This subpart sets forth the requirements for establishing and collecting rents charged to occupants of multi-family housing (MFH) projects financed by the Agency.

(a) General. Rents and utility allowances for rental units in Agency-financed housing projects are set by the borrower and must be based on the operating, management and maintenance expenses and other costs related to the housing project including loan payment amounts due to the Agency.

(b) Agency approval. All rents and utility allowances set by borrowers are subject to Agency approval.

(c) Rents. As applicable, borrowers must establish the following rents:

(1) Note rent;

(2) Basic rent;

(3) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contract rents; and

(4) Low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) rents.

(d) Utility allowances. In projects where tenants pay the utilities, borrowers must establish utility allowances for each size and type of rental unit in the housing project based on estimated utility costs. Borrowers must review utility allowances annually, adjust for accuracy, and submit any utility allowance changes to the Agency for approval. If no changes are needed, the borrower must notify the Agency that no changes were made. Documentation to justify utility allowances must be maintained in the housing project files.

(e) Funds contributed to reduce rents. If borrowers use funds contributed from sources other than the Agency (e.g., state or local grants, private contributions) to reduce general operating and management expenses, housing project rents must be reduced to reflect the funding being used to offset housing project expenses. When funds contributed from sources other than the Agency are used for housing project expenses, the borrower must certify to the Agency, in writing, that the funds provided will not need to be repaid with Agency funds. Funds from borrower contributions or rehabilitation loans will not be counted towards reducing rents.

(f) Rents for resident manager, caretaker, or owner-occupied unit. (1) If approved as a part of a management plan, a borrower may occupy a rental unit in a housing project when they are acting as a management agent or resident manager as specified in § 3560.102(e).

(2) If the rental unit being occupied by a borrower or resident manager is designated as a revenue-producing unit, borrowers must calculate the rental charge to the borrower or resident manager in the same manner as tenant contributions.

(3) If the rental unit being occupied by a borrower or resident manager is designated as a non-revenue producing unit, borrowers must treat the cost of providing the unit the same as other non-revenue producing portions of the housing project.

(g) LIHTC. Borrowers who receive LIHTCs may establish rents in accordance with LIHTC requirements. However, borrowers are obligated to ensure that sufficient annual funds are available to cover expenses in the housing project's approved budget, including the required payments on the borrower's Agency loan. Borrowers must not use housing project funds to make up any difference between rents required under Agency program requirements and the maximum allowed rents under the LIHTC program.

(a) Tenant contributions. A tenant's contribution to rent charged for a rental unit in an Agency financed housing project is based on the tenant's income, as calculated on the Agency's tenant certification forms, and the availability of Agency or non-Agency rental subsidies.

(1) Tenant contributions. Borrowers must set tenant contributions to rent at the highest of the following standards but never more than the note rent:

(i) Thirty percent of monthly adjusted income;

(ii) Ten percent of gross monthly income;

(iii) An amount equal to the portion of an assistance payment specifically designated to meet the household's shelter costs if the household is receiving assistance payments from a public agency; or

(iv) The basic rent, unless RHS rental assistance is provided to the household.

(2) Tenant contribution surcharge. Tenants in a Plan I housing project with incomes above the eligibility standards set in § 3560.152(a)(1) must pay a 25 percent surcharge in addition to note rent.

(b) Adjustment of tenant contribution. Borrowers must adjust the tenant contribution whenever there is a change in tenant household status or income sufficient to generate a revised tenant certification in accordance with § 3560.152(e) or an Agency approved rent or utility allowance change that affects the tenant contribution amount.

(c) Overage. If a tenant's tenant contribution is higher than basic rent, borrowers must remit to the Agency the rent collected in excess of the basic rent and up to the note rent.

(a) General. Borrowers may collect security deposits when it is reasonable and customary for the area in which the housing is located. Borrowers must hold security deposits in a separate bank or bookkeeping account in accordance with § 3560.302(c)(3).

