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Some managers may not bother to collect security deposits from move-ins or the full amount due. Maybe that's because they don't fully understand HUD's rules on setting the amounts of security deposits, or they just simply forgot to do it. Whatever the reason, not collecting the full amount due is risky and can jeopardize your right to file special claims with HUD for reimbursement of unpaid rent or damages. Also, security deposits give you a financial cushion against household misconduct.

As manager of an assisted site, one of your most important jobs is to keep the owner updated on how well you're managing the site. The owner wants to know on a monthly or quarterly basis how well the site is doing financially and that there's no major occupancy or other problems affecting the site. To convey this information most effectively, you should prepare a written management report giving the owner the kind of information that he or she needs to make informed decisions about the site.

HUD's Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) conducts approximately 20,000 physical inspections of sites each year to ensure that residents are living in assisted housing units that are “decent, safe, sanitary, and in good repair.” During an investigation, REAC inspectors will look at specific areas of the site for any health or safety hazards. Problems that are uncovered can cost you points on your inspection score. If enough points are deducted, there could be serious repercussions for your site.

You may have some assisted residents who don't pay their utility bills for electricity, gas, or water. This can create a dangerous situation at your site. If the utility company shuts off service to the resident's unit, the resident may try to make do with candles, use the oven for heat, or cobble together some other quick remedy that could cause a fire.

The stock market has been incredibly volatile this past year. As a result, some of your residents may have experienced significant reductions in the value of their stock portfolio and may be asking for interim recertifications. Others may have had the benefit of a positive swing in their portfolio's value or are enjoying more household income from dividends that cash-rich companies have increased as they've become more confident in the economy.

You're probably familiar with HUD's requirement that you calculate elderly households' medical expense allowances at each recertification based on the households' medical expenses during the prior year. Generally, HUD says, the allowance covers households' “anticipated” medical expenses during the upcoming certification period. But sometimes your estimate may fall far short of actual expenses during the certification period, such as when a household member suffers a serious injury.

Suppose a household member is injured on the job and tells you that he'll be getting workers' compensation benefits for a number of weeks. Like many managers, you may have little experience with income from employee benefits. But with the increasing popularity of welfare-to-work programs, managers at assisted sites are certifying more and more residents who've received employee benefit income such as workers' compensation.

As HUD's largest rental assistance program, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program plays a key role in preventing homelessness and supporting local rental markets—particularly in a bad economy. Over the past three years, the country has struggled with persistently high unemployment and a severe shortage of affordable housing. Funding cuts and future budget uncertainties only make managing an area's HCV program that much more difficult.

Many site managers don't know how to handle applications from households headed by minors or including minor co-heads or spouses. By definition, a minor is an individual under the age of full legal responsibility. Therefore, a minor's signature on a lease is generally not legally binding. While HUD's Occupancy Handbook makes brief mention of minor household heads [Handbook 4350.3, par. 5-6(A)(2)], it provides no guidance on what managers should do to protect themselves.

Households often report changes in their composition, employment status, income, or allowances. As a result of such changes, a household may have to move to a smaller or larger unit or pay a higher or lower share of the rent. To determine what effect the reported changes will have on the household, HUD rules require you to perform an interim recertification whenever a household reports any of the following [Handbook 4350.3, par. 7-10]: