Section 10.408 - Qualified Contract Requirements(a) General. Pursuant to §42(h)(6) of the Code, after the end of the 14th year of the Compliance Period, the Development Owner of a Development utilizing Housing Tax Credits can request that the allocating agency find a buyer at the Qualified Contract Price. If a buyer cannot be located within one year, the Extended Use Period will expire. This section provides the procedures for the submittal and review of a Qualified Contract Request.(b) Eligibility. Development Owners who received an award of credits on or after January 1, 2002, are not eligible to request a Qualified Contract prior to the 30 year anniversary of the date the property was placed in service (§2306.185); if the property's LURA indicates a commitment to an Extended Use Period beyond 30 years, the Development Owner is not eligible to request a Qualified Contract until the expiration of the Extended Use Period. Development Owners awarded credits prior to 2002 may submit a Qualified Contract Request at any time after the end of the year preceding the last year of the Initial Affordability Period, provided it is not precluded by the terms of the LURA, following the Department's determination that the Development Owner is eligible. The Initial Affordability Period starts concurrently with the credit period, which begins at placement-in-service or is deferred until the beginning of the next tax year, if there is an election. Unless the Development Owner has elected an Initial Affordability Period longer than the Compliance Period, as described in the LURA, this can commence at any time after the end of the 14th year of the Compliance Period. References in this section to actions which can occur after the 14th year of the Compliance Period shall refer, as applicable, to the year preceding the last year of the Initial Affordability Period, if the Development Owner elected an Initial Affordability Period longer than the Compliance Period.(1) If there are multiple buildings placed in service in different years, the end of the Initial Affordability Period will be based upon the date the last building placed in service. For example, if five buildings in the Development began their credit periods in 2005 and one began in 2006, the 15th year would be 2020.(2) If a Development received an allocation in multiple years, the end of the Initial Affordability Period will be based upon the last year of a multiple allocation. For example, if a Development received its first allocation in 2004 and a subsequent allocation and began the credit period in 2006, the 15th year would be 2020.(c) Preliminary Qualified Contract Request. All eligible Development Owners must file a Preliminary Qualified Contract Request.(1) In addition to determining the basic eligibility described in subsection (b) of this section, the pre-request will be used to determine that:(A) The Development does not have any uncorrected issues of noncompliance outside the corrective action period;(B) There is a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) connected to the Development that has been satisfied; and(C) The Compliance Period under the LURA has expired; and(2) In order to assess the validity of the pre-request, the Development Owner must submit: (A) Preliminary Request Form;(B) Qualified Contract Pre-Request fee as outlined in § RSA 11.901 of this title (relating to Fee Schedule);(C) Copy of all regulatory agreements or LURAs associated with the Property (non-TDHCA); and(D) Copy of a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA), conducted by a Third Party, that is no more than 12 months older than the request date. If the PNA identifies the need for critical repairs that significantly impact habitability and tenant safety, the identified repairs and replacements must be resolved to the satisfaction of the Department before the Development will be considered eligible to submit a Qualified Contract Request.(3) The pre-request will not bind the Development Owner to submit a Qualified Contract Request and does not start the One Year Period (1YP). A review of the pre-request will be conducted by the Department within 90 days of receipt of all documents and fees described in paragraph (2) of this subsection. If the Department determines that this stage is satisfied, a letter will be sent to the Development Owner stating that they are eligible to submit a Qualified Contract (QC) Request.(d) Qualified Contract Request. A Development Owner may file a QC Request any time after written approval is received from the Department verifying that the Development Owner is eligible to submit the Request.