§ 290.3 - Definitions.

The terms Department and URA are defined in 24 CFR part 5. The following definitions apply to this part:

Cooperative means a nonprofit, limited equity, or consumer cooperative as defined under 24 CFR part 213. It may include mutual housing associations.

HUD-owned project means a multifamily project that has been acquired by HUD.

Market area means the area from which a multifamily housing project may reasonably be expected to draw a substantial number of its tenants, as determined by HUD, taking into consideration the knowledge of the HUD office with jurisdiction over the project of the local real estate market and HUD's project underwriting experience. Submarkets may be used in large, complex metropolitan areas.

Multifamily housing project means a multifamily project that is or was insured under sections 207, 213, 220, 221(d)(3), 221(d)(4), 223(f), 231, 236, or 608 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1713, 1715e, 1715k, 1715l, 1715n, 1715v, 1715z-1, or 1742-1746); or is or was subject to a loan under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q); or was a Real Estate Owned (REO) multifamily project transferred by the Government National Mortgage Association to the Department. Multifamily housing project does not include projects consisting of one to eleven units insured under section 220(d)(3)(A) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715l); or mobile home parks under section 207(m) of that Act (12 U.S.C. 1713); or vacant land; or property covered by a homeownership program approved under the Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (“HOPE”) program.

Multifamily project means a project consisting of five or more units that has or had a mortgage (even if subordinate to other mortgages) insured under the National Housing Act or is or was subject to a loan under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, or a hospital, intermediate care facility, nursing home, group practice facility, or board and care facility that has or had a mortgage insured, or is or was subject to a loan under, these authorities. Multifamily project does not include projects consisting of one to eleven units insured under section 220(d)(3)(A) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715k), which are classified as single family homes.

Nonprofit organization means a corporation or association organized for purposes other than making a profit or gain for itself. Stockholders or trustees do not share in profits or losses. Profits are used to accomplish the charitable, humanitarian, or educational purposes of the corporation.

Preexisting tenant means a family that resides in a unit in a multifamily housing project immediately before the project is acquired under this part by a purchaser other than the Department.

Subsidized project means a multifamily housing project that is receiving, or immediately before its mortgage was foreclosed by HUD or the project was acquired by HUD, pursuant to this regulation, was receiving any of the following types of assistance:

(1) Below market interest rate mortgage insurance under the proviso of section 221(d)(5) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715l) (hereinafter, a BMIR project);

(2) Interest reduction payments made in connection with mortgages insured under section 236 of the National Housing Act (hereinafter, a 236 project);

(3) Direct loans made under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (hereinafter, a 202 project);

(4) Assistance, to more than 50 percent of the units in the project, in the form of:

(i) Rent supplement payments under section 101 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 (12 U.S.C. 1701s) (hereinafter, Rent Supp);

(ii) Additional assistance payments under section 236(f)(2) of the National Housing Act (hereinafter, RAP);

(iii) Housing assistance payments under section 23 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 note ) (as in effect before January 1, 1975) (hereinafter, Sec. 23); or

(iv) Housing assistance payments under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) (excluding payments of tenant-based Section 8 assistance) (hereinafter, project-based Section 8 assistance).

Sufficient habitable, affordable, rental housing is available means that the HUD office with jurisdiction determines that there is an adequate supply of habitable, affordable housing for low- and very low-income families available in the market area. Submarkets, consisting of portions of units of general local government, may be used in large, complex metropolitan areas. Local housing markets having an adequate supply of standard-quality rental housing would include housing markets in which the supply of rental housing available and in production is adequate to meet the anticipated demand ( e.g., the housing market is balanced), as well as those in which there is an excess supply of rental housing ( e.g., the housing market is soft). Rental markets that do not have an adequate supply ( e.g., tight markets) are characterized by low rental vacancy rates, low levels of production and turnover of rental housing, and, usually, by high levels of rent inflation. HUD will make the determination of whether sufficient habitable, affordable, rental housing is available using established market analysis techniques, and will consider information that demonstrates:

(1) The rental housing vacancy rate is at a low level relative to the rate required for a balanced market, typically a four percent vacancy rate; except that a rate lower than four percent may be considered in unusual circumstances if it can be demonstrated that there is an adequate supply of affordable housing for low-income families;

(2) The number of rental housing units being produced on an annual basis is not large enough to satisfy demand arising from the increase in households, or, in markets where there is little or no growth, evidence that the number of additional rental units being supplied is not sufficient to meet the demand arising from net losses to the available inventory and the inadequate supply of rental housing has inhibited growth;

(3) The shortage of housing is resulting in rent increases that exceed normal increases commensurate with the costs of operating rental housing;

(4) A significant number, or proportion, of the households holding Section 8 certificates or rental vouchers are unable to find adequate housing because of the shortage of rental housing, including PHA data showing a lower than average percentage of units under lease and a longer than average time required to find units.

Unsubsidized project means a multifamily housing project that is not a subsidized project.

Useful life means, generally, twenty years, but it may be more or less, as determined by the Department.