Section 8 Contract Administration
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) was awarded the Performance Based Contract Administration contract for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania effective December 1, 2000. Currently, PHFA administers 536 contracts under this HUD initiative.
PHFA has partnered with Pennsylvania Multifamily Asset Managers (PMAM). PMAM handles the asset management responsibilities of the contract and PHFA assumes all TRACS related responsibilities.
Featured Handouts:
HUD Links:
New Guidance on "Reasonable Modifications"
New guidance to help housing providers better understand their obligations to assist tenants under the Fair Housing Act was recently released by HUD and the Department of Justice. This guidance can be found at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/disabilities/ by selecting the first topic under "Highlights" in the center of the page.
2008 Income Limits
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 Income Limits for 2008 have been published and are effective February 13, 2008. The new limits are available on the HUD USER website at the following link.
Please remember to review any applicants rejected for over income since February 13th to determine if they are now eligible. Be sure to update the 30%, 50% and 80% income limits to your system. Contact your software vendor for assistance if you are unsure how to do this.
Tax Rebates 2008
The Tax Rebates received by tenants from President Bush's Economic Stimulus program are NOT to be counted as income. The HUD Handbook 4350.3 Rev-1 defines income inclusions and exclusions. Specific reference that relates to the tax rebate can be found in Chapter 5-6.F.3 and Exhibit 5-1 Income Exclusions (9): "Temporary, nonrecurring or sporadic income (including gifts) is not counted."
New Release
The 4350.3 REV-1, CHG-2 is available on HUDCLIPS. The effective date is June 29, 2007. Owners/Management Agents have 90 calendar days to implement the changes that will require modifications to their TRACS software.
To find the revised manual, please visit the HUD Links section on the left side of the screen.
Updated HUD Forms:
- HUD Form 9887A Notice and Consent for the Release of Information to HUD and Public Housing has been updated. Please check your files to make sure you have the current version.
- Student Eligibility Rule (PDF)
Please review the Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) and make sure the entire rule is incorporated into the TSP as amended by Public Law 109-249.
Special Claims Processing Guide:
The Special Claims Processing Guide has arrived. It is available at HUDCLIPS under "What's New", as well as at the HUDCLIPS Library under "Guidebooks".
Please see the Memo below from Lanier Hylton, Director, Office of Housing Assistance Contract Administration Oversight, HTC.
Also, please note the mailbox listed in the memo is incorrect. The correct mailbox is Special_Claims_Comment_Box@hud.gov.
A letter was sent to all Management Agents and TRACS Contacts this week regarding Special Claims. For your Reference, please see below.
Questions regarding processing special claims
should be directed to:
- Moniqe Martin at 717.780.4040
Special Claims Processing Guide FAQ's
HUD has published their response to frequently asked questions regarding the special claims processing guide. For additional clarification, please visit the following link.
Enterprise Income Verification (EIV)
The EIV system became effective September 25, 2006. HUDs expectation of this system is to limit the income and rent determination errors as well as reduce improper payments caused by unreported and underreported family household income. Currently, available information is limited to SS/SSI benefits. Eventually, information such as hire dates, wages, and unemployment benefits will be available. One person from your organization must apply for EIV Coordinator by completing the Coordinator Access Authorization Form. The EIV Coordinator will be responsible for assigning access to employees.
For more information on the EIV system, please visit the link below.
Coordinator Access Authorization Form.
PDF Links:
To view any of the topics on the left, select the link to display the information in a new window.
HAP Payment Notification:
All properties are electronically notified by e-mail as HAP payments
are transferred into each bank account. If you do not receive notification
each month that your HAP payment was wired to your account, please
contact Olga Mercado.
Housing Assistance Payment Review
As part of our ongoing commitment to quality assurance, PHFA has decided to embark on a project to review all voucher submissions beginning with the first month payment was made by PHFA under the PBCA contract. The analysis will identify any units where subsidy was held and what is needed to release the subsidy payment. Upon completion of the review for each contract, we will contact the management agent to discuss the findings. Due to the size of our portfolio this project may take up to 12 months to complete. Our priority on a monthly basis is to process your voucher submissions to ensure timely payment of your HAP. To see the letter sent to all management agents about the project, please see Letter to Owner.
Rent Comparability Study
Please remember, if your property’s RCS (rent comparability study) is five years old, you must have a new one completed. This should be completed for submission with your renewal package.
Acceptable Methods of Verification
Third party verifications
- Written – the preferred method of verification – Written verifications are sent via mail and should not be hand carried by the applicant or tenant.
- Oral – When the third party does not respond to the written verification request, oral verification may be accepted. Proper documentation must be shown.
- Electronic – Facsimile, E–mail, Internet – Adequate effort must be made to ensure that the sender is a valid third-party source.
Review of Documents
If a third party verification is not possible, is delayed over two weeks, or is contingent upon a fee, a review of documents may be acceptable. Copies must be placed in the tenant’s file.
Family Certification
When the information cannot be verified by any other acceptable form of verification, owners may accept a tenant’s notarized statement.
Reminders:
As a reminder, PHFA receives payment from HUD on the first business day of the month. Transfers into your bank accounts will be processed by the second or third business day of each month.
Whenever there is a change in your financial institution, such as a change of banks or bank merger, please forward a new Direct Deposit Form 1199A to:
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
Attention: Olga Mercado
211 North Front Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
PO Box 8029
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105-8029
Please send all monthly HAP vouchers, MAT 30 records, special claims, and MAT 15 address records to:
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
Housing Management, 6th Floor
211 North Front Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
Fax: 717.780.1875
Address rent adjustment requests, HAP contract renewal requests, and tenant inquiries / health and safety issues to:
PMAM
7700 Old Georgetown Road
Suite 688
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
www.pamam.net
Forward all Reserve for Replacement Requests and Residual Receipts Requests to:
PHILADELPHIA
HUD – Philadelphia
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-3380
PITTSBURGH
HUD – Pittsburgh
339 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2515
