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So I got a rejection e-mail for affordable housing lottery that I already interviewed that just stated "CREDIT HISTORY" as the reason. I wanted to appeal but I wasn't sure what I needed to appeal. So I sent them a letter indicating that I wanted to appeal and asked them for more information. But they sent me an e-mail saying that my appeal has been denied and that their decision was final so I can't appeal anymore. Do people not read e-mails and just reject every appeal they get? And also I thought with new guidelines to affordable housing that people couldn't be rejected just by their credit history alone. Well at least shouldn't they provide more specific reasons why my credit history was considered bad?
They are lying ,even if they rejected your appeal you still have one more appeal,HPD has the final say
I read through the affordable housing guidelines that these management companies(mine was wavecrest management) are supposed to follow. It does state that they need to provide me info on how to make a complaint to HPD in case I feel like my rejection was done in error. However, I wasn't provided with any... They even skipped to give me specific or clear reason why they are rejecting my appeal... (which they are obliged to give) They still basically just state, "you are being rejected after a full review of your credit history and credit score" WTF?
My friend's experience at another management was totally different. Although he got rejected, they sent him a long letter specifying all criteria they found that disqualified him for an affordable housing. Even then, they told him he could appeal which my friend couldn't.
You get rejected, and you can appeal once to the marketing agent handling the development. If you get rejected again, you can appeal to HPD, but you only have 5 days from the rejection of your appeal to do so (HPD is somewhat flexible on the the 5-day rule, but not likely by much). And yes, the marketing agent MUST inform you that you have this HPD option. If they don't, that's a violation of the guidelines. You can send your appeal to HPD through its email (address is on its website). Include all relevant attachments, the main one being the rejection of your application, and the rejection of your appeal. This is all spelled out on the HPD website. Dig a little. The marketing agent doesn't actually have to give you that much detail about why you were rejected. Some do and some don't. And it sounds as if citing your credit history was enough (you can go on the HPD site, which is a goldmine if you dig a little, and find "model letters" as attachments to the Marketing Guidelines, which are very helpful if you're trying to determine whether the marketing agent was in compliance in its reason for rejection, and the amount of detail provided--look at the model rejection letter to applicants--you'll be surprised at how little they do need to reveal). Aside from all this, for HPD to overturn an initial negative ruling, you need to provide concrete info to show that the marketing agent was wrong and in violation of the guidelines in rejecting your appeal--you need to cite the specific marketing guideline that would indicate that. That is the only way HPD will order the marketing agent to reopen your case--concrete proof that a guideline was violated and a mistake was made. Copy and paste or quote verbatim from the guidelines to indicate the marketing agent made a mistake. Marketing agents vary widely in their competence; many are not aware of the rules. I know, amazing. The credit rules became slightly more lenient in October 2016. The onus of proof that you were wrongly rejected is entirely on you. If you appeal to HPD by email, attach all relevant documents. And sit back and wait. I wouldn't rush HPD, because if you do, you risk having it simply rubber stamp the initial negative decision. HPD is swamped, but it will get to your case eventually. If you're over the 5-day limit, call HPD Compliance (number is on the site) and explain that you were never informed of this option. You might get a break on the time limit. They'll even give guidance on how to write your appeal to them, although that's also on its website. The main thing is to be specific, right in the first paragraph. Good luck. Let us know what happens. And don't worry. If this doesn't work out, there's always another lottery.
Moving415, Thank you so much. I'll follow your advice and do exactly what you recommend me to do. The guideline also states that when a marking agent is rejecting an appeal, he or she needs to be explicit.
If the Marketing Agent finds the application still to be ineligible after the appeal
review, the appeal rejection letter must provide specific and detailed reason why
an applicant cannot be approved. For example, stating, “You are rejected
because you are over-income” is not sufficient. The letter would need to state
more specifically, as an example, “You have been deemed ineligible for this
housing program because you do not meet the maximum income required for
your family and unit size. The maximum income is $35,000 and your household’s
annual income has been determined to be $36,000.”
I guess I'm gonna be writing a long letter...
Oh and the reason that I'm assuming (since my marketing agent again didn't specify) I got rejected was because I had 2 collections accounts that showed up on my credit history that I didn't know about because the collection agencies were sending bills to an address that my mother and my sister lived in like 7 years ago. I didn't even know these things existed and I could check them from my credit report. I took care of them by paying them in full amount as soon as I found out.
And Again from the guideline it states that I can't be rejected unless my currently open delinquencies are more than $500.00. Since I paid them in full amount, I don't fall under this criteria and I was wrongfully rejected if this was my marketing officer's reasoning for my ineligibility.
Developers may reject an applicant based on rent delinquencies for which there is not an acceptable mitigating justification, if the delinquencies are (a) currently open or (b) if there is a history or pattern of rent delinquencies being a repetitive, chronic issue.
• Developers may reject an applicant for other, non- rent delinquencies only if the current outstanding amount exceeds $500 (e.g., an applicant should not be rejected based on a single overdue cable bill).
It's my fault that I never regularly check my credit report but I never had a chance to buy a car or get a loan or w/e so I never had the need to learn these things but now I learned my lesson.
Thanks again Moving415 and I'll make sure to update the result of this when it happens.
You should check your credit report at least once a year, regardless of whether you're applying for housing or a car or a mortgage to be sure that no one has stolen your identity, or is opening bogus accounts in your name. You can do it for free on at least two sites. If you take a look at the model applicant rejection letter on the HPD site, you'll see it's not that detailed, regardless of what the guidelines say. I guess "detailed" is a relative concept.
Cite your points one by one, a separate paragraph for each point. Use bullet points if they feel right. I think you can do this in a page, especially if you do it by email, where you don't have to waste space on an address, etc. Made the letter as tight as possible. Cite the reason for the rejection immediately, and why you're contesting it (attach the original rejection letter, and the rejection of your appeal). And then build your case citing where guidelines were violated, point by point. If you weren't told you had the right to appeal to HPD, include that too, but at the end, as you don't want it to clog the case you're building. But HPD should be told about this lapse. Include the development and your log number. Keep us updated. Again, good luck.
So I got a rejection e-mail for affordable housing lottery that I already interviewed that just stated "CREDIT HISTORY" as the reason. I wanted to appeal but I wasn't sure what I needed to appeal. So I sent them a letter indicating that I wanted to appeal and asked them for more information. But they sent me an e-mail saying that my appeal has been denied and that their decision was final so I can't appeal anymore. Do people not read e-mails and just reject every appeal they get? And also I thought with new guidelines to affordable housing that people couldn't be rejected just by their credit history alone. Well at least shouldn't they provide more specific reasons why my credit history was considered bad?
I suggest you call 311 and ask to make an appointment with one of the Financial Empowerment centers closest to you. The Financial Empowerment center will review your credit report and assist you in improving your credit score. I was denied because of my credit as well and the management company suggested I reach out to the Financial Empowerment center to improve my score, so when I'm called in the future my credit wouldn't hinder my approval. Also I was informed a credit score of 550 and above is typically what they look for. You cannot have any accounts in collections or judgements against you and student loans must be in good standing.
Thanks for the info. If you don't mind me asking, what was your credit score when you were denied? Also did the financial empowerment help boost up your score?
Thanks for the info. If you don't mind me asking, what was your credit score when you were denied? Also did the financial empowerment help boost up your score?
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