Idaho Code §§ 50-1903, 1904, 1912, 1913, 1915 § 50-1912
OPERATION NOT FOR PROFIT.
Operative Text
It is hereby declared to be the policy of this state that each housing authority shall manage and operate its housing projects in an efficient manner so as to enable it to fix the rentals for dwelling accommodations at the lowest possible rates consistent with providing adequate, safe and sanitary accommodations, and no housing authority shall construct or operate any such project for profit or as a source of revenue to the city. An authority shall fix the rentals for dwellings in its projects at no higher rates than it shall find to be necessary in order to produce revenue which, together with all other available moneys, revenues, income and receipts of the authority from whatever sources derived, will be sufficient (a) to pay, as the same become due, the principal and interest on the bonds of the authority; (b) to meet the cost of, and to provide for, maintaining and operating the projects, including the cost of any insurance, and the administrative expenses of the authority; and (c) to create, during not less than the six (6) years immediately succeeding its issuance of any bonds, a reserve sufficient to meet the largest principal and interest payments which will be due on such bonds in any one (1) year thereafter and to maintain such reserve.
Idaho Code Title 50, Chapter 19, § 50-1912 establishes that housing authorities in Idaho must operate their housing projects on a not-for-profit basis, setting rents at the lowest rates that still allow them to cover necessary costs. Those costs include bond debt payments, maintenance and operations, insurance, and administrative expenses. The provision also requires authorities to build and maintain a financial reserve during at least the first six years after issuing bonds, sized to cover the largest annual principal and interest payment due on those bonds.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Housing authorities operating under § 50-1912 are not private landlords seeking profit, but public bodies bound by a statutory mandate to keep rents as low as financially sustainable. Compliant authorities set rental rates only as high as needed to cover bond obligations, operating and maintenance costs, insurance, and administrative expenses, while also funding the required bond reserve. Property managers working within or alongside a housing authority should understand that rent-setting decisions under this section are governed by these enumerated cost categories, not by market-rate considerations.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 50-1912 of the Idaho Code reflects a state policy that public housing rents must be kept at the lowest rates consistent with safe, adequate, and sanitary housing — authorities are explicitly prohibited from operating projects for profit. Tenants in Idaho housing authority units can reference this provision if they believe rents have been set beyond what is necessary to cover the costs enumerated in the statute. Tenants who have concerns about whether their housing authority is complying with this not-for-profit mandate may consider reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization or contacting the Idaho housing authority directly for an accounting of how rents are determined.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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