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STAKEHOLDER ANNOUNCEMENT 

Rural Development Multifamily Housing Handbook    2-3560 Chapter 6 Updates

Washington, D.C., June 24, 2025 - The Rural Housing Service (RHS) Office of the Multifamily Housing (MFH) is announcing July 1, 2025, as the effective implementation date of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA). To accommodate the required HOTMA changes, Rural Development (RD) published updates to Chapter 6 of Handbook 2-3560 on June 13, 2025. All MFH tenant certifications effective on or after July 1, 2025, must comply with HOTMA requirements. However, between July 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, RD will not penalize MFH owners for HOTMA-related tenant file errors during supervisory reviews.

HOTMA was signed into law on July 29, 2016, directing HUD to update income calculation rules from the Housing Act of 1937. To implement HOTMA changes, HUD published a Final Rule on February 14, 2023, which updated regulations found in 24 CFR 5.609 and 24 CFR 5.611. The HOTMA changes found at 24 CFR 5.609(a) and (b) and 24 CFR 5.611 affect the RHS Multifamily Housing portfolio.

To learn more, read full Stakeholder Announcement.

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