Certified Housing Manager Assistant Exam cheat sheet

Income limits are published annually by HUD; a household's eligibility is tested against the limit for its size, and the applicable limit (very low, extremely low, or low) depends on the program and the unit's set-aside designation.

Annual income includes wages, self-employment net income, Social Security, pensions, unemployment, and asset income; exclusions include most food assistance, certain student financial aid, and income of live-in aides.

Asset income is computed as the greater of actual income earned or a HUD-published imputed rate applied to net family assets above the threshold in effect for the review year.

Adjusted income deducts allowances such as $480 per non-elderly dependent, child care costs enabling employment, disability assistance expenses, and the elderly/disabled household deduction.

Rent for public housing and voucher tenants is generally the greater of 30% of adjusted monthly income, 10% of gross monthly income, or the welfare rent where applicable, subject to minimum rent rules and hardship exemptions.

The HUD-50059 is the primary income/rent determination form for multifamily assisted housing; it must be signed by the tenant and owner and retained for the required retention period.

Recertification timing: annual recertification for most programs, with interim recertification required when a household reports a change in income or family composition that would change rent.

Tenant selection must follow the written tenant selection plan, and screening criteria must be applied consistently and documented; denial reasons must be provided in writing.

Fair housing obligations under the Fair Housing Act apply to all marketing, screening, and occupancy decisions; reasonable accommodation requests must be evaluated case by case.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is allocated by state housing credit agencies under a qualified allocation plan (QAP); the credit is claimed over 10 years, with a 15-year compliance period and an extended use period.

9% credits apply to new construction without other federal subsidy; 4% credits apply to acquisition and to federally subsidized or tax-exempt bond-financed projects.

The applicable fraction = qualifying low-income units ÷ total residential units, measured by unit count or floor area; it drives the eligible basis used to compute annual credit.

Eligible basis excludes land, syndication costs, and nonresidential property; it may be boosted by a 130% high-cost area adjustment where the state designates the building.

Minimum set-aside elections: 20/50 (20% of units at 50% AMI) or 40/60 (40% of units at 60% AMI); the election is binding for the compliance period.

The 15-year compliance period begins in the first credit year; a building is in noncompliance if the applicable fraction falls below the minimum or habitability standards are not met.

Recapture risk is triggered by noncompliance during the compliance period; the accelerated portion of credit is recaptured, and the recapture formula uses the remaining credit period.

Available unit rule: if a low-income unit becomes vacant and is rented to a higher-income household, the next available comparable unit must be rented to a qualified household.

Annual owner certification of continuing compliance (Form 8609 Schedule A or state equivalent) must be submitted to the state agency, and state agencies conduct physical inspections on a multi-year cycle.

Fair housing protected classes under federal law: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability; many states and localities add classes such as source of income and sexual orientation.

Habitability duty: the landlord must maintain the unit in a safe and sanitary condition, make repairs, and comply with building and housing codes; failure can support rent withholding or repair-and-deduct remedies under state law.

Security deposit rules vary by state; common requirements include a written receipt, a separate escrow account, a statutory return period (often 14 to 30 days), and an itemized deduction statement.

Lease termination: a notice to vacate must specify the statutory period (commonly 30 days for month-to-month tenancy) and comply with state service requirements.

Rent collection and late fees must be authorized in the lease and consistent with state limits; late fees cannot be used as a penalty for exercising a legal right.

Eviction procedure requires a court order; self-help evictions (lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing belongings) are unlawful in most jurisdictions.

Maintenance workflow: work order intake, priority classification (emergency, urgent, routine), assignment, completion documentation, and resident follow-up.

Occupancy metrics include physical occupancy, economic occupancy (collected rent ÷ potential rent), delinquency rate, and turnover rate; these are standard owner reporting measures.

Fair housing advertising must avoid discriminatory language or preferences; reasonable modification requests must be evaluated and documented.

Employment testing must be job-related and consistent with business necessity; the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (EEOC) set the framework for validation and adverse impact analysis.

Four-fifths (80%) rule: if the selection rate for any protected group is less than 80% of the rate for the highest group, adverse impact is indicated and the test should be validated.

Test types include knowledge tests, work samples, situational judgment, and structured interviews; each must map to specific job tasks identified in a job analysis.

Training records should capture completion date, module identifier, score if applicable, and learner identity; these records support audit and compliance evidence.

On-demand modules should be version-controlled; when regulations change, the module version and effective date must be updated and learners re-assigned as needed.

Accessibility requirements: training platforms should provide captions, screen-reader compatibility, and reasonable accommodation processes for learners with disabilities.

Assessment security practices include randomized question banks, time limits, and proctoring options; results must be retained for the period stated in the record retention policy.

Content maintenance cycle: review regulatory content at least annually and whenever HUD, IRS, or state agency guidance changes, and document the review date.