Click to download Renting a LIHTC* home: Everything you need to know in English.
Click to download Alquiler de una casa de LIHTC*: Todo lo que necesita saber en Espanol.
The Low Income Housing Tax Credit rental housing structure is complex with many rules and guidelines. Navigating this can be daunting for tenants searching for affordable housing, especially those tenants with special or challenging circumstances. The comprehensive tenants’ guide to *Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) rentals explains the ins and outs of this important but not well-understood program. The guide is written for advocates and tenants who are searching for affordable rental housing as well as for current residents of LIHTC properties.
The guide can help answer questions such as:
I have a criminal record, can I still get LIHTC housing?
My ex-husband is stalking me, will I be evicted?
While most tenants and advocates are familiar with public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and other U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, LIHTC is not a HUD program and the rules are very different. Tenants, advocates, and service providers can all benefit from understanding LIHTC rules.
This new guide tells renters how to find LIHTC rentals, explains eligibility, and details the application process. The guide also helps applicants and current tenants understand special rules, such as how rent is calculated. The guide includes explanations of a LIHTC renter’s rights, like what constitutes a “good cause” eviction. There are many rules that LIHTC owners and property managers have to follow, and they all have an impact on tenants.
The guide demystifies LIHTC with clear answers to common questions and easy-to-understand charts. It also provides information on where a tenant can go for help with legal or fair housing questions. You can download the guide here in English, as well as the Spanish language version.
Click on this link to watch a webinar explaining the guide.
For more information, contact Cindy Daley, Director of Community Development Initiatives at Cindy.Daley@rhls.org.
This guide was made possible by the generous support of the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Board.