HUD Handbook 4350.3 § 7-7
Notices to Tenants (HUD Occupancy Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4)
Operative Text
A. Overview
Owners must inform tenants, through written notices, about the tenants’
responsibility to provide information about changes in family income or
composition necessary to properly complete an annual recertification. These
notices include information on the recertification process, requirements, and
timelines.
B. Description of Required Notices
Owners must provide tenants with the Initial Notice and subsequent reminder
notices as specified below during the annual recertification process. Figure 7-4
describes the timing of each notice.
REMINDER: Notices to a tenant with a disability must be in a form accessible to
the tenant (e.g., in Braille or audio form for a tenant with a vision impairment).
Notices may also need to be *provided* in languages other than English for LEP
persons in accordance with HUD guidance.
1. Initial Notice. Upon initial signing of the lease and at each annual
recertification, the owner must provide an Initial Notice to the tenant. This
notice serves to ensure that tenants understand that they will need to
report to the property’s management office by the specified date the
following year to prepare for their next recertification.
Figure 7-3: Recertification Steps
Action Responsible Party
1. Provide Initial Notice to tenant about next year’s annual recertification. Owner
(See paragraph 7-7.)
2. Provide First Reminder Notice to tenant. If needed, provide up to two Owner
subsequent reminder notices. (See paragraph 7-7.)
3. If not already established by the owner, schedule a recertification Tenant
interview with the property owner or manager, collect information, as
necessary, to verify income and family composition, and obtain
signatures on consent forms to allow verification of income and other
relevant characteristics from outside sources.
4. *Obtain and review EIV Income Reports and EIV Verification Reports.* Owner
Conduct recertification interview.
5. Verify family income, assets, and allowances following the procedures Owner
described in Chapter 5, Section 3, for more information about
verification of income. Ensure that the tenant file includes citizenship
documentation, if applicable, for all family members and documented
*social security numbers for all household members except those
household members who do not contend eligible immigration status or
members who were age 62 or older on January 31, 2010, and whose
initial determination of eligibility was begun before January 31, 2010.*
6. Enter all required data into the owner’s or service bureau’s TRACS Owner
software package for calculation of the new TTP/ tenant rent and
assistance payment and conversion to an electronic file ready for
submission.
7. Notify the tenant of any change in the TTP or tenant rent resulting from Owner
the recertification. For rent increases, a 30-day notice must be
provided.
8. Obtain the original signature of the head, co-head, spouse and all other Owner
adult members of the household on the HUD-50059 with the required
data electronically generated by owner’s (or service bureau’s) software
package. Owner representative signs the HUD-50059 and provides the
tenant with a copy. Only after the tenant and owner representative sign
the HUD-50059, transmit electronic file to the Contract Administrator or
HUD.
9. Provide the tenant with the Initial Notice for next year’s annual Owner
recertification (see paragraph 7-7 B.1).
Figure 7-4: Recertification Notice Due Dates
(Step 2 from Figure 7-3)
Notice Date the Notice Is Due to Sample Timeline
the Tenant Assumes a December 1
Recertification Anniversary
Date
Initial Notice for At initial lease signing The initial notice should have
Upcoming Recertification and at every annual been signed by the tenant at
recertification thereafter. the previous year’s
(Obtain tenant signature certification/recertification date,
acknowledging receipt.) December 1.
First Reminder Notice 120 days prior to the The first reminder notice
tenant’s recertification should be sent out by August
anniversary date. 1.
Second Reminder Notice At least 90 days prior to The second reminder notice
(If no response to First the tenant’s recertification should be sent out by
Notice.) anniversary date. September 1.
Third Reminder Notice (If At least 60 days prior to The third reminder notice
no response to Second the tenant’s recertification should be sent out no later
Notice.) anniversary date. than October 1.
a. The Initial Notice must do the following:
(1) Refer to the requirements in the HUD model lease
regarding the tenant’s responsibility to recertify annually.
(2) Specify the cutoff date (the 10th day of the 11th month after
the last annual recertification) by which the tenant must
contact the owner and provide the required information
and signatures necessary for the owner to process the
recertification.
b. The tenant must sign and date the initial notice to acknowledge
receipt; the owner or manager must sign and date the notice as a
witness.
c. The owner must maintain the notice with original signatures in the
tenant’s file and provide a copy of the signed notice to the tenant.
d. A sample Initial Notice is included as Exhibit 7-1.
Example – Initial Recertification Notice Procedures
The Singhs move into a project and begin receiving
Section 8 assistance on 9/1/2002. The owner
establishes a 9/1 anniversary date for the Singhs.
When the Singhs sign the lease, the owner provides the
head of the family with an Initial Notice. In the Initial
Notice, the owner states that the Singhs must report for
their first annual recertification by 7/10/2003.
When the Singhs sign all forms necessary to complete
their annual recertification during the summer of 2003,
the owner provides the head of the Singh household with
another Initial Recertification Notice. In this Initial Notice,
the owner states that the Singhs must report for their
next annual recertification by 7/10/2004.
