Policy Adopted September 21, 2004
Dukes County
Regional Housing Authority
P.O. Box 4538
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
Phone: (508) 693-4419
Fax: (508) 693-5710
The Rental Conversion Program (RCP) provides rental assistance to
qualified applicants, based on available funding, with the following
conditions:
1.
Rental is
year-round.
2.
Qualified
applicants must be able to pay 50% or more of the total negotiated contract
rent negotiated, based on their household’s combined income.
3.
Unless
otherwise exempted by the program in writing, no rental assistance will be
provided to the immediate family members of the landlord.
4.
Landlords will
not increase rent no more than 3% annually.
Application and copies of this Rental
Conversion Program (RCP) Selection Criteria Policy are available from the Dukes
County Regional Housing Authority.
Applicants are encouraged to call with questions or to review a
submitted application. All applications
must be fully completed including your correct mailing address and current
telephone number. As completed applications are received by the DCRHA they will
be stamped with the date of arrival if by hand or the date of postmark if by
mail.
DCRHA staff will review applications to
determine eligibility. Applicants will be notified as to whether they are either
bequalifiedeligible and
placed on the waiting list, or rejected because they do not appear
to meet the minimum eligibility criteria. All decisions of the
DCRHA are final.If an applicant is found to be ineligible they may
request a private conference.
In accordance with applicable equal
opportunity statutes, Executive Orders, and regulations, the DCRHA does not
discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, age, families with children or disability; excluding the income limits,
size of households and other criteria established in this document.
If a Rental Conversion Program (RCP) unit or
rental assistance funding is not available the DCRHA will maintain a waiting
list of qualified applicants. Qualified
applicants will be notified when a unit becomes available appropriate to their
household size or when funding become available.
Waiting lists are confidential documents,
not subject to current public records laws.
No personal information will be divulged to any party. Certain DCRHA housing programs
may request personal information be furnished as part of the selection process. DCRHA staff is bound to maintain
confidentiality.
1. Households must meet income limits.
The US Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) determines median income in Dukes County.
Total household income may not exceed 80% of the area median income. However, the total household income may not
exceed 100% of the area median income for rental assistance funded by the Town of Chilmark’s Community Preservation
Committee.
2. Households must provide verifiable landlord
references.
All landlord references will be verified. Unfavorable or
unsubstantiated landlord reference may be grounds for rejection of
applications.
3. Income and bank account balance verification
are required.
Employers and banks must verify income and
account balances. Unfavorable reports may be grounds for rejection of
applications.
4. Criminal background check (CORI) and credit reports may be required.
Credit reports from established credit
bureaus and CORI reports from the MA Division of Public Safety may be obtained.
5. Local preference.
Preference will be given to applicants with
established Dukes County residency. Some rental assistance funding may be held
for persons with established residency within a particular town.
6. Length of residency preference.
Preference will be given to applicants based
on length of Dukes County residency.
7. Household size must be appropriate to the
unit size.
Generally, households will be placed in a
unit size so that it will not be necessary for persons of the opposite sex,
other than husband and wife (or those in a similar living arrangement), to
occupy the same bedroom, with the exception of children under the age of
six. The following guidelines
apply:
Unit Size Household Compositions
Studio One to two adults,
One
adult with one child;
One Bedroom One to two adults with one young child;
Two Bedrooms One to two adults
with up to two children;
Three Bedrooms One to two adults with
up to four children;
Four Bedrooms One to two adults with up to six children.
8. Applicants must provide a
valid Social Security card.
Valid U.S. Social Security numbers are required
for all applicants and all members of the applicant household.
9. Further restrictions may apply at the
discretion of the DCRHA.
Personal interviews with an entire resident household present may be
required.
Application Rejection Criteria:
The DCRHA may reject any and all applications
for one of more of the following reasons:
1. Applicants unable to meet one or more of the Minimum Qualification or Program Guidelines listed above.
2. Applicants submit an incomplete, unsubstantiated or unreadable application.
3. Applicants submit false or unsubstantiated information about themselves or any household member, or misrepresent the size and configuration of the household.
4. Any household member has a poor landlord reference including:
a. Indication of habitual late payment of rents due.
b. Violation of previous lease or rental agreements.
c. Indication of conflict with management and/or other residents.
5. Any household member is a convicted felon or convicted of repeated misdemeanors, or is currently accused of any crime in a court of law.
This policy will be reviewed annually and may
be amended at any time with proper public notice.