Link to an amendment published at 90 FR 16087, Apr. 17, 2025.

(a) Maximum per-unit subsidy amount. The total amount of HOME funds that a participating jurisdiction may invest on a per-unit basis in affordable housing may not exceed the per-unit dollar limits established by HUD in accordance with section 212(e) of the Act. HUD will publish the per-unit dollar limits for the area in which the housing is located annually. HUD will publish its methodology for determining maximum per-unit dollar limits through a publication in the Federal Register with the opportunity for comment.

(b) Underwriting and subsidy layering. Before committing funds to a project, the participating jurisdiction must evaluate the project in accordance with guidelines that it has adopted for determining a reasonable level of profit or return on owner's or developer's investment in a project and must not invest any more HOME funds, alone or in combination with other governmental assistance, than is necessary to provide quality affordable housing that is financially viable for a reasonable period (at minimum, the period of affordability in § 92.252 or § 92.254) and that will not provide a profit or return on the owner's or developer's investment that exceeds the participating jurisdiction's established standards for the size, type, and complexity of the project. The participating jurisdiction's guidelines must require the participating jurisdiction to undertake:

(1) An examination of the sources and uses of funds for the project and a determination that the costs are reasonable; and

(2) An assessment, at minimum, of the current market demand in the neighborhood in which the project will be located, the experience of the developer, the financial capacity of the developer, and firm written financial commitments for the project.

(3) For projects involving rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing pursuant to § 92.254(b):

(i) An underwriting analysis of the homeowner's ability to repay the HOME-funded rehabilitation loan is required only if the loan is an amortizing loan; and

(ii) A market analysis or evaluation of developer capacity is not required.

(4) For projects involving HOME-funded homeownership assistance pursuant to § 92.254(a) and which do not include HOME-funded development activity, a market analysis or evaluation of developer capacity is not required.

[78 FR 44670, July 24, 2013, as amended at 90 FR 16086, Apr. 17, 2025]