HUD announced in the August 14 Federal Register publication of FY21 Fair Market Rents (FMRs). FMRs are used to determine payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program; initial renewal rents for some expiring project-based Section 8 contracts; initial rents in the Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program; and rent ceilings for the HOME Investment Partnerships program and the Emergency Solutions Grants program. They are also used to calculate flat rents in public housing. FMRs are based on the most recent American Community Survey (ACS) data, trended to 2021. Public housing agencies (PHAs) and other interested parties may comment on the FMRs and request a reevaluation between now and September 30.
PHAs representing at least half of the voucher tenants in multijurisdictional FMR areas must agree that the reevaluation is necessary. On or around October 2, HUD will post a list of areas requesting reevaluations, keeping FY20 FMRs in effect in those areas. No later than January 8, 2021, requestors for reevaluations must supply HUD with data more recent than the 2018 ACS about gross rents of standard quality rental units.
Questions about how to conduct rent surveys (data collection) can be addressed to Marie Lihn or Peter Kahn of the Program Parameters and Research Division at [email protected]. HUD will use the data provided to them to reevaluate FMRs. HUD will post a list of areas failing to deliver data on Monday January 11, 2021, making the FY21 FMRs effective in these areas.
Comments and requests for reevaluations must be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov/ or by mail to: HUD Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410-0500. HUD encourages electronic submissions.
The FY21 FMRs and related documents are available at: https://bit.ly/2bX49my