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Originally Posted by NYgal1542
Mircea: Thank you so much for your response.
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A few years ago while going to college, one of my part-time jobs was data entry for a property management company that managed several HUD properties. They would do the paperwork, and I would come in on weekends and enter it into the computer.
I teach guitar to a disabled vet who lives in a HUD property that used to be an old hospital. He lives in a neighborhood that is being revitalized by tearing down vacant buildings and putting a park between the two one-way streets there, and he's deathly afraid that will increase the property value and he'll pay more in rent.
He's right that it will increase property values, but he's wrong to think his rent will change.
HUD regulations have a formula that allows HUD landlords to charge the maximum amount allowable.
The sad thing is one-bedrooms in his neighborhood rent for $350-$450/month, but HUD regulations allow the landlord to charge $756/month for his apartment.
So, tax-payers are getting screwed.
He pays $261/month.
If the HUD rent drops to $500/month, he still pays $261/month.
If HUD rent goes to $1,000/month, he still pays $261/month.
Your rent is based solely on your income plus adjustments, and has nothing to do with the actual rental price.
Every year, you should have to go to the office to re-certify, with you verifying your income, providing utility bills for the utility deduction, and out-of-pocket medical expenses if they exceed 3% of your annual gross income.
Your paperwork should state the actual HUD allowable rental price, and your calculated HUD rent payments.
To understand the process, a group of investors will form a partnership or limited liability company or S-Corp and buy a property, or build units, or convert an existing apartment complex into a HUD property.
The investors probably don't live in your State. They may not even live in the US. The point is, they have no desire to manage the day-to-day affairs of the property, so they hire a property management company to do that.
The investors will publish bid specifications in the local newspapers, or mail out bids directly to property management companies or telephone shop.
The property management companies will factor in the wages and benefits of the officer workers, the maintenance people and the house-cleaning people,
plus their profit margin, and that's what they charge the investors.
Naturally, to maximize their profits, the investors are going to accept the lowest-bidder.
If wages are an issue, that's the property management's problem, not your problem and not the investor's problem.
We can dumb this down to the property management company pays the lowest wages possible to maximize their profits.
The investors provide a maintenance budget for the property management company, and that's what the property management company has to work with.
If things are being fixed, it's because the maintenance budget is too low, and probably the only things that ever get repaired are those things that would ding them on a HUD inspection, which should be taking place annually.
HUD inspections are published on-line, so you can see the HUD score for your building, plus other HUD properties in your area.
If you leave the property, one thing you should know, because I'm relatively certain the office managers will threaten you over this, and that is HUD regulations relating to flooring.
HUD regulations require pile or plush carpet to be replaced every 5 years, and indoor-outdoor carpeting every 7 years.
If you've been there 7 years and they try to withhold your security deposit due to "damage" to the carpet, tell them to stuff it where the Sun don't shine.
As a tenant, you have the right to have your carpet replaced every 7 years, but that's problematic, because you have to remove your furniture and things on your own time and expense to that they can install new carpet.
Tiling and linoleum is every 5 years. If your kitchen or bathroom flooring is defective, you can demand they replace it. It's on you to move everything, but would that be? Maybe a trash can and microwave stand in the kitchen, and for the bathroom, what, maybe a waste can and some throw rugs. No big deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYgal1542
I have so many issues with this place it just makes me crazy sometimes. The people who built and own this place have many apartments like this. I don't know what happens at the other places. And not sure if there is anyone in the HUD situation who would step up to the plate. I just wrote a note to my assemblyman explaining the problem and asking for help, either from him or someone he might refer me to.
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One thing you can do is look at HUD inspection scores for other properties on-line.
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Originally Posted by NYgal1542
I am paying more rent that I should be ($60/month) but trying to get that situation fixed is another thing. I need to write another letter. I've been here since Sept. 2011. I asked about paying for all that time I overpaid and was told by someone I don't think really knows, that would not happen.
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I don't know much about that.
I do know HUD characterizes problems as either errors or misrepresentations.
If you made a misrepresentation then you're responsible for it. If you made an error because you didn't understand something and submitted the wrong documents or didn't submit documents to your benefit, you're off the hook, but I have no idea how that works.
I'm not sure who could explain that to you in greater detail. Your assembly might know, or you could contact the federal representative for your House district and maybe one of their staff members knows how to go about getting in touch with the right people or filing the necessary forms.
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