The CA Quarterly Review (Winter 2025/2026)

NEWS & INFORMATION QUARTERLY FOR OWNERS AND AGENTS OF THE PERFORMANCE BASED CONTRACT ADMIN FOR New York

Winter greetings and gratitude!
 

  

 

Revised Compliance Date: Implementation of Section 102 and 104 of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA)

 

HUD announces extension of date Owners must be in full compliance with HOTMA final rule to January 1, 2027.

Click here to see full Notice H 2025-07.

 

Available HOTMA Resources

1. HUD's HOTMA Webpage

2. Notice H 2023-10

3. HOTMA FAQ

 

Winter Safety Tips

 

FY26 AAF

Certain assistance contracts signed by owners participating in the Department's Section 8 housing assistance payment programs must provide annual adjustments to monthly rentals for units covered by the contracts. For owners subject to a Reserve for Replacement deposit requirement, HUD also requires that the amount of the required deposit be adjusted each year by the AAF. HUD announces FY 2026 AAFs for adjustment of contract rents on the anniversary of those assistance contracts. The factors are based on a formula using residential rent and utility cost changes from the most recent annual Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) survey and market rents from a total of six possible private sector rent data sources. AAFs continue to be based on the shelter and gross rent inflation factors methodology used in HUD's Fair Market Rent calculation that was adopted in FY 2024. 

Click here to review the announcement in the Federal Register. 

Click here to view the FY26 AAFs. 

How the PBCA Contact Center Handles Reports of Fire at a Property

The PBCA Contact Center is a trusted resource for both tenants and Owners in the event that a HUD Multifamily Housing Property experiences a fire. When the Contact Center is notified, the following are specific questions that will be asked pertaining to the inquiry: 

1) When did the fire occur? (Date and time) 

2) What unit did the fire start in? 

3) How and exactly where did the fire start? (i.e. stovetop grease fire in the kitchen, unattended candle in the living room, etc.) 

4) Was the fire department dispatched? If yes, by whom? 

5) Was anyone in the apartment at the time of the fire? 

6) Was anyone injured as a result of the fire? If yes, specifically whom? (number of individuals injured, whether the individuals are residents/staff/visitors, etc.) 

7) What was the damage in each room? (e.g., fire damage in the kitchen and smoke damage in the living room, hall, and first bedroom, water damage throughout the unit) 

8) What repairs must be made? (i.e. remove and replace the electrical wiring, plumbing, drywall, flooring and all appliances in the kitchen, paint the remainder of the apartment and professionally clean the carpets) 

9) What is the projected cost of all of the repairs in the unit?  

10) Is the unit uninhabitable? 

a. If yes, will the household be transferred to another apartment (or roomed in a hotel) while repairs are made? 

b. If yes, what is the unit number of the transfer apartment and when will the transfer occur? If the household will occupy a hotel, when will the stay begin and when is it expected to end? 

11) Were any other apartments/common areas damaged? If yes, questions 7 through 10 will be asked for each damaged apartment/area.  

12) Does management have possession of the fire damaged unit(s)? If not, when does management expect to regain possession? 

13) Does management intend to charge the tenant for the repairs and/or initiate eviction? 

When handling an inquiry that deals with a fire, the Contact Center, serving as a neutral third-party invested in upholding HUD’s mission of providing decent, safe, sanitary, and free from discrimination housing, will ensure that all details are documented and all parties involved are well-informed. As a property Owner or Managing Agent, always remember that the PBCA Contact Center is an available resource that will provide professional, experienced help to all inquiries. 

Vouchering Tips: Displaced Tenants after an Emergency or Disaster

Contact Center Poster/Information

HTFC and CGI have created Customer Contact Center poster that our Owners and Agents of Section 8 Multifamily Housing can post in their rental office.  This poster will provide your residents with useful information, such as our business hours, contact information, and general issues that AHSC can assist with, including but not limited to:  

Answering questions about the calculation of a tenant’s rent Assisting with clarifying HUD Occupancy Handbook 4350.3 requirements Serving as a neutral third party to residents, property owners and management agents, and the general public

 

For your convenience the PBCA Call Center flyer has been updated and translated into 12 additional languages. Please note that it contains a fillable section for specific property contact information to be added. As a reminder, this information should be posted in at least one visible and accessible location in every building.

Arabic	Haitian	Spanish
Bengali	Italian	Urdu
Chinese	Korean	Yiddish
English	Polish
French	Russian

 

 

Member Spotlight - Sarah Spence - MAS Upstate New York

Explain your position with CGI? My position with CGI is an MAS who conducts MORs for Section 8 sites throughout Upstate NY.  

How long have you been with CGI?  I started with CGI in May 2,2022 which is 4 years this May. 

What was your background prior to joining CGI? I started off in my teens/early 20’s as a certified lifeguard and worked at various pools and resorts in the Catskills. Once in college, I was in retail for years and after graduating college in 2006, and after the job search, I got a position at a Section 8 property as an Administrative Assistant. After about a year I was promoted to the Assistant Site Manager where I remained for 5 years working with my manager who was an excellent teacher and mentor. After their retirement I became the Site Manager of the 167 Multi-Family Site. I was with the company and at that site for just shy of 13 years. After growing up in that job from a very young age and feeling the need to move on and try something new, I ended up taking a job as an Executive Assistant. Then COVID hit us all and I ended up at home desperately missing my career in Affordable Housing. After working with CGI for all those years as a property manager I decided to apply to the open MAS position.  

What are your hobbies?  Things you enjoy doing after you leave the office?  I am a veracious reader and have been known to read an entire book within a weekend. The last book I read was Project Hail Mary and it was amazing! I have a 13-year-old son and 2 border collies (8yrs and 4yrs) at home and much of my time is spent with them and my husband. I love my dogs dearly and since they are border collies a lot of time is spent outdoors exercising with them. I am more of a fan of the heat than the cold, so when it’s summer we’re in the pool everyday swimming with the dogs or riding around on our golf cart. I have a few gardens in the summer, and I love (trying) to grow different veggies each year.  

What brings you the most satisfaction in your day-to-day tasks?  I enjoy every aspect of my position which requires a lot of thinking, writing, and traveling. I learn something new every week and there is always something you may not have seen before. I enjoy traveling to sites and meeting the people that work there and seeing the residents that live there and what each place is like. Building rapport with O/A’s has been gratifying, and I like that I get to see some of the same people all over the state. I have been to many places in NY I would have otherwise never been to on my own, and I love seeing new places in NY when I travel to sites, especially the Adirondacks. I’m convinced it is one of the most amazing places to see. I look forward to anytime I visit a property within the park.  

What is the best piece of advice that you could provide to an owner/agent?   In regard to an O/A and MOR relationship, I think it would be to not overthink things and not fear or be nervous about an MAS/Auditor coming to the site. As someone who has been on both sides of this process for many years, I have a unique point of view. I would never want anyone to feel that they can’t be wrong or have a question or not know something and feel they couldn’t ask. It is ok if something is wrong, it can always be fixed. Having the right information, training and experience is important and goes a long way. 

 

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Wishing you warmth and well-being this winter!