N.J. Admin. Code § 5:80-33.32

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 5:80-33.32 - Compliance monitoring

(a) The owners of all projects with an allocation of low-income housing tax credits must contact NJHMFA's compliance monitoring section before the project is placed in service and prior to rent up. In addition, the owner must submit to NJHMFA a copy of the completed IRS Form 8609 (Part I completed by NJHMFA and Part II completed by the owner) within 30 days of completion of Part II of the IRS Form 8609 and the filing thereof with the Internal Revenue Service. This form contains information necessary for NJHMFA to monitor the project for compliance. Failure to submit a copy of the completed IRS Form 8609 within the specified time frame may constitute noncompliance and may be reported by NJHMFA to the IRS.

(b) The owner of a tax credit project shall agree to submit to NJHMFA copies of any correspondence, notice, or other document the owner receives from the Internal Revenue Service regarding compliance or noncompliance issues, audits, or other forms of communication regarding their low-income tax credit project(s).

(c) Owners shall submit to NJHMFA on an annual basis a copy of the project's most recent audited financial statements, including a detailed income and expense schedule and vacancy rate calculation by January 31.

(d) Owners/agents are required to keep records for each qualified low-income building in the project that show for each year of the compliance period the following information:

1. 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;

2. The percentage of residential rental units in the building that are low-income units;

3. The rent charged on each residential rental unit in the building, including any utility allowances;

4. The number of occupants and the number of full-time students in each low-income household;

5. The low-income unit vacancies in the building and information that shows when and to whom the next available units (whether market rate or low-income) were rented;

6. The annual income certification of each low-income household;

7. Documentation to support each low-income tenant's income (that is, income verification from third parties such as employers or agencies paying unemployment compensation). Tenant income is calculated in a manner consistent with the determination of annual income pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, not in accordance with the determination of gross income for Federal income tax liability. In the case of a tenant receiving housing assistance payments pursuant to Section 8, the documentation requirement 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 pursuant to Section 42(g) of the Code. For 100-percent tax-credit properties, an initial certification shall be required at move-in, followed by a re-certification on the one-year anniversary of move-in. Re-certification shall no longer be required in subsequent years, provided the property continues to operate as 100-percent affordable. While a resident shall still be required to complete the Tenant Income Certification and other forms on an annual basis, third-party verification of income shall no longer be required;

8. The eligible basis and qualified basis of the building at the end of the first year of the credit period; and

9. The character and use of the non-residential portion of the building included in the building's eligible basis under Section 42(d) of the Code (that is, 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).

(e) Owners/agents are required to retain records for each qualified low-income housing project as follows:

1. Owners/agents are required to retain the records described above for at least six years after the due date (with extensions) for filing the Federal income tax return for that year.

2. The records for the first year of the credit period, however, shall be retained for the entire compliance period plus six 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. Therefore, records for the first year of the compliance period shall be retained for a minimum of 21 years. If credits were allocated based on a compliance period that was greater than 15 years, all first-year records shall be retained for six years beyond the compliance period. (For example: If credits were allocated in 1996 based on a compliance period of 25 years, all first-year records must be retained for 31 years or 25 years plus six years.) Records for each year thereafter shall be retained for six years after filing the Federal income tax return for that particular year.

(f) The owner/agent of a low-income housing project shall certify, under penalty of perjury, that it has complied with the low-income housing tax credit restrictions of the Code, the Qualified Allocation Plan, and the project's tax credit application by providing an Owner's Certificate of Continuing Program Compliance to NJHMFA. The Owner's Certificate of Continuing Program Compliance shall be sent annually to NJHMFA for each year of the compliance period for the preceding 12-month period and contain the following:

1. That the project met the requirements of the 20-50 test under Code Section 42(g)(1)(A), the 40-60 test under Section 42(g)(l)(B), or the Average Income test established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, whichever Federal minimum set-aside test was applicable to the project, and, if applicable to the project, the 40-50 HOME test under Section 42(i)(2)(E)(i) and the 15-40 test under Sections 42(g)(4) and 142(d)(4)(B) for "deep rent skewed" projects;

