SECTION 12.9. Occupancy Requirements

(a) Filing and Term of Regulatory Agreement. A Bond Regulatory and Land Use Restriction Agreement will be filed in the property records of the county in which the Development is located for each Development financed from the proceeds of Bonds issued by the Department. Such Regulatory and Land Use Restriction Agreement shall include provisions relating to the Qualified Project Period, the State Restrictive Period, along with points claimed for other provisions that will be required to be monitored throughout the State Restrictive Period, and shall also include provisions relating to Persons with Special Needs. The minimum term of the Regulatory Agreement will be based on the criteria as described in paragraphs (1) - (3) of this subsection, as applicable:

(1) 30 years, or such longer period as elected under §12.6(4) of this chapter (relating to Extended Affordability), from the date the Development Owner takes legal possession of the Development;

(2) The end of the remaining term of the existing federal government assistance pursuant to Tex. Gov't Code, §2306.185; or

(3) The period required by the Code.

(b) Federal Set Aside Requirements.

(1) Developments which are financed from the proceeds of Private Activity Bonds must be restricted under one of the two minimum set-asides as described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph. Regardless of an election that may be made under Section 42 of the Code relating to income averaging, a Development will be required under the Bond Regulatory and Land Use Restriction Agreement to meet one of the two minimum set-asides described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph. Any proposed market rate Units shall be limited to 140% of the area median income and be considered restricted units under the Bond Regulatory and Land Use Restriction Agreement for purposes of using Bond proceeds to construct such Units.

(A) At least 20% of the Units within the Development shall be occupied or held vacant and available for occupancy at all times by persons or families whose income does not exceed 50% of the area median income; or

(B) At least 40% of the Units within the Development shall be occupied or held vacant and available for occupancy at all times by persons or families whose income does not exceed 60% of the area median income.

(2) The Development Owner must, at the time of Application, indicate which of the two federal set-asides will apply to the Development and must also designate the selected priority for the Development in accordance with Tex. Gov't Code, §1372.0321. Units intended to satisfy set-aside requirements must be distributed equally throughout the Development, and must include a reasonably proportionate amount of each type of Unit available in the Development.

(3) No tenant qualifying under either of the minimum federal set-asides shall be denied continued occupancy of a Unit in the Development because, after commencement of such occupancy, such tenant's income increases to exceed the qualifying limit. However, should a tenant's income, as of the most recent determination thereof, exceed 140% of the applicable federal set-aside income limit and such tenant constitutes a portion of the set-aside requirement of this section, then such tenant shall only continue to qualify for so long as no Unit of comparable or smaller size is rented to a tenant that does not qualify as a Low-Income Tenant.

Source Note: The provisions of this §12.9 adopted to be effective November 30, 2023, 48 TexReg 6896