(b) Allowable amounts. Borrowers may charge security deposits that are typical for the area in which the housing is located, as long as the security deposit charged a tenant does not exceed that tenant's net contribution for one month's rent or basic rent, whichever is greater.

(1) As noted in § 3560.102(b)(1)(viii) and § 3560.156(c)(18)(iii), borrowers must specify in the housing project's management plan how the amount to be charged as a security deposit will be established and must specify the amount to be charged to individual tenants in the lease to be signed by the tenant.

(2) Borrowers may charge security deposits to households receiving HUD assistance in accordance with HUD requirements.

(3) Members of a cooperative shall be required to pay a membership fee no greater than one month's occupancy charge.

(4) Additional security deposits for pets may be charged as long as the additional deposit is not greater than basic rent for 1 month. No additional security deposit for assistance animals is allowed where an assistance animal is necessary for the normal functioning of a household member with a disability.

(5) Borrowers must not charge additional security deposits based on disabilities of tenants or other personal characteristics.

(c) Payment plans. Borrowers must offer, for persons who are eligible for rental assistance or Section 8 assistance, the option of paying the security deposit on an installment payment plan. Should installments not be met, the total charge may become due and payable in full.

(d) Charges for damage or loss. Borrowers may charge tenants for damage or loss caused or allowed by the tenant equal to the cost of the damage or loss.

(1) Borrowers must consider expenses due for addressing normal wear and tear as normal operating expenses and must not charge tenants a fee or withhold security deposits to pay for such costs.

(2) Borrowers may withhold security deposits and may charge tenants for damage or loss costs above security deposit amounts.

(e) State and local security deposit requirements. Borrowers must follow all state and local laws and other requirements governing the handling and disposition of security deposits.

(1) Resolution of any security deposit disputes must be handled in accordance with state and local law.

(2) Any interest earned on security deposits will accrue in accordance with state law.

(f) Unclaimed security deposits. Any funds in the housing project's security deposit account unclaimed by a tenant must be deposited into the housing project's general operating account.

(a) General. Borrowers must fully document that changes to rents and utility allowances are necessary to cover housing or utility costs allowed under the approved budget for the housing. Any changes must apply to all similar units in the housing project.

(b) Agency approval. Borrowers must submit a fully documented request to the Agency to effect any rent or utility allowance change.

(1) Borrowers must obtain written consent or approval from the Agency as specified in paragraph (e) of this section before implementing any changes in the rents or utility allowances.

(2) If a borrower implements an unauthorized rent or utility allowance charge, the Agency will require the borrower to roll back rents to the last authorized rent charge, and the borrower must reimburse tenants for any unauthorized rents collected.

(c) Timing of request for changes. Borrowers must submit rent and utility allowance change requests in conjunction with the annual budget submission as required under § 3560.303(d). The effective dates of any approved changes will coincide with the start of the housing project's fiscal year or the start of the season for seasonally occupied farm labor housing. However, the Agency will accept borrower requests for rent or utility allowance changes anytime during the year if a change is necessary to preserve the financial integrity of the housing complex and the financial distress is due to circumstances beyond the borrower's control.

(d) Tenant notification. Borrowers must notify tenants and solicit their comments to proposed rent or utility allowance change requests that are submitted to the Agency at the same time that the initial request is made to the Agency.

(1) Tenants will be given 20 calendar days to provide their comments to the Agency.

(2) Borrowers must deliver the proposed rent or utility allowance change request notice to each tenant and post at least one copy of the notice at the housing project site in a visible location frequented by tenants.

(e) Approval. If the Agency approves a rent or utility allowance increase request on which the comments were solicited, tenants or members receiving notice of a proposed rent or utility allowance change in accordance with paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall be notified of the rent or utility allowance change to be effective, at least 30 calendar days from the date of the notification.

(f) Denial of change request. The Agency may deny a rent or utility allowance increase request in the following circumstances.