2. That there was no change in the applicable fraction of any building in the project (as defined by Section 42(c)(1)(B) of the Code) or that there was a change and a description of the change;

3. That the owner 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 declaring that the tenant's income does not exceed the applicable limit under Section 42(g) of the Code;

4. That each low-income unit in the project was rent-restricted pursuant to Section 42(g) (2) of the Code;

5. That all units in the project were for use by the general public and used on a non-transient basis (except for transitional housing for the homeless provided under Section 42(i)(3)(B)(iii) of the Code);

6. That each building in the project was suitable for occupancy, taking into account local health, safety, and building codes (or other habitability standards), and the State and local government unit responsible for making building code inspections did not issue a report of a violation for any building or low-income unit in the project;

7. That there was no change in the eligible basis (as defined in Section 42(d) of the Code) of any building in the project or, if there was a change, the nature of the change (that is, a common area has become commercial space, or a fee is now charged for a tenant facility formerly provided without charge);

8. That all tenant facilities included in the eligible basis under Section 42(d) of the Code 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;

9. That if a low-income unit in the project became vacant during the year, 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;

10. That if the income of tenants of a low-income unit, which was previously verified, increased above 140 percent of the applicable limit allowed at Section 42(g)(2)(D)(ii) of the Code, the next available unit of comparable or smaller size in the project was or will be rented to tenants having a qualifying income;

11. That an extended low-income housing commitment as described at Section 42(h)(6) of the Code was in effect for buildings subject to Section 7108-(c)(1) of the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1989, including the requirement pursuant to Section 42(h)(6)(B)(iv) that the owner cannot refuse to lease a unit in the project to an applicant because the applicant holds a voucher or certificate of eligibility pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. § 1437f. In addition, that the owner did not refuse to lease a unit to an applicant based solely on their status as a holder of a Section 8 voucher and the project otherwise meets the provisions, including any special provisions, as outlined in the extended low-income housing commitment;

12. That no finding of discrimination pursuant to the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 through 3619, occurred for the project. A finding of discrimination includes an adverse final decision by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 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;

13. That if the owner received its credit allocation from the Nonprofit Set Aside (Section 42(h)(5) of the Code), the nonprofit entity materially participated in the operation of the development within the meaning of Section 469(h) of the Code;

14. That there was no change in the ownership or management of the project or, if there was a change, a description of the change;

15. That the rent charged to each existing tenant (excluding any rental assistance) did not increase by more than 5.00 percent annually, including any increase due to changes in utility allowance calculations;

16. That the property management office had office hours of at least 20 hours a week;

17. That the owner notified each applicant and tenant using Form HUD-5380 (Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act) and Form HUD-5382 attached thereto of their rights and protections pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. § 12291, as amended by, among other acts, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, Pub. L. No. 117-103, 136 Stat. 840, and pursuant to HUD Final Rule Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013: Implementation in HUD Housing Programs, 81 Fed. Reg. 80724 (Nov. 16, 2016);

18. That the owner registered and posted the property on the New Jersey Housing Resource Center (HRC) and has actively updated property information pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-321.3. The HRC is located at https://nj.qov/njhrc; and

19. That the owner registered in HMIS and submitted data for all units reserved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-33.15(a)22 for individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness. For training in HMIS data entry or to learn more about HMIS, visit the Division of HMIS website at http://ni.aov/dca/hmfa/about/hmis/index.shtml.

(g) As required by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, PL. No. 110-289, owners are required to submit, on an annual basis, data pertaining to the residents of LIHTC-funded units. Such data must contain, but is not limited to, income, rental assistance, disability status, monthly rental payment, race, ethnicity, family composition, and age.

N.J. Admin. Code § 5:80-33.32

Amended by 49 N.J.R. 435(a), effective 3/6/2017

Amended by 51 N.J.R. 833(a), effective 6/3/2019

Amended by 56 N.J.R. 343(b), effective 3/4/2024