2. First Reminder Notice.
a. Owners must provide tenants with a reminder notice at least 120
days prior to the recertification anniversary date.
b. The First Reminder Notice must do the following:
(1) Refer to the requirements in the HUD model lease
regarding the tenant’s responsibility to recertify annually.
(2) State the name of the staff person at the property to
contact about scheduling a recertification interview, the
contact information for this person, and how the contact
should be made. The owner may propose an interview
date as long as the tenant has the option to reschedule the
interview for a more convenient date and time.
(3) Give the location, days, and office hours that property staff
will be available for recertification interviews.
(4) List the information that the tenant should bring to the
interview.
(5) State the cutoff date by which the tenant must contact the
owner and provide the information and signatures
necessary for the owner to process the recertification.
(6) State that if the tenant responds to the owner after the
specified cutoff date (10th day of the 11th month after the
last annual recertification), the owner will process the
annual recertification but will not provide the tenant 30 day
notice of any resulting rent increase.
(7) State that if the tenant fails to respond before the
recertification anniversary date, the tenant will lose the
assistance and will be responsible for paying the Section
236 market rent in a 236 project, 110% of BMIR rent or the
full contract rent in a Section 8 or Section 202 PAC project.
In a Section 202 PRAC or Section 811 PRAC project, the
tenant may be evicted for noncompliance with the lease
requirement to recertify annually.
c. Owners must maintain a copy of this notice in the tenant file
documenting the date the notice was issued.
d. A sample First Reminder Notice is included as Exhibit 7-2.
3. Second Reminder Notice.
a. If the tenant fails to respond within 30 days of the First Reminder
Notice, the owner must provide a Second Reminder Notice
approximately 90 days prior to the tenant’s recertification
anniversary date informing the tenant that his/her recertification
information is due.
b. The Second Reminder Notice must provide the tenant with all of
the information given in the First Reminder Notice. (See
subparagraph B-2 b above.)
c. Owners must maintain a copy of this notice in the tenant file
documenting the date the notice was issued.
d. A sample Second Reminder Notice is included as Exhibit 7-3.
4. Third Reminder Notice.
a. If the tenant does not respond to the Second Reminder Notice
before 60 days prior to the recertification anniversary date, the
owner must provide the tenant a Third Reminder Notice no later
than 60 days prior to the anniversary date. This notice also
serves as a 60-day notice to terminate assistance, and as a 60-
day rent increase notice. (See Chapter 8 for information on the
termination of assistance.)
b. The Third Reminder Notice must do the following:
(1) Provide the tenant with all of the information given in the
First Reminder Notice. (See subparagraph B-2 b above.)
(2) Specify the amount of rent the tenant will be required to
pay if the tenant fails to provide the required recertification
information by the recertification anniversary date and
state that this rent increase will be made without additional
notice.
(3) In a Section 202 PRAC or 811 PRAC project, state that the
tenant may be evicted for noncompliance with the lease
requirement to recertify annually.
NOTE TO OWNERS: Eviction should be pursued only as a last
measure for enforcing compliance. Prior to any eviction
proceedings, owners must make every effort to contact the
disabled and frail elderly to be sure the requirements of the
recertificaiton process are communicated in a manner that is
comprehended by the tenant.
c. Owners must maintain a copy of this notice in the tenant file
documenting the date the notice was issued.
d. A sample Third Reminder Notice is included as Exhibit 7-4.HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 7-7 establishes a structured written-notice sequence that owners of HUD-assisted housing must follow to inform tenants of their annual recertification obligations. The process begins with an Initial Notice at lease signing and at each completed recertification, followed by up to three reminder notices sent at 120, 90, and 60 days before the tenant's recertification anniversary date. The Third Reminder Notice carries additional weight, functioning simultaneously as a 60-day notice of assistance termination and a rent-increase notice if the tenant fails to respond in time. Notices must be accessible to tenants with disabilities and, where required by HUD guidance, provided in languages other than English for limited-English-proficient residents.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 7-7, compliant operators maintain a documented notice schedule tied to each tenant's recertification anniversary date, delivering the Initial Notice at lease signing and again at every completed recertification, then issuing First, Second, and Third Reminder Notices at the 120-, 90-, and 60-day intervals if the tenant has not responded. Each notice must contain the specific content elements described in § 7-7(B), including contact information, the cutoff date, and consequences of non-response, and a signed copy of the Initial Notice must be retained in the tenant's file. Operators also ensure that notices are provided in accessible formats for tenants with disabilities and in other languages as HUD guidance requires, and they document the issuance date of every reminder notice in the tenant file.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 7-7 entitles tenants in HUD-assisted housing to a series of written notices well in advance of their annual recertification deadline, giving them meaningful opportunity to gather required documents and schedule an interview. If a tenant does not receive the required notices on the prescribed schedule, or if notices are not provided in an accessible format or appropriate language, that gap may be relevant to any dispute about assistance termination or a rent increase. Tenants who believe the required notice procedures were not followed can raise the issue with the property's management, contact HUD or the Contract Administrator overseeing the property, or reach out to a local tenant-rights organization for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 30, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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