1.42-5—Monitoring compliance with low-income housing credit requirements.
(a) Compliance monitoring requirement—
(1) In general.
Under section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii), an allocation plan is not qualified unless it contains a procedure that the State or local housing credit agency (“Agency”) (or an agent of, or other private contractor hired by, the Agency) will follow in monitoring for noncompliance with the provisions of section 42 and in notifying the Internal Revenue Service of any noncompliance of which the Agency becomes aware. These regulations only address compliance monitoring procedures required of Agencies. The regulations do not address forms and other records that may be required by the Service on examination or audit. For example, if a building is sold or otherwise transferred by the owner, the transferee should obtain from the transferor information related to the first year of the credit period so that the transferee can substantiate credits claimed.
(2) Requirements for a monitoring procedure—
(i) In general.
A procedure for monitoring for noncompliance under section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii) must include—
(ii) Order and form.
A monitoring procedure will meet the requirements of section 42 (m)(1)(B)(iii) if it contains the substance of these provisions. The particular order and form of the provisions in the allocation plan is not material. A monitoring procedure may contain additional provisions or requirements.
(b) Recordkeeping and record retention provisions—
(1) Recordkeeping provision.
Under the recordkeeping provision, the owner of a low-income housing project must be required to keep records for each qualified low-income building in the project that show for each year in the compliance period—
(i)
The total number of residential rental units in the building (including the number of bedrooms and the size in square feet of each residential rental unit);
(iii)
The rent charged on each residential rental unit in the building (including any utility allowances);
(iv)
The number of occupants in each low-income unit, but only if rent is determined by the number of occupants in each unit under section 42(g)(2) (as in effect before the amendments made by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989);
(v)
The low-income unit vacancies in the building and information that shows when, and to whom, the next available units were rented;
(vi)
The annual income certification of each low-income tenant per unit. For an exception to this requirement, see section 42(g)(8)(B) (which provides a special rule for a 100 percent low-income building);
(vii)
Documentation to support each low-income tenant's income certification (for example, a copy of the tenant's federal income tax return, Forms W-2, or verifications of income from third parties such as employers or state agencies paying unemployment compensation). For an exception to this requirement, see section 42(g)(8)(B) (which provides a special rule for a 100 percent low-income building). Tenant income is calculated in a manner consistent with the determination of annual income under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (“ Section 8 ”), not in accordance with the determination of gross income for federal income tax liability. In the case of a tenant receiving housing assistance payments under Section 8, the documentation requirement of this paragraph (b)(1)(vii) is satisfied if the public housing authority provides a statement to the building owner declaring that the tenant's income does not exceed the applicable income limit under section 42 (g) ;
(viii)
The eligible basis and qualified basis of the building at the end of the first year of the credit period; and
(ix)
The character and use of the nonresidential portion of the building included in the building's eligible basis under section 42 (d) (e.g., tenant facilities that are available on a comparable basis to all tenants and for which no separate fee is charged for use of the facilities, or facilities reasonably required by the project).
(2) Record retention provision.
Under the record retention provision, the owner of a low-income housing project must be required to retain the records described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section for at least 6 years after the due date (with extensions) for filing the federal income tax return for that year. The records for the first year of the credit period, however, must be retained for at least 6 years beyond the due date (with extensions) for filing the federal income tax return for the last year of the compliance period of the building.
(3) Inspection record retention provision.
Under the inspection record retention provision, the owner of a low-income housing project must be required to retain the original local health, safety, or building code violation reports or notices that were issued by the State or local government unit (as described in paragraph (c)(1)(vi) of this section) for the Agency's inspection under paragraph (d) of this section. Retention of the original violation reports or notices is not required once the Agency reviews the violation reports or notices and completes its inspection, unless the violation remains uncorrected.
(c) Certification and review provisions—
(1) Certification.
