Introducing DocuSign to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract Renewal Process
Beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, funding and contract renewal documents that need signatures will be sent to owners via DocuSign. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Notice H 20-10 provided guidance on the use of electronic signatures. The guidance is applicable to all HUD forms relating to Section 8 contract renewal – specifically stating that they may be signed, transmitted, and stored electronically.
DocuSign is a document signing software that Minnesota Housing uses to collect approvals and signatures online. Owners or their authorized representative will receive an email from DocuSign that contains a message and a link to open the documents, known as an envelope. The recipient opens the link, reviews the documents, and follows the prompts to sign where applicable. After all parties have signed the document, copies of signed versions will be sent back to owners’ email inbox via DocuSign. The documents can be printed and filed, electronically filed or both.
Impact on the Funding and Contract Renewal Process
At the beginning of the renewal process, the designated HAP officer will contact the management agent and confirm who is authorized to sign the renewal documents. The person listed in iREMS as the owner contact has been designated as the person with authority to sign on behalf of the ownership entity. The HAP officer will confirm the correct email address for that person and once renewal documents are ready for signature, the documents will be sent directly to them. Items in DocuSign cannot be forwarded to another party. It is required that the proper email for the owner contact be on file. An example of what an incoming document that is ready for signature looks like is below.
 *NOTE: Minnesota Housing staff member may differ.
If the person listed as the authorized signatory is not available and an alternative person is proposed, or if there has been a change in the authorized contact, the HAP officer will confirm with HUD that the new person has both 2530 clearance and signature authority. It is crucial that all changes in ownership contact be reported to HUD and Minnesota Housing as soon as possible to avoid delays in the renewal process. If HUD confirms the new person has both 2530 clearance and signing authority, that person will receive the DocuSign items.
All other communication regarding the renewal process remains unchanged. The HAP officer will still connect with the management agent via email/phone to collect and process all needed information.
How You Can Prepare
Verify owner and management agent contact information is accurate in Secure Systems (iREMS).
If updates to owner and management agent contact information are needed, contact both HUD (by submitting necessary requests to incoming@hud.gov) and Minnesota Housing (by submitting necessary requests to mhfa.pbca.general@state.mn.us) as soon as possible. The HAP contract renewal process will be delayed until all information is accurate.
NOTE: You will NOT need a DocuSign account and there is no cost to owners and agents to sign documents sent to them via DocuSign. The first time a DocuSign envelope is sent to you, you will be asked to adopt a signature. You can select an existing style within DocuSign or draw your own.
Questions
For questions regarding the implementation of DocuSign, contact your assigned HAP officer or Annie Johnson at annie.johnson@state.mn.us.
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