Automatic Annual Adjustment Factors are used to adjust rents under the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program.

Adjustment Factors will be published in the Federal Register at least annually by Notice. Interim revisions may be published as market conditions indicate. In the case of revised factors applicable only to specific areas, the HUD Field Office will publish a notice appropriate to the limited scope of the revised factors (see § 888.204).

(a) To compute an adjustment to a Contract Rent, find the schedule of Automatic Annual Adjustment Factors for the appropriate Census Region or Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area—

(1) If the Contract Rent includes all utilities, use the factor shown on the basic schedule for the rent bracket within which the particular Contract Rent falls and for the applicable size of unit (by number of bedrooms).

(2) If the Contract Rent does not include all utilities but does include the highest cost utility, use the appropriate factor shown on the basic schedule.

(3) If the Contract Rent does not include any utilities or includes some utilities but not the highest cost utility, use the Annual Adjustment Factor for Contract Rent (Excluding Utilities).

(b) The adjusted monthly amount of the Contract Rent of a dwelling unit shall be determined by multiplying the Contract Rent in effect on the anniversary date of the contract by the applicable Automatic Annual Adjustment Factor (see paragraph (a) of this section) and rounding the result as follows:

(1) If the result contains a fractional dollar amount ranging from $0.01 to $0.49, round to the next lower whole dollar amount;

(2) If the result contains a fractional dollar amount ranging from $0.50 to $0.99, round to the next higher whole dollar amount.

If the application of the Annual Adjustment Factors results in rents that are substantially lower than rents charged for comparable units not receiving assistance under the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, in the area for which the factor was published or a portion thereof, and it is shown to HUD that the costs of operating comparable rental housing have increased at a substantially greater rate than the Adjustment Factors, the HUD Field Office will consider establishing separate or revised Automatic Annual Adjustment Factors for that particular area. Any request for revision of the factors must be accompanied by an identification of the area, its boundaries and evidence that the area constitutes the largest contiguous area in which substantially the same rent levels prevail. The HUD Field Office will publish appropriate notice of the establishment of any such revised Automatic Annual Adjustment Factors. These factors will remain in effect until superseded by the subsequent publication of Automatic Annual Adjustment Factors pursuant to § 888.202.