Course Descriptions

The Fair Housing Compliance (FHC) course is a comprehensive program offered by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA)   which trains management staff to understand complex federal fair housing requirements. The trainer will also note the major areas where New England states have stricter requirements which must be followed in that state. Each participant will receive a paper copy of the NAHMA Fair Housing manual and a diskette with updated appendices consisting of statutes, regulations and applicable HUD guidance. The full day course consists of lectures and PowerPoint and a two-hour open book exam. Participants should bring post it notes, highlighters or other methods of marking important items in the manual for quick reference during the test. Individuals must pass this exam to obtain the FHC designation. The FHC is a requirement for NAHMA’s National Affordable Housing Professional (NAHP) certification program. All participants who successfully complete the course will receive a FHC certificate and pin, and be listed in NAHMA’s Online Credential Directory.

The Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO) course is a comprehensive program offered by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) for property management staff in affordable developments, including LIHTC properties with HUD subsidies. It is the only occupancy course that covers the HUD 4350.3 Rev -1 (change 4) Handbook in its entirety, with specific handbook references cited in the margins of the course text.
Each participant will receive a copy of the HUD 4350.3 Rev – 1(change 4) Handbook at this course. The three-day program is composed of two and a half days of instruction and a half-day exam. Participants who successfully
pass the exam will receive a CPO certificate and lapel pin. All CPOs will be listed in an annual, national certification directory. The CPO is a requirement for NAHMA’s National Affordable Housing Professional (NAHP®) certification program.
It is recommended that course attendees have a basic knowledge of the HUD 4350.3 Rev – 1 (change 4) Handbook prior to registration.

SHCM certification has been developed by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) especially for management professionals involved with properties developed and operated under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The SHCM is designed by management professionals for management professionals to ensure they have attained the knowledge, experience and competence required to excel in the housing credit property management industry.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
(This course is recommended by NEAHMA as an excellent pre-cursor to the SHCM 1 1/2 Day Prep Course).
This training will provide participants with an overview of the Tax Credit Program. We will explore the governing rules, the role of the owner, investor(s) and state agency, key terms including, but not limited to, the building identification number (BIN), eligible basis, the minimum set aside, target fraction, applicable fraction, qualified basis, placed in service, as well as discuss issues relating to income limits, maximum gross rent, student status, and determining gross annual income. We will also discuss rules specific to the tax credit program, including the vacant unit rule and the next available unit rule, and what a monitoring agency expects from owners regarding documenting the eligibility of residents.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
One and a half days of training (totaling 12 hours of training) highlighting the major areas of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. The course will cover Program Regulations, Unit Eligibility and Certification, Re certification, Documentation & Record-keeping as well as Monitoring and Reporting Compliance. During the course of this program you will find that all of the testable subject areas found on the NAHMA, Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM) Certification examination will be covered. We will offer the SHCM exam (optional) the afternoon of day two.

This course is designed for all Property Management.

The focus of this training will be on what monitoring agencies look for when they come out and do file audits for LIHTC (low-income housing tax credit) sites. The class will begin with a discussion of the information monitoring agencies request prior to coming to do the audit, including a list of units by BIN (with move-out/move-in dates of each unit) and the regulatory agreement. We will then focus on file organization and proper documentation of income and student status eligibility. We will discuss how to self-audit and when to begin this process. Students will work both in small groups and independently to audit sample files. Emphasis will be placed on issues that monitoring agencies often focus on, including incomplete applications, re-certification updates, inadequate child support documentation, inaccurate income calculations, inconsistencies within a verification, failure to maximize anticipated income, late verifications and TICs signed after leases.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
This is an important workshop for anyone who manages a tax credit site or who is responsible for the calculation of gross income at move-in or recertification at a tax credit site. The focus of this training will be on the LIHTC requirement to maximize anticipated income and what that means when you are calculating gross income. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of the HUD 4350.3 Rev – 1(change 4), documentation, and making sure that there are no inconsistencies in your verifications. Significant time will be spent on how to read employment verifications, pay stubs, and work number verifications. Case studies will be used and participants will be required to calculate earned and unearned income.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
This workshop will explain regulations as governed by the 4350.3 Occupancy Handbook and provide a thorough overview of the HUD housing programs. The program will cover relevant topics and regulations for on -site staff and establish a solid foundation for material covered more thoroughly during NAHMA’s “Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO)” course. Attendees should plan to bring a 4350.3 rev-1 (Change 4) Handbook with them if possible and a calculator is helpful, but not necessary.
*This is a recommended course by NEAHMA as an excellent pre-cursor to the CPO Course.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
This training will help participants understand their obligations in relation HUD’s Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) System. The class will begin with a discussion on the overview and purpose of EIV, including program applicability, file documentation and retention requirements as well as a review of the controlling guidance from the 4350.3, REV-1. We will then focus on the schedule for running each report, how to interpret the report data, and how to perform applicable follow up when needed. We will also provide an overview of the Income and Income Discrepancy Reports including best practice recommendations on how to fit EIV into your daily workflow. We will conclude this course by covering the security obligations of coordinators, users and non-users, which includes how to obtain and renew EIV system access.

