One of the most common questions Housing Consultants of America receives is, “How much does affordable housing compliance consulting cost?” Because affordable housing compliance projects vary significantly by program, scope, volume, location, complexity, and turnaround requirements, HCA provides customized pricing based on the services requested.

Housing Consultants of America provides nationwide HUD, Section 8, LIHTC, HOME, Rural Development (RD), RAD/PBV, Public Housing, HTF, NSP, CDBG, EIV, MOR preparation, file audit, recertification, leasing, temporary staffing, and affordable housing compliance consulting services. Depending on the project, services may be provided onsite or remotely and may be billed hourly or at a flat per-file rate.

HCA provides temporary affordable housing staffing and onsite compliance consultants nationwide for organizations experiencing vacancies, staffing shortages, recertification backlogs, lease-ups, audit preparation, compliance problems, or unexpected employee departures.

Onsite services are generally billed at a flat hourly rate per consultant.

Clients are also responsible for applicable consultant transportation expenses and a $65-per-day meal per diem for each onsite HCA team member.

HCA does not typically use a per-file pricing model for onsite assignments because our consultants frequently perform much more than individual file reviews. Depending on the property's needs, an onsite 

HCA consultant may assist with:

• Annual and interim recertifications
• Move-in certifications
• LIHTC and HUD compliance
• Leasing and occupancy
• Applicant processing
• Recertification backlog recovery
• Resident follow-up
• EIV compliance
• File organization
• File corrections
• MOR preparation
• Audit preparation
• Staff support and compliance troubleshooting

Whether your organization needs one temporary affordable housing consultant or a team of experienced professionals, HCA can develop a customized quote based on the location, project duration, number of consultants, program requirements, and scope of work.

HCA provides nationwide remote affordable housing file reviews and third-party compliance services.

Depending on the work being performed, remote compliance services may be billed at either an hourly consulting rate or a flat per-file rate.

For remote tenant file reviews, HCA's flat per-file pricing is based primarily on the affordable housing program and type of certification being reviewed.

Remote file-review services may include:

• LIHTC file reviews
• HUD Section 8 file reviews
• HOME file reviews
• RD file reviews
• RAD/PBV file reviews
• Layered affordable housing file reviews
• Move-in certification reviews
• Annual recertification reviews
• Interim recertification reviews
• Applicant eligibility reviews
• Third-party compliance reviews

Because different affordable housing programs require different levels of review, HCA provides clients with a current per-file fee schedule based on the services and programs requested.

Yes.

When HCA identifies corrections during a remote file review, the first correction review is included at no additional charge.

If additional correction submissions are required, reviews after the second correction are billed at $10 per file review.

Our goal is not simply to reject a file and send it back. HCA identifies the compliance issue and provides guidance so your team understands what needs to be corrected and how to correct it.

HCA understands that delayed certifications can affect move-ins, occupancy, rental assistance, resident satisfaction, and property operations.

Our typical turnaround times are:

Move-In Files: 24–48 Hours

Annual & Interim Recertifications: 24–72 Hours

Turnaround times may vary depending on file complexity, submission volume, program requirements, and whether all required documentation has been provided.

Yes. HCA offers expedited file reviews when capacity permits.

Files submitted by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time may be requested for end-of-business-day review.

Rush reviews are subject to availability and are charged an additional $50 per file, per submission.

HCA provides 100% affordable housing file audits for individual properties and portfolios.

Unlike a traditional sample audit, HCA can review every applicable resident file to provide owners and management companies with a much more complete understanding of their compliance condition.

Pricing for a 100% file audit depends on factors including:

• Number of files
• Program type
• Layered funding requirements
• Onsite versus remote review
• File condition
• Scope of the audit
• Historical period being reviewed
• Number of consultants required
• Desired completion timeline
• Whether post-audit correction assistance is requested

HCA can perform 100% file audits for HUD, Section 8, LIHTC, HOME, RD, RAD/PBV, Public Housing, HTF, NSP, CDBG, and layered affordable housing programs.

Clients receive a detailed final report identifying findings and necessary corrections. HCA can also remain involved after the audit to help correct deficient files and bring the property back into compliance.

Not every affordable housing compliance service can—or should—be priced by the file.

Remote professional services are generally billed at an hourly consulting rate when HCA is providing services such as:

• Policy and procedure reviews
• Tenant Selection Plan reviews
• EIV policy reviews
• HOTMA compliance assessments
• Compliance troubleshooting
• Staff training
• Technical assistance
• Management consultation
• Compliance questions
• Corrective-action assistance
• MOR preparation
• Ongoing third-party compliance support

For larger or ongoing engagements, HCA can develop a customized scope of work based on the organization's needs.

There is no single affordable housing compliance project.

A 50-unit LIHTC file review is different from a 300-unit layered Section 8 and LIHTC property experiencing a recertification backlog. Likewise, deploying one temporary consultant for four weeks is different from sending a team of consultants to stabilize multiple properties.

Factors affecting pricing can include:

• Affordable housing program
• Number of units or files
• Number of properties
• Layered program requirements
• Onsite versus remote support
• Number of consultants
• Length of assignment
• Existing compliance deficiencies
• Recertification backlog
• Occupancy or leasing needs
• MOR or audit preparation
• File correction requirements
• Required turnaround time
• Travel requirements
• Training and technical-assistance needs

HCA provides customized pricing so clients pay for the level and type of affordable housing compliance support their organization actually needs.

Whether you need one file reviewed, hundreds of certifications processed, a 100% affordable housing file audit, temporary onsite staffing, recertification backlog recovery, LIHTC compliance assistance, HUD Section 8 consulting, HOTMA support, EIV assistance, MOR preparation, or an entire team deployed to your property, Housing Consultants of America can develop a solution around your needs.

Tell us your program type, property size, location, current challenge, and desired timeline, and our team can help determine the appropriate scope of work.

Looking for current pricing? Request HCA's hourly consulting rates and current per-file fee schedule today.