The Rental Compliance Manual may be downloaded by clicking on the link below. The update to the manual introduces the Boulder Regional Affordable Rental Housing Program, incorporates the new HOTMA rules and HUD guidance. In our ongoing efforts to seek out opportunities to reduce the administrative burden on property management, the City adopted the following new rules regarding income and asset determinations:
- Owners/Managers may accept Rental Subsidy Provider’s Income Determination for all households receiving rental assistance payments instead of conducting third party income verification.
- Owners/Managers may accept Safe Harbor Income Determination which allows property management to accept income determinations from TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, LIHTC and WIC instead of conducting third party income verification. This new rule will drastically reduce the administrative burden since there are many more applicants/residents that receive these types of benefits that may not receive rental assistance payments.
- Increase Asset Limit to 100,000 from 55,000 which aligns with the new HOTMA rule.
As we embark on 2026, we wanted to let you know how the 2025 Monitoring Season went and what to expect for 2026. While your property may not have been on the city's monitoring schedule for 2025, valuable observations were made that we’d like to pass on that ALL properties can benefit from. Below are some items which you will want to keep in mind, items that are often found missing, things that are required, and helpful tips which might allow future monitorings to flow smoothly.
Permanently Affordable Unit Addendum: The RCM 5.4 requires households to sign the Permanently Affordable Rental Unit Addendum at initial occupancy. The Permanently Affordable Rental Unit Addendum must be signed by all households at move-in, and only then, and maintained in the tenant file. HOWEVER, when the city monitors, we like to see the signed Addendum, regardless of when it was signed, so we know it was signed. It should be part of the file that we ask for.
Declaration of Citizenship: The RCM 3.22 requires the Owner/Manager to have each household member of a HOME-assisted unit, complete Declaration of Citizenship and maintained in the tenant file for each member of the household. If a household occupies a newly designated HOME-Unit, be sure to obtain a Declaration of Citizenship for EACH member of the household upon re-certification of income or prior to the designation of the HOME-Unit, whichever comes first. It should be part of the file that we ask for.
Placed in Service (PIS) Date: The PIS date is very important to the City of Boulder and the monitoring process. The PIS date originates from one of the following - whichever is latest - Certificate of Occupancy (new construction) or Date of Original Covenant. The Owner/Manager must calculate annual income using third party income verification at initial occupancy and EVERY 6th year of the Placed In Service (PIS) Date of the PROPERTY. Not the 6th year the tenant has lived on site at the property. If you are unsure of your property’s PIS Date, please contact the city and we will be happy to let you know.
Monitoring schedule for 2026: Our monitoring season traditionally runs from February through October. We will do our very best to schedule a monitoring that works best with your schedule. Monitorings will be a mix of remote or hybrid visits. At this time we have 50 properties scheduled for monitoring this year, so we may ask you for monitoring information on more than one property at a time.
AMI/Income/Rent Limits: GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2025 – The AMI/Income/Rent Limits are now a webpage! The AMI/Income/Rent limits can be accessed by the link below. Please be sure to use these income limits to determine income eligibility and rent limits to determine maximum rent for all applicants prior to initial occupancy and annual recertification of eligibility to maintain compliance with your permanently affordable rental housing properties under Covenant with the City. The AMI limits for 2026 should be released in mid-May. We will update the webpage and will notify you via email as well.
Utility Schedule: GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2025 – The Utility Schedule is now a webpage! The Utility Schedule can be accessed by the link below. Please be sure to reference the schedule when determining maximum rents (as applicable). The Utility Schedule for 2026 should be released in March. We will update the webpage and will notify you via email as well.
Offer Technical Assistance: The city incorporates technical assistance into the overall monitoring plan to help our Partners/Owners/Managers understand and comply with all compliance requirements. Technical assistance is not intended to replace formal monitoring but rather serves as a supplemental tool for monitoring to ensure long-term compliance. Technical assistance is offered prior to initial lease-up, based on need as identified in the monitoring process, staff turnover and is available upon request.
Update Contact Information: If your organization has had any ownership, key management, or property staff changes in the last year, please be sure to provide updated information within 30-days of receipt of this email. This will ensure communication is maintained. Please submit any updates you may have to Cindy Spence, Compliance & Monitoring Administrator at spencec@bouldercolorado.gov.