This course is designed for all Property Management.
This training will help participants with EIV Income Discrepancy investigation and resolution. The class will begin with a review the of the Income and Income Discrepancy reports where we will focus on the schedule for running each report as well as how to interpret the report data. Significant time will be spent discussing how to determine, investigate and document both valid and invalid EIV Income Discrepancies. We will then cover Repayment Agreements which will include a discussion on requirements, negotiation, documentation, and processing. Case studies will be used to provide participants with hands on experience in performing the step by step process of investigating and resolving EIV Income Discrepancies.

This course was designed for any Maintenance Tech.
This curriculum was developed by HUD and the EPA specifically for maintenance, administrative staff and Contractors; that may conduct routine maintenance and repairs on surfaces that contain lead-based paint. HUD requires this training for all pre-1978 properties that receive any Federal assistance or funding. The course also includes activities and exercises to help you identify methods of reducing the amount of dust you create, and containing and cleaning up the dust you created.

This course was designed for any Maintenance Tech, Property Manager, and Resident Services staff.
This workshop will provide an overview of fair housing laws and all protected classes, but the focus on the training will be residents with disabilities and topics that relate directly to maintenance and custodial staff. Focusing on assisting resident and their requests.

This course was designed for any Maintenance Tech, Property Manager.
This workshop covers a short history of REAC and UPCS (Uniform Physical Condition Standards), property areas covered by UPCS and UPCS scoring system. Including short and long term preparation for inspection, explanation of what to do on inspection day and recent REAC/Industry communications.

Reasonable Accommodations:
This training will examine Federal requirements to provide persons with disabilities reasonable accommodation throughout the occupancy cycle. It will shed light on the confusion regarding what a housing provider’s legal obligations are in the area of reasonable accommodation. We will also discuss how state and local law may have an impact on a site’s obligation as well.
• Morning Presentation:
What is the legal framework (statues, regulations, federal guidance) for reasonable accommodation/physical modification, what is a reasonable accommodation, what are the limits on providing an accommodation/modification, when can a housing provider deny a reasonable accommodation/modification, what must a housing provider do if a requested accommodation is denied, who can request an accommodation/modification and what can/can’t a housing provider ask/verify when a request is made.
• Afternoon Presentation:
We will explore how to analyze specific common requests for reasonable accommodations/modifications throughout the occupancy cycle including, but not limited to, assistance animals, live-in aides, physical modifications and transfers. Case studies will be provided and specific guidance contained in the 4350.3 Rev-1 will be explored.

This training will examine Federal requirements to provide persons with disabilities reasonable accommodation throughout the occupancy
cycle. It will shed light on the confusion regarding what a housing provider’s legal obligations are in the area of reasonable accommodation. We will also discuss how state and local law may have an impact on a site’s obligation as well. In addition, we will review the role of a 504 coordinator in general and in the context of reasonable accommodations as well as the 504 grievance procedure.

Morning Presentation:
What is the legal framework (statues, regulations, federal guidance) for reasonable accommodation/physical modification as well as the 504 coordinator and grievance procedure, what is a reasonable accommodation, what are the limits on providing an accommodation/modification, when can a housing provider deny a reasonable accommodation/modification, what must a housing provider do if a requested accommodation is denied, who can request an accommodation/modification, what can/can’t a housing provider ask/verify when a request is made, and the role of the 504 coordinator and grievance procedure in regards to reasonable accommodation.
Afternoon Presentation:
We will explore how to analyze specific common requests for reasonable accommodations/modifications throughout the occupancy cycle including, but not limited to, assistance animals, live-in aides, physical modifications and transfers. Case studies will be provided and specific guidance contained in the 4350.3 Rev-1 will be explored.