Texas Administrative Code › Title 10 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT › Part 1 - TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS › Chapter 10 - UNIFORM MULTIFAMILY RULES › Subchapter F - COMPLIANCE MONITORING › Section 10.622 - Special Rules Regarding Rents and Rent Limit Violations

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Rent or Utility Allowance Violations of the maximum allowable limit for the HTC program. Under the HTC program, the amount of rent paid by the household plus an allowance for utilities, plus any mandatory fees, cannot exceed the maximum applicable limit (as determined by the minimum set-aside elected by the Owner) published by the Department. If it is determined that an HTC Development, during the Compliance Period, collected rent in excess of the rent limit established by the minimum set-aside, the Owner must correct the violation by reducing the rent charged. The Department will report the violation as corrected on January 1st of the year following the violation. The refunding of overcharged rent does not avoid the disallowance of the credit by the IRS.
(b) Rent or Utility Allowance Violations of additional rent restrictions under the HTC program. If Owners agreed to additional rent and occupancy restrictions, the Department will monitor to confirm compliance. If noncompliance is discovered, the Department will require the Owner to restore compliance by refunding (not a credit to amounts owed the Development) any excess rents to a sufficient number of households to meet the set aside.
(c) Rent Violations of the maximum allowable limit due to application fees. Under the HTC program, Owners may not charge tenants any overhead costs as part of the application fee. Owners must only charge the actual cost for application fees as supported by invoices from the screening company the Owner uses.
(1) The amount of time Development staff spends checking an applicant's income, credit history, and landlord references may be included in the Development's application fee. Development Owners may add up to $5.50 per Unit for their other out-of-pocket costs for processing an application without providing documentation. Example 622(2): A Development's out-of-pocket cost for processing an application is $17.00 per adult. The property may charge $22.50 for the first adult and $17.00 for each additional adult.
(2) Documentation of Development costs for application processing or screening fees must be made available during monitoring reviews or upon request. The Department will review application fee documentation during monitoring reviews. If the Development pays a flat monthly fee to a third party for credit or criminal background checks, Owners must calculate the appropriate fee to be charged applicants by using the total number of applications processed, not just approved applications. Developments that pay a flat monthly fee must determine the appropriate application fee at least annually based on the prior year's activity. If the Department determines from a review of the documentation that the Owner has overcharged residents an application fee or collected impermissible deposits, the noncompliance will be reported to the IRS on Form 8823 under the category "gross rent(s) exceeds tax credit limits." The noncompliance will be corrected on January 1st of the next year.
(3) Owners are not required to refund the overcharged fee amount. To correct the issue, Owners must reduce the application fee for prospective applicants. Once the fee is reduced for prospective applicants, the Department will report the affected back in compliance on January 1st of the year after they were overcharged the application fee or an impermissible deposit.
(4) Throughout the Affordability Period, Owners may not charge a deposit or any type of fee (other than an application fee) for a household to be placed on a waiting list.