(1) The Agency determines that the borrower did not provide sufficient information to justify operating costs.

(2) The borrower is out of compliance with Agency requirements including any corrective action requirements agreed to in a workout agreement developed according to subpart J of this part.

(3) Sufficient funds are being collected under existing rents to meet approved expenses.

(g) Notice of denial. If the rent change will not be approved as requested, the Agency will notify the borrower of the denial in accordance with § 3560.303(d).

The Agency encourages any borrower not on Plan II to convert to Plan II to provide more favorable rent costs to very-low, low, and moderate-income households.

(a) General. For rental units receiving project-based Section 8 assistance, the Agency will review rents annually without regard to HUD's automatic annual adjustment.

(b) Establishing rents in housing with HUD rent assistance. Borrowers will set basic, note, and HUD contract rents for housing receiving HUD project-based Section 8 assistance, as specified in § 3560.202(c).

(c) Excess HUD rents. When permitted by the Agency interest credit agreement, the Agency may reduce or cancel the interest credit on the housing, if excess HUD rents deposited in the reserve account result in the reserve account being funded beyond the fully funded level approved by the Agency.

(a) Rents during eviction. If a tenant is appealing an eviction and the borrower refuses to accept rent payment during the appeal of the eviction, the tenant must escrow required rent payments to safeguard their occupancy, unless State or local laws specify otherwise.

(b) Rents when tenants fail to recertify. If a borrower can document that a tenant received a notice specifying a tenant recertification date and the tenant fails to comply by the specified date or fails to cooperate with verification or other procedures related to the tenant's recertification so that the tenant recertification cannot be completed by the recertification date, the borrower, within 10 days of the recertification date, shall give the tenant and the Agency written notification that:

(1) Termination proceedings are being initiated, in accordance with § 3560.159; and

(2) The tenant will be charged note rent until the tenant's lease is terminated.

(c) Unauthorized assistance due to tenant recertification failure. Any unauthorized assistance received because of the tenant's failure to be recertified will be collected in accordance with the provisions of subpart O of this part.

(d) Rents when borrowers fail to recertify tenants. If a borrower cannot document that a tenant received a recertification notice, and a tenant is not recertified within 12 months of the most recently executed tenant certification, tenants shall continue to make net tenant contributions to rent based on their most recent tenant certification and the borrower must remit to the Agency full overage as if the tenant was paying the note rent until the tenant is recertified.

(e) Unauthorized assistance due to borrower recertification failure. Any unauthorized assistance received as a result of the borrower's failure to recertify a tenant will be collected from the borrower in accordance with the provisions of subpart O of this part and may not be paid from housing project funds or funds collected from the tenant.

(a) General. Borrowers must collect rents on a monthly basis and maintain a system for collecting and tracking rents.

(b) Fees for late rent payments. Borrowers may adopt a late fee schedule for overdue rental payments. Late fee schedules must be submitted to the Agency for approval as part of the housing project's management plan, be in accordance with State and local law, and consistent with the following requirements:

(1) A grace period of 10 days from the rental payment due date must be allowed for all tenants.

(2) The late fee must not exceed the higher of $10 or an amount equal to 5 percent of the tenant's gross tenant contribution.

(3) Tenants receiving housing benefits from sources other than the Agency may be subject to the late rent fee requirements of the other funding sources.

(c) Improperly advanced rents. Improperly advanced interest credit or rental assistance is considered unauthorized assistance and is subject to recapture in accordance with subpart O of this part.

When a Plan II housing project is experiencing severe vacancies due to market conditions, the Agency may allow the borrower to charge an SNR, which is less than note rent but higher than basic rent, to attract or retain tenants whose income level would require them to pay special note rent. The requirements for requesting and receiving an SNR are established under § 3560.454.

The information collection requirements contained in this regulation have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and have been assigned OMB control number 0575-0189. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to vary from 15 minutes to 18 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. A person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.