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HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau released the results of the 2015 American Housing Survey focusing on 25 metropolitan areas across the country. The data includes detailed information on everything from monthly housing costs to hunger and neighborhood characteristics including crime and the prevalence of rodents and cockroaches.

President-elect Trump recently announced that he’ll nominate Dr. Ben Carson as the new secretary of HUD. As HUD secretary, Carson would oversee a budget of nearly $50 billion that provides rental assistance for more than 5 million households.

President-elect Trump will have an opportunity to reverse a number of the Obama administration’s regulatory rules through a rarely used law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA was passed as part of the Contract With America Advancement Act by Congress in 1996 when Newt Gingrich, now a close Trump adviser, was House Speaker. To invalidate a rule, resolutions must pass both houses of Congress, then either be signed by the president or passed over the president’s veto by two-thirds votes in both chambers.

HUD recently released the final rule requiring public housing agencies (PHAs) to implement a smoke-free policy. Specifically, no later than 18 months from the effective date of the rule, each PHA must implement a “smoke-free” policy banning the use of prohibited tobacco products in all public housing living units, indoor common areas in public housing, and in PHA administrative office buildings. The smoke-free policy must also extend to all outdoor areas up to 25 feet from the public housing and administrative office buildings.

HUD published a notice in the Federal Register seeking comment on how HUD proposes to implement the new public housing income limit provision of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA).

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) recently issued Notice PIH 2016-18 providing guidance regarding the ability of small public housing agencies to use capital funds and operating resources in a flexible manner for any activities eligible under the capital fund program and operating fund program, regardless of which fund the money comes from.

HUD recently published in the Federal Register a final rule regarding the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR) in certain metropolitan areas, and replacing HUD’s existing 50th percentile fair market rent (FMR) policy for the Housing Choice Voucher program. The rule also provides regulatory implementation guidance related to certain provisions of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) pertaining to all FMRs.

HUD recently released a proposed rule that would amend HUD’s regulations governing its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to revise its “enhanced vouchers” policy. The program allows private owners to rent apartments and homes at or below fair market prices to qualified low-income tenants, with a rental subsidy administered by the local housing authority.

HUD recently issued Notice H 2016-16, which implements provisions enacted by Congress in December 2015 that allow owners of sites assisted under the “Low Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990” (LIHPRHA) to access residual receipts and eliminate limitations on distributions.

HUD recently released draft revisions of five chapters of Handbook 4350.1, Multifamily Asset Management and Project Servicing. While Handbook 4350.1 is primarily for HUD Multifamily field staff who monitor owners and managing agents so that HUD-assisted sites are maintained in good physical and financial condition, the Handbook can be a useful reference for owners as well. The five draft chapters address physical conditions, budget-based rent adjustments, civil rights enforcement, Section 8 pass-through leases, and releases and satisfactions.