(1) Documentation that must be submitted with a Request is outlined in subparagraphs (A) - (P) of this paragraph:(A) A completed application and certification;(B) The Qualified Contract price calculation worksheets completed by a licensed Third-Party certified public accountant (CPA). The CPA shall certify that they have reviewed annual partnership tax returns for all years of operation, loan documents for all secured debt, and partnership agreements. They shall also certify that they are not being compensated for the assignment based upon a predetermined outcome;(C) A thorough description of the Development, including all amenities;(D) A description of all income, rental and other restrictions (non-TDHCA), if any, applicable to the operation of the Development;(E) A current title report;(F) A current appraisal with the effective date within six months of the date of the QC Request and consistent with Chapter 11, Subchapter D of this title (relating to Underwriting and Loan Policy);(G) A current Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (and Phase II, if necessary) with the effective date within six months of the date of the QC Request and consistent with Chapter 11, Subchapter D of this title;(H) A copy of the most recent Physical Needs Assessment of the property conducted by a Third Party, if different from the assessment submitted during the preliminary qualified contract request, consistent with Chapter 11, Subchapter D of this title;(I) A copy of the monthly operating statements for the Development for the most recent 12 consecutive months;(J) The three most recent consecutive annual operating statements (audited would be preferred) for the Development;(K) A detailed set of photographs of the Development, including interior and exterior of representative units and buildings, and the property's grounds;(L) A current and complete rent roll for the Development;(M) A certification that all tenants in the Development have been notified in writing of the request for a Qualified Contract. A copy of the letter used for the notification must also be included;(N) If any portion of the land or improvements is leased, copies of the leases;(O) The Qualified Contract Fee as identified in § RSA 11.901 of this title (relating to Fee Schedule); and(P) Additional information deemed necessary by the Department.(2) Unless otherwise directed by the Department pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, the Development Owner shall contract with a broker to market and sell the Property. The Department may, at its sole discretion, notify the Owner that the selected Broker is not approved by the Department. The fee for this service will be paid by the seller, not to exceed 6% of the QC Price.(3) Within 90 days of the submission of a complete Request, the Department will notify the Development Owner in writing of the acceptance or rejection of the Development Owner's QC Price calculation. The Department will have one year from the date of the acceptance letter to find a Qualified Purchaser and present a QC. The Department's rejection of the Development Owner's QC Price calculation will be processed in accordance with subsection (e) of this section and the 1YP will commence as provided therein.(e) Determination of Qualified Contract Price. The QC Price calculation is not the same as the Minimum Purchase Price calculation for the ROFR. The CPA contracted by the Development Owner will determine the QC Price in accordance with §42(h)(6)(F) of the Code taking the following into account: (1) Outstanding indebtedness secured by, or with respect to, the building;(2) Distributions to the Development Owner of any and all cash flow, including incentive management fees, capital contributions not reflected in outstanding indebtedness or adjusted investor equity, and reserve balance distributions or future anticipated distributions, but excluding payments of any eligible deferred developer fee. These distributions can only be confirmed by a review of all prior year tax returns for the Development;(3) All equity contributions will be adjusted based upon the lesser of the consumer price index or 5% for each year, from the end of the year of the contribution to the end of year fourteen or the end of the year of the request for a QC Price if requested at the end of the year or the year prior if the request is made earlier than the last month of the year; and(4) These guidelines are subject to change based upon future IRS Rulings and/or guidance on the determination of Development Owner distributions, equity contributions and/or any other element of the QC Price.(f) Appeal of Qualified Contract Price. The Department reserves the right, at any time, to request additional information to document the QC Price calculation or other information submitted. If the documentation does not support the price indicated by the CPA hired by the Development Owner, the Department may engage its own CPA to perform a QC Price calculation and the cost of such service will be paid for by the Development Owner. If a Development Owner disagrees with the QC Price calculated by the Department, a Development Owner may appeal in writing in accordance with § RSA 11.902 of this title (relating to Appeals Process). A meeting will be arranged with representatives of the Development Owner, the Department and the CPA contracted by the Department to attempt to resolve the discrepancy. The 1YP will not begin until the Department and Development Owner have agreed to the QC Price in writing. Further appeals can be submitted in accordance with § RSA 11.902 of this title (relating to Appeals Process) and Tex. Gov't Code § RSA 2306.0321 and § RSA 2306.6715.