Under the certification provision, the owner of a low-income housing project must be required to certify at least annually to the Agency that, for the preceding 12-month period—
(A)
The 20-50 test under section 42 (g)(1)(A), the 40-60 test under section 42 (g)(1)(B), or the 25-60 test under sections 42 (g)(4) and 142 (d)(6) for New York City, whichever minimum set-aside test was applicable to the project; and
(B)
If applicable to the project, the 15-40 test under sections 42(g)(4) and 142 (d)(4)(B) for “deep rent skewed” projects;
(ii)
There was no change in the applicable fraction (as defined in section 42(c)(1)(B)) of any building in the project, or that there was a change, and a description of the change;
(iii)
The owner has received an annual income certification from each low-income tenant, and documentation to support that certification; or, in the case of a tenant receiving Section 8 housing assistance payments, the statement from a public housing authority described in paragraph (b)(1)(vii) of this section. For an exception to this requirement, see section 42(g)(8)(B) (which provides a special rule for a 100 percent low-income building);
(v)
All units in the project were for use by the general public (as defined in § 1.42-9 ), including the requirement that no finding of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601-361 9, occurred for the project. A finding of discrimination includes an adverse final decision by the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 24 CFR 180.680, an adverse final decision by a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing agency, 42 U.S.C. 3616a(a)(1), or an adverse judgment from a federal court;
(vi)
The buildings and low-income units in the project were suitable for occupancy, taking into account local health, safety, and building codes (or other habitability standards), and the State or local government unit responsible for making local health, safety, or building code inspections did not issue a violation report for any building or low-income unit in the project. If a violation report or notice was issued by the governmental unit, the owner must attach a statement summarizing the violation report or notice or a copy of the violation report or notice to the annual certification submitted to the Agency under paragraph (c)(1) of this section. In addition, the owner must state whether the violation has been corrected;
(vii)
There was no change in the eligible basis (as defined in section 42(d)) of any building in the project, or if there was a change, the nature of the change (e.g., a common area has become commercial space, or a fee is now charged for a tenant facility formerly provided without charge);
(viii)
All tenant facilities included in the eligible basis under section 42(d) of any building in the project, such as swimming pools, other recreational facilities, and parking areas, were provided on a comparable basis without charge to all tenants in the building;
(ix)
If a low-income unit in the project became vacant during the year, that reasonable attempts were or are being made to rent that unit or the next available unit of comparable or smaller size to tenants having a qualifying income before any units in the project were or will be rented to tenants not having a qualifying income;
(x)
If the income of tenants of a low-income unit in the building increased above the limit allowed in section 42(g)(2)(D)(ii), the next available unit of comparable or smaller size in the building was or will be rented to tenants having a qualifying income;
(xi)
An extended low-income housing commitment as described in section 42(h)(6) was in effect (for buildings subject to section 7108(c)(1) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, 103 Stat. 2106, 2308-2311), including the requirement under section 42(h)(6)(B)(iv) that an owner cannot refuse to lease a unit in the project to an applicant because the applicant holds a voucher or certificate of eligibility under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. 1437f (for buildings subject to section 13142(b)(4) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, 107 Stat. 312, 438-439); and
(xii)
All low-income units in the project were used on a nontransient basis (except for transitional housing for the homeless provided under section 42(i)(3)(B)(iii) or single-room-occupancy units rented on a month-by-month basis under section 42(i)(3)(B)(iv) ).
(i)
Require that the Agency review the certifications submitted under paragraph (c)(1) of this section for compliance with the requirements of section 42 ;
(A)
The Agency must conduct on-site inspections of all buildings in the project by the end of the second calendar year following the year the last building in the project is placed in service and, for at least 20 percent of the project's low-income units, inspect the units and review the low-income certifications, the documentation supporting the certifications, and the rent records for the tenants in those units; and
(B)
At least once every 3 years, the Agency must conduct on-site inspections of all buildings in the project and, for at least 20 percent of the project's low-income units, inspect the units and review the low-income certifications, the documentation supporting the certifications, and the rent records for the tenants in those units; and
(iii)
Require that the Agency randomly select which low-income units and tenant records are to be inspected and reviewed by the Agency. The review of tenant records may be undertaken wherever the owner maintains or stores the records (either on-site or off-site). The units and tenant records to be inspected and reviewed must be chosen in a manner that will not give owners of low-income housing projects advance notice that a unit and tenant records for a particular year will or will not be inspected and reviewed. However, an Agency may give an owner reasonable notice that an inspection of the building and low-income units or tenant record review will occur so that the owner may notify tenants of the inspection or assemble tenant records for review (for example, 30 days notice of inspection or review).
(3) Frequency and form of certification.
A monitoring procedure must require that the certifications and reviews of paragraph (c)(1) and (2) of this section be made at least annually covering each year of the 15-year compliance period under section 42(i)(1). The certifications must be made under penalty of perjury. A monitoring procedure may require certifications and reviews more frequently than on a 12-month basis, provided that all months within each 12-month period are subject to certification.
(4) Exception for certain buildings—
(i) In general.
