March 2021

Website Updates

The Contract Administration page on our website includes several recent updates. Among these are various resources to assist management agents in preparing for upcoming Management and Occupancy Reviews (MORs). In the coming months, contract administrators will be more thorough in reviewing applications, Tenant Selection Plans, and EIV Policies and Procedures. Posted to the website are the checklists Contract Administrators (CAs) will be using when auditing those documents. We encourage your sites to use them now to ensure your documents are compliant. Also on the website are MA’s sample application and the file review worksheets used for the reviews.

Most sites have now undergone our new hybrid MOR process. We have had a lot of success with this model, which has allowed us to not only increase efficiency – but has also provided an opportunity to keep site staff, contract administrators, and residents socially distanced during the process. We encourage anyone who is not yet familiar with the process to access their site’s personalized SharePoint folder well ahead of their next review. Your asset manager is able to share the link with you if you do not have it. We’ve also uploaded a SharePoint troubleshooting guide to our website.

Also, updated on our website is a virtual “chatbot” that can assist residents and applicants with topics such as applying to housing, the Family Self Sufficiency program, and resident concerns. You can find the chatbot on our Contract Administration page and our renters page.

Pet Deposits

Beginning immediately, RIHousing will no longer allow sites to collect pet deposits from tenants. We ask that property owners/managers stop collection of these deposits and return any previously collected pet deposits to tenants. RIHousing does not view pet deposits as allowable per Rhode Island law on security deposits:

- excerpt from The Rhode Island Landlord-Tenant Handbook.

As Section 8 security deposits are equal to one month’s rent, a pet deposit would exceed this amount and fail to be in compliance with state law.

Please note the following:

Effective immediately,

• Sites must stop collecting pet deposits;
• Sites will need to update any house rules and pet rules to match this change;
• Any site that has collected pet deposits previously must return them to tenants prior to 7/1/2021;
• Owners/managers must offer a refund of pet deposits as cash; and can only apply deposits to a tenant’s rent or rental arrearage if tenant is first given the option to receive it as cash and the resident has opted to have it applied to rent.
  • Note: please retain any communication with residents on this issue, including amount of pet deposit refunded (or applied toward rent/rental arrearage) and the recipient. You may be asked to furnish this information during an audit.
• Sites which continue to collect pet deposits will be written up during management and occupancy reviews

Resident Service Coordinator Grant

Please be advised that HUD has opened its application period for service coordinator grants in 2021.

Resident Service Coordinators (RSCs) can be valuable assets to your building and your residents. Now more than ever, residents need assistance connecting to services in their communities. If your site is interested in receiving funding for an RSC, please make sure to apply before March 22, 2021.

More information can be found here.

‣ Releases & Reminders

• 2021 Annual RI Agency Virtual Forum is March 24, 2021, $89 NEAHMA Members, $109 Non-Members. Click here to view the one-pager and here to register.
• If the contact information for your site’s management or ownership has changed, please use this form to update the contacts.
• Make sure you are reporting each instance of COVID-19 at your site(s) to RIHousing using this form.

We'd love to hear from you!

We hope you've found this edition of Property Matters to be helpful to you and your work. If you have thoughts or suggestions for this e-newsletter, please share with us at pbca_eblast@rihousing.com.