(g) Marketing of Property. By submitting a Request, the Development Owner grants the Department the authority to market the Development and provide Development information to interested parties. Development information will consist of pictures of the Development, location, amenities, number of Units, age of building, etc. Development Owner or broker contact information will also be provided to interested parties. The Development Owner is responsible for providing staff any requested information to assist with site visits and inspections. Marketing of the Development will continue until such time that a Qualified Contract is presented or the 1YP has expired. Notwithstanding subsection (d)(2) of this section, the Department reserves the right to contract directly with a Third Party in marketing the Development. Cost of such service, including a broker's fee, will be paid for by the existing Development Owner. The Department must have continuous cooperation from the Development Owner. Lack of cooperation will cause the process to cease and the Development Owner will be required to comply with requirements of the LURA for the remainder of the Extended Use Period. Responsibilities of the Development Owner include but are not limited to the items described in paragraphs (1) - (3) of this subsection. The Development Owner must:(1) Allow access to the Property and tenant files;(2) Keep the Department informed of potential purchasers; and(3) Notify the Department of any offers to purchase.(h) Presentation of a Qualified Contract. If the Department finds a Qualified Purchaser willing to present an offer to purchase the property for an amount at or above the QC Price, the Development Owner may accept the offer and enter into a commercially reasonable form of earnest money agreement or other contract of sale for the property and provide a reasonable time for necessary due diligence and closing of the purchase. If the Development Owner chooses not to accept the QC offer that the Department presents, the QC request will be closed and the possibility of terminating the Extended Use Period through the Qualified Contract process is eliminated; the Property remains bound by the provisions of the LURA for the remainder of the Extended Use Period. If the Development Owner decides to sell the development for the QC Price pursuant to a QC, the purchaser must complete all requirements of an ownership transfer request and be approved by the Department prior to closing on the purchase, but the consummation of such a sale is not required for the LURA to continue to bind the Development for the remainder of the Extended Use Period. (1) The Department will attempt to procure a QC only once during the Extended Use Period. If the transaction closes under the contract, the new Development Owner will be required to fulfill the requirements of the LURA for the remainder of the Extended Use Period.(2) If the Department fails to present a QC before the end of the 1YP, the Department will file a release of the LURA and the Development will no longer be restricted to low-income requirements and compliance. However, in accordance with §42(h)(6)(E)(ii) of the Code, for a three-year period commencing on the termination of the Extended Use Period, the Development Owner may not evict or displace tenants of Low-Income Units for reasons other than good cause and will not be permitted to increase rents beyond the maximum tax credit rents. Additionally, the Development Owner should submit to the Department a request to terminate the LURA and evidence, in the form of a signed certification and a copy of the letter, to be approved by the Department, that the tenants in the Development have been notified in writing that the LURA will be terminated and have been informed of their protections during the three-year time frame.(3) Prior to the Department filing a release of the LURA, the Development Owner must correct all instances of noncompliance at the Development.(i) Compliance Monitoring during Extended Use Period. For Developments that continue to be bound by the LURA and remain affordable after the end of the Compliance Period, the Department will monitor in accordance with the applicable requirements in Subchapters F and G of this chapter (relating to Uniform Multifamily Rules).10 Tex. Admin. Code § 10.408
The provisions of this §10.408 adopted to be effective December 24, 2013, 38 TexReg 9293; amended by Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 49, December 5, 2014, TexReg 9518, eff. 12/9/2014; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 01, January 1, 2016, TexReg 174, eff. 1/6/2016; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 53, December 30, 2016, TexReg 10570, eff. 1/5/2017; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 42, Number 52, December 29, 2017, TexReg 7610, eff. 1/3/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 51, December 21, 2018, TexReg 8297, eff. 12/30/2018; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 45, Number 05, January 31, 2020, TexReg 722, eff. 2/5/2020; Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 47, Number 04, January 28, 2022, TexReg 0266, eff. 2/3/2022