The review requirements under paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section may provide that owners are not required to submit, and the Agency is not required to review, the tenant income certifications, supporting documentation, and rent records for buildings financed by the Rural Housing Service (RHS), formerly known as Farmers Home Administration, under the section 515 program, or buildings of which 50 percent or more of the aggregate basis (taking into account the building and the land) is financed with the proceeds of obligations the interest on which is exempt from tax under section 103 (tax-exempt bonds). In order for a monitoring procedure to except these buildings, the Agency must meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of this section.
(ii) Agreement and review.
The Agency must enter into an agreement with the RHS or tax-exempt bond issuer. Under the agreement, the RHS or tax-exempt bond issuer must agree to provide information concerning the income and rent of the tenants in the building to the Agency. The Agency may assume the accuracy of the information provided by RHS or the tax-exempt bond issuer without verification. The Agency must review the information and determine that the income limitation and rent restriction of section 42 (g)(1) and (2) are met. However, if the information provided by the RHS or tax-exempt bond issuer is not sufficient for the Agency to make this determination, the Agency must request the necessary additional income or rent information from the owner of the buildings. For example, because RHS determines tenant eligibility based on its definition of “adjusted annual income,” rather than “annual income” as defined under Section 8, the Agency may have to calculate the tenant's income for section 42 purposes and may need to request additional income information from the owner.
(iii) Example.
The exception permitted under paragraph (c)(4)(i) and (ii) of this section is illustrated by the following example.
Code of Federal Regulations
(5) Agency reports of compliance monitoring activities.
The Agency must report its compliance monitoring activities annually on Form 8610, “Annual Low-Income Housing Credit Agencies Report.”
(d) Inspection provision—
(1) In general.
Under the inspection provision, the Agency must have the right to perform an on-site inspection of any low-income housing project at least through the end of the compliance period of the buildings in the project. The inspection provision of this paragraph (d) is a separate requirement from any tenant file review under paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section.
(2) Inspection standard.
For the on-site inspections of buildings and low-income units required by paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section, the Agency must review any local health, safety, or building code violations reports or notices retained by the owner under paragraph (b)(3) of this section and must determine—
(i)
Whether the buildings and units are suitable for occupancy, taking into account local health, safety, and building codes (or other habitability standards); or
(ii)
Whether the buildings and units satisfy, as determined by the Agency, the uniform physical condition standards for public housing established by HUD ( 24 CFR 5.703 ). The HUD physical condition standards do not supersede or preempt local health, safety, and building codes. A low-income housing project under section 42 must continue to satisfy these codes and, if the Agency becomes aware of any violation of these codes, the Agency must report the violation to the Service. However, provided the Agency determines by inspection that the HUD standards are met, the Agency is not required under this paragraph (d)(2)(ii) to determine by inspection whether the project meets local health, safety, and building codes.
(3) Exception from inspection provision.
An Agency is not required to inspect a building under this paragraph (d) if the building is financed by the RHS under the section 515 program, the RHS inspects the building (under 7 CFR part 1930 ), and the RHS and Agency enter into a memorandum of understanding, or other similar arrangement, under which the RHS agrees to notify the Agency of the inspection results.
(4) Delegation.
An Agency may delegate inspection under this paragraph (d) to an Authorized Delegate retained under paragraph (f) of this section. Such Authorized Delegate, which may include HUD or a HUD-approved inspector, must notify the Agency of the inspection results.
(e) Notification-of-noncompliance provision—
(1) In general.
Under the notification-of-noncompliance provisions, the Agency must be required to give the notice described in paragraph (e)(2) of this section to the owner of a low-income housing project and the notice described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section to the Service.
(2) Notice to owner.
The Agency must be required to provide prompt written notice to the owner of a low-income housing project if the Agency does not receive the certification described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, or does not receive or is not permitted to inspect the tenant income certifications, supporting documentation, and rent records described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section, or discovers by inspection, review, or in some other manner, that the project is not in compliance with the provisions of section 42.
(3) Notice to Internal Revenue Service—
(i) In general.
The Agency must be required to file Form 8823, “Low-Income Housing Credit Agencies Report of Noncompliance,” with the Service no later than 45 days after the end of the correction period (as described in paragraph (e)(4) of this section, including extensions permitted under that paragraph) and no earlier than the end of the correction period, whether or not the noncompliance or failure to certify is corrected. The Agency must explain on Form 8823 the nature of the noncompliance or failure to certify and indicate whether the owner has corrected the noncompliance or failure to certify. Any change in either the applicable fraction or eligible basis under paragraph (c)(1)(ii) and (vii) of this section, respectively, that results in a decrease in the qualified basis of the project under section 42 (c)(1)(A) is noncompliance that must be reported to the Service under this paragraph (e)(3). If an Agency reports on Form 8823 that a building is entirely out of compliance and will not be in compliance at any time in the future, the Agency need not file Form 8823 in subsequent years to report that building's noncompliance. If the noncompliance or failure to certify is corrected within 3 years after the end of the correction period, the Agency is required to file Form 8823 with the Service reporting the correction of the noncompliance or failure to certify.
