Collapse to view only § 13601. Compliance by owners as condition of Federal assistance
- § 13601. Compliance by owners as condition of Federal assistance
- § 13602. Compliance with criteria for occupancy as requirement for tenancy
- § 13603. Establishment of criteria for occupancy
- § 13604. Assisted applications
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall require owners of federally assisted housing (as such term is defined in section 13641(2) of this title), as a condition of receiving housing assistance for such housing, to comply with the procedures and requirements established under this subchapter.
In selecting tenants for occupancy of units in federally assisted housing, an owner of such housing shall utilize the criteria for occupancy in federally assisted housing established by the Secretary, by regulation, under section 13603 of this title. If an owner determines that an applicant for occupancy in the housing does not meet such criteria, the owner may deny such applicant occupancy.
To assist the Secretary in establishing reasonable criteria for occupancy in federally assisted housing, the Secretary shall establish a task force to review all rules, policy statements, handbooks, technical assistance memoranda, and other relevant documents issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development on the standards and obligations governing residency in federally assisted housing and make recommendations to the Secretary for the establishment of such criteria for occupancy.
The Secretary shall appoint members to the task force, which shall include individuals representing the interests of owners, managers, and tenants of federally assisted housing, public housing agencies, owner and tenant advocacy organizations, persons with disabilities and disabled families, organizations assisting homeless individuals, and social service, mental health, and other nonprofit servicer providers who serve federally assisted housing.
Members of the task force shall not receive compensation for serving on the task force.
In carrying out its duties, the task force shall hold public hearings and receive written comments for a period of not less than 60 days.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall cooperate fully with the task force and shall provide support staff and office space to assist the task force in carrying out its duties.
The Secretary shall, by regulation, establish criteria for selection of tenants for occupancy in federally assisted housing and lease provisions for such housing.
The criteria shall provide sufficient guidance to owners and managers of federally assisted housing to enable them to (A) select tenants capable of complying with reasonable lease terms, (B) utilize leases prohibiting behavior which endangers the health or safety of others or violates the right of other tenants to peaceful enjoyment of the premises, (C) comply with legal requirements to make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, and (D) comply with civil rights laws. The criteria shall be consistent with the requirements under subsections (k) and (l) of section 1437d of this title and section 1437f(d)(1) of this title and any similar contract and lease requirements for federally assisted housing. In establishing the criteria, the Secretary shall take into consideration the report of the task force under subsection (a)(7).
Not later than 90 days after the submission of the final report under subsection (a)(7), the Secretary shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking of the regulations under this subsection providing for notice and opportunity for public comment regarding the regulations, pursuant to the provisions of section 553 of title 5 (notwithstanding subsections (a)(2), (b)(B), and (d)(3) of such section). The duration of the period for public comment under such section 553 shall not be less than 60 days. The Secretary shall issue final regulations under this subsection not later than the expiration of the 60-day period beginning upon the conclusion of the comment period, which shall take effect upon issuance.
The Secretary shall provide that any individual or family applying for occupancy in federally assisted housing may include in the application for the housing the name, address, phone number, and other relevant information of a family member, friend, or social, health, advocacy, or other organization, and that the owner shall treat such information as confidential.
The Secretary shall require the owner of any federally assisted housing receiving an application including such information to maintain such information for any applicants who become tenants of the housing, for the purposes of facilitating contact by the owner with such person or organization to assist in providing any services or special care for the tenant and assist in resolving any relevant tenancy issues arising during the tenancy of such tenant.
An owner of federally assisted housing may not require any individual or family applying for occupancy in the housing to provide the information described in subsection (a).