Tenant Rent — HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1

The amount payable monthly by the family as rent to the owner.

Where all utilities (except telephone) and other essential housing services are supplied by the owner, tenant rent equals total tenant payment.
Where some or all utilities (except telephone) and other essential housing services are not supplied by the owner, tenant rent equals total tenant payment less the utility allowance.

Tenant Selection Plan A formal written policy statement, developed by the owner and available to the public, that clearly states the procedures and criteria the owner will consistently apply in drawing applicants from the waiting list, screening for suitability for tenancy, implementing income targeting requirements, and offering housing assistance and/or assisted housing units. The Tenant Selection Plan also includes policies applied to residents of the property such as how unit transfers are carried out.

Tenant with a Disability See the three definitions of Person with Disabilities.

Termination of Assistance When a tenant fails to comply with certain HUD program requirements, the owner, under agreements with HUD, is obligated to terminate the assistance provided by HUD on behalf of that tenant.

HUD Occupancy Handbook Glossary

06/09

Glossary

4350.3 REV-1

Termination of Tenancy Termination of tenancy occurs when a tenant violates specific provisions of the lease agreement, and the owner notifies the tenant that he/she no longer has the right to occupy the unit as a result of lease violations. The HUD model leases have very specific conditions under which tenancy may be terminated and procedures that must be followed during the termination process. (See model leases in Appendix 4 and guidance in Chapter 8, Termination.)

Title VI-D Title VI, Subtitle D of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 authorizes owners of certain HUD multifamily assisted developments to elect to serve elderly families, to limit the numbers of disabled families residing in a project or to adopt preferences for elderly families, depending upon the type of project and whether certain requirements are met. See paragraph 2-10 for a discussion on the applicability of this Act.

Total Tenant Payment The total amount the HUD rent formula requires the tenant to pay toward the gross rent. Total Tenant Payment is computed in accordance with the formula in Exhibit 5-8.

Total Tenant Payment (Resident Rent Payment) Each family or individual who receives PRAC subsidy must make a total tenant payment of 30% of adjusted income, 10% of gross income, or Welfare Rent, whichever is greater, for housing costs, i.e., rent and utilities. In some cases, a resident’s monthly rent payment may exceed the PRAC operating rent. As with HAP contracts:

The monthly amount a resident pays the owner should be the Total Tenant Payment less any HUD-approved utility allowance the tenant pays; and
The resident may receive a utility reimbursement from the owner if the resident’s Total Tenant Payment is less than the HUDapproved utility allowance .

Tuition Tuition shall have the meaning given this term by the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled.

Unauthorized Occupant A person who, with the consent of a tenant, is staying in the unit, but is not listed on the lease documents or approved by the owner to dwell in the unit. An owner must follow State or local law regarding an unauthorized occupant and establish an equitable and consistent policy and incorporate that policy into the house rules.

Unearned Income Income received that is not wages, tips, or other compensation for work performed.

HUD Occupancy Handbook Glossary

06/09

Glossary

4350.3 REV-1

Unintentional
Program Violation	An error or oversight by the tenant that does not involve deliberate,
	intentional deceit. (See also Fraud.)
Unit Transfer	With owner approval, a tenant moves from one unit to another unit
	within the same property.
Utility Allowance	HUD’s or the Contract Administrator’s estimate of the average
	monthly utility bills (except telephone) for an energy-conscious
	household. This estimate considers only utilities paid directly by the
	tenant. If all utilities are included in the rent, there is not a utility
	allowance. Utility allowances vary by unit type and are listed on the
	project’s rent schedule or HAP contract.
Utility Allowance
(PRAC)	This is an amount equal to the estimate made or approved by HUD of
	the monthly costs of a reasonable consumption of utilities (except
	telephone) for the unit by an energy-conservative household of
	modest circumstances, consistent with the requirements of a safe,
	sanitary, and healthful living environment. A utility allowance is used
	in cases where the cost of utilities (except telephone) is the
	responsibility of the household and is not included in the tenant
	payment.
Utility Reimbursement	The amount, if any, by which the utility allowance for a unit exceeds
	the total tenant payment for the family occupying the unit.
*VAWA	The Violence Against Women and Department of Justice
	Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-162, approved August
	28, 2006) as this law amended the U.S Housing Act of 1937 (42
	U.S.C. 1437c-1, 1437d, and 1437p).*
Very Low-Income
Family	A very low-income family is a family whose annual income does not
	exceed 50 percent of the area median income, as determined by
	HUD, with adjustments for smaller and larger families.[24 CFR 5.603]
Veteran	The definition for veteran, as used by the Department of Veterans
	Affairs, is codified at 36 U.S.C. 101(2), may be used when
	determining a student’s eligibility for Section 8 assistance. Since use
	of this definition is widespread in other federal programs affecting
	veterans, PHAs, Owners and Managers may find it useful to adopt this
	definition for purposes of administering the student eligibility
	restrictions.
	Definition of veteran from 38 U.S.C. 101(2): The term veteran
	means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service,
	and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other
	than dishonorable.

HUD Occupancy Handbook Glossary

8/13

Glossary

4350.3 REV-1

Violent Criminal Activity Any criminal activity that has as one of its elements the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force substantial enough to cause, or be reasonably likely to cause, serious bodily injury or property damage . [24 CFR 5.100] Waiting List A formal record of applicants for housing assistance and/or assisted housing units that identifies the applicant's name, date and time of application, selection preferences claimed, income category, and the need for an accessible unit. The waiting list may be kept in either a bound journal or a computer program. Whichever method is used to maintain the waiting list, the owner must establish a method of documenting the appropriate selection of applicant names from the list. Welfare Assistance Welfare or other payments to families or individuals, based on need, that are made under programs funded, separately or jointly by the Federal, State, or local government. [24 CFR 5.603] Welfare Rent In those States in which the welfare grant is based on the actual amount a family pays for shelter and utilities, the welfare rent is the maximum amount permitted under welfare rule for rent and utilities. 1 The term handicapped appears in a number of regulatory definitions that have not yet been updated to reflect current statutes. In this handbook, HUD replaced handicapped with the term disabled , disability , or impairment to reflect current statutes. The parenthetical reference to handicapped indicates that the term handicapped has been replaced with disabled, disability, or impairment in that definition.

HUD Occupancy Handbook Glossary

6/07

4350.3 REV-1

Appendices Table of Contents