(ii) Agency retention of records.
An Agency must retain records of noncompliance or failure to certify for 6 years beyond the Agency's filing of the respective Form 8823. In all other cases, the Agency must retain the certifications and records described in paragraph (c) of this section for 3 years from the end of the calendar year the Agency receives the certifications and records.
(4) Correction period.
The correction period shall be that period specified in the monitoring procedure during which an owner must supply any missing certifications and bring the project into compliance with the provisions of section 42. The correction period is not to exceed 90 days from the date of the notice to the owner described in paragraph (e)(2) of this section. An Agency may extend the correction period for up to 6 months, but only if the Agency determines there is good cause for granting the extension.
(f) Delegation of Authority—
(1) Agencies permitted to delegate compliance monitoring functions—
An Agency may retain an agent or other private contractor (“Authorized Delegate”) to perform compliance monitoring. The Authorized Delegate must be unrelated to the owner of any building that the Authorized Delegate monitors. The Authorized Delegate may be delegated all of the functions of the Agency, except for the responsibility of notifying the Service under paragraphs (c)(5) and (e)(3) of this section. For example, the Authorized Delegate may be delegated the responsibility of reviewing tenant certifications and documentation under paragraph (c) (1) and (2) of this section, the right to inspect buildings and records as described in paragraph (d) of this section, and the responsibility of notifying building owners of lack of certification or noncompliance under paragraph (e)(2) of this section. The Authorized Delegate must notify the Agency of any noncompliance or failure to certify.
(ii) Limitations.
An Agency that delegates compliance monitoring to an Authorized Delegate under paragraph (f)(1)(i) of this section must use reasonable diligence to ensure that the Authorized Delegate properly performs the delegated monitoring functions. Delegation by an Agency of compliance monitoring functions to an Authorized Delegate does not relieve the Agency of its obligation to notify the Service of any noncompliance of which the Agency becomes aware.
(2) Agencies permitted to delegate compliance monitoring functions to another Agency.
An Agency may delegate all or some of its compliance monitoring responsibilities for a building to another Agency within the State. This delegation may include the responsibility of notifying the Service under paragraph (e)(3) of this section.
(g) Liability.
Compliance with the requirements of section 42 is the responsibility of the owner of the building for which the credit is allowable. The Agency's obligation to monitor for compliance with the requirements of section 42 does not make the Agency liable for an owner's noncompliance.
(h) Effective date.
Allocation plans must comply with these regulations by June 30, 1993. The requirement of section 42 (m)(1)(B)(iii) that allocation plans contain a procedure for monitoring for noncompliance becomes effective on January 1, 1992, and applies to buildings for which a low-income housing credit is, or has been, allowable at any time. Thus, allocation plans must comply with section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii) prior to June 30, 1993, the effective date of these regulations. An allocation plan that complies with these regulations, with the notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on December 27, 1991, or with a reasonable interpretation of section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii) will satisfy the requirements of section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii) for periods before June 30, 1993. Section 42(m)(1)(B)(iii) and these regulations do not require monitoring for whether a building or project is in compliance with the requirements of section 42 prior to January 1, 1992. However, if an Agency becomes aware of noncompliance that occurred prior to January 1, 1992, the Agency is required to notify the Service of that noncompliance. In addition, the requirements in paragraphs (b)(3) and (c)(1)(v), (vi), and (xi) of this section (involving recordkeeping and annual owner certifications) and paragraphs (c)(2)(ii)(B), (c)(2)(iii), and (d) of this section (involving tenant file reviews and physical inspections of existing projects, and the physical inspection standard) are applicable January 1, 2001. The requirement in paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(A) of this section (involving tenant file reviews and physical inspections of new projects) is applicable for buildings placed in service on or after January 1, 2001. The requirements in paragraph (c)(5) of this section (involving Agency reporting of compliance monitoring activities to the Service) and paragraph (e)(3)(i) of this section (involving Agency reporting of corrected noncompliance or failure to certify within 3 years after the end of the correction period) are applicable January 14, 2000.