Regional Housing Legal Services of Pennsylvania has released a brief guide, Renting a LIHTC Home, meant for residents of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties. Though the guide’s references and hyperlinks are specific to Pennsylvania, residents and advocates everywhere will find it easy to read and very informative. The first 11 pages of the guide are addressed to households not living in LIHTC-assisted properties but that might be interested in renting such homes. Three other pages deal with issues households might encounter once they are living in LIHTC-assisted properties. The guide is available in English and Spanish.
The guide covers a range of topics, including: (1) methods for finding LIHTC properties; (2) criteria for qualifying for LIHTC housing; (3) the amount of rent a household might be expected to pay (including the warning that households might – and probably will – need to spend more than 30% of their income to rent LIHTC-assisted homes); and (4) utility allowances for households that pay their own utilities. The guide also addresses a number of questions, including (1) the use of Housing Choice Vouchers; (2) eligibility for people with criminal histories; (3) eligibility for full-time students; (4) accessible units for people with disabilities; (5) credit checks; (6) eligibility for survivors of domestic violence; (7) eligibility for households with members without lawful immigration statuses; and (8) use of waitlists. For residents living in LIHTC-assisted properties, Renting a LIHTC Home touches on annual income recertifications, changes of income or household make up, and evictions.
Renting a LIHTC Home (in English) is accessible at: https://bit.ly/3F9yqJV The Spanish version is available at: https://bit.ly/3LEKq8y
A list of state housing finance agencies administering LIHTC is available from the National Council of State Housing Finance Agencies at: https://bit.ly/3Lq5pvI and from Novogradac at: https://bit.ly/3xYc5NR
Read more about the LIHTC on page 5-5 of NLHC’s 2022 Advocates’ Guide.