Reminder on Requirements for Use of Community Rooms for Tenant Organizing Activities
The purpose of this communication is to remind you that if your property is covered under §245 of 24 CFR, you and your agents must reasonably make available the use of any community room or other available space appropriate for meetings that is part of the multifamily housing project when requested by:
 
1.    Tenants or a tenant organization and used for activities related to the operation of the tenant organization; or
2.    Tenants seeking to establish a tenant organization or collectively address issues related to their living environment.
 
Under this regulation, tenants can engage in protected activity as outlined in the 24 CFR §245 as long as they are a legitimate tenant organization defined in §245.110.
 
There are important benefits to both the tenants and the property when tenants are allowed to participate in creating and maintaining a suitable living environment.
 
If your property is not covered by §245, you are not required by regulation to adhere to this section. However, HUD strongly urges you to do so to promote mutual respect and good faith between Owners/Agents and tenants.  
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Substantial Rehabilitation Threshold Memo
The Office of Multifamily Housing has published a memo informing stakeholders of an update to the per unit cost to determine the substantial rehabilitation threshold for REAC inspection postponements. The memo indicates that the base amount per dwelling unit to determine substantial rehabilitation is now $18,392. Furthermore, the memo indicates that the amount will be reviewed and adjusted annually.
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Better Climate Challenge Fact Sheet
To mitigate the impacts of climate change while creating jobs and strengthening the clean energy economy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and HUD are challenging multifamily organizations to set ambitious, portfolio-wide, and near-term operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals to showcase how they as leaders are taking measurable steps to address climate change. This initiative is part of the cross-sector Better Climate Challenge.
 
See the Better Climate Challenge Fact Sheet for additional information.