria) as well as applicant interviews
- Applicable requirements and procedures when applicants are found to be ineligible, including written notification to applicants of denial of assistance
- Chapter 6. Lease Requirements and Leasing Activities: We review the following important topics contained in this chapter that focus on the lease and the activities associated with the leasing process:
- Applicable HUD model lease
- Lease requirements for the Section 8 program
- Lease addenda and lease attachments
- Amending and modifying a lease
- Chapter 7. Recertification, Unit Transfers, and Gross Rent Changes: We review in detail the requirements and procedures for performing the Annual Recertification as well as the program requirements and procedures for performing interim recertifications when a tenant experiences a change in income and/or family composition between annual recertifications. We also discuss the program requirements and procedures that owners must follow when an existing tenant transfers to a different unit in the property as well as the required procedures that owners must follow before making changes in unit rents or utility allowances.
- Chapter 8. Termination: We review in detail the requirements and procedures regarding when and how a tenant’s assistance must be terminated, the tenant’s responsibilities when the tenant wishes to terminate tenancy, allowable circumstances for terminating tenancy, and the requirements and procedures that owners must follow to terminate a tenant’s residency. In addition, we discuss the circumstances in which owners must investigate discrepancies. We also review HUD’s guidelines on how to distinguish tenant errors from fraud and which actions to take when errors are discovered.
Course Overview
Introduction
HUD’s Multifamily Housing Programs
The 4350.3 and HUD’s Directive System
Topic Test
Introduction
Program Eligibility
Verification
Required Consent Forms
Income Eligibility
Calculating Gross Income
Social Security Number Requirement
Sole Residency Requirement
Agree To Pay Rent
Citizenship Requirement
Student
Project Eligibility
Eligibility of Remaining Tenant Family Member
Occupancy Standards
Topic Test
Introduction
HUD-Required and Non-Required/Optional Written Screening Criteria
Criminal Background Checks
Other Permitted Screening Criteria: Credit, Rental and Housekeeping
Screening of Live-In Aides
Prohibited Screening Criteria
Recommended Practices to Ensure Consistency in Screening
Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances
Topic Test
Introduction
Reasons An Owner Can and Cannot Deny Admission or Assistance
Rejection Notices
Topic Test
Introduction
The Process For Taking Applications
Charging Application Fees
The Application
Topic Test
Introduction
Income Targeting
Preference for Elders in Section 8 Housing
Owner Adopted Preferences
Verification of Preferences
Topic Test
Introduction
Creating and Maintaining Waiting Lists
Accessible Unit, Unit Modification(s) and/or Unit Preference Request Due to Disability-Related Need
Requirements for Documenting Changes to the Waitlist
Updating the Waiting List & Removing/Reinstating Applicants
Application Retention Requirements
Tenant Selection, Unit Assignment & Income Targeting at Move-In
Topic Test
Introduction
Items An Owner May Request Applicants Bring To An Interview
Requirements Owners Must Comply With When Conducting an Applicant Interview
Follow Standard Policies and Procedures, Make Sure They Are Accessible, and Document What Occurred
Topic Test
Introduction
HUD’s Required Model Leases & Terms by Program Type
Key Requirments
Changes To The Model Leases
HUD Required Lease Addendum
Common Attachments to the Lease
Topic Test
Introduction
Security Deposit Rules
Security Deposit Refunds
Payment of the Security Deposit
Resident Fees
Form of Payment
Topic Test
Introduction
Important Topics To Discuss During The Briefing
Effective Communication
Topic Test
Introduction
Requirements for the Move-In Inspection
Requirements for the Move-Out Inspection
Topic Test
Introduction
Owner/Tenant Required Actions to Ensure Calculated Rent is Commensurate With Tenant’s Ability To Pay
Timing of the Annual Recertification
Annual Recertification Requirements Owners and Tenants Must Follow
Recertification Notices
The Effective Date of Changes in Assistance Payment, Total Tenant Payment, and Tenant Rent
Extenuating Circumstances
Topic Test
Introduction
Tenant Reporting Requirements
Owner Responsibilities to Process Interim Recertifications
Required Procedures
Actions an Owner Must Take Upon Tenant Failure to Report Required Interim Changes
The Effective Date of Interim Recertifications
Introduction
Transfers Resulting from Reasonable Accommodation
Transfers Due to a Change in Family Composition
Topic Test
Introduction
Owner and Tenant Required Actions
Introduction
Owner Requirements to Terminate Housing Assistance
Procedures for Terminating Assistance
When An Owner May Reinstate Assistance
Topic Test
Introduction
Termination of Tenancy by Tenant
Termination of Tenancy by Owner
Procedures an Owner Must Follow to Terminate Tenancy
Topic Test
Introduction
Required Procedures for Investigating and Addressing Discrepancies, Errors and Fraud
EIV Income Discrepancies
Reimbursement to HUD by Tenants and Owners
Overcharges in Tenant Rent by Owners
Topic Test