Cal. Civ. Code § 36-7-18-24
Establishment of rental rates
Operative Text
Sec. 24. (a) A housing authority shall manage and operate its housing projects in an efficient manner so that it may fix the rentals for dwelling accommodations at the lowest possible rates while providing decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling accommodations. The authority may not construct or operate a project for profit or as a source of revenue to the municipality or county. (b) A housing authority may not fix the rentals for dwellings in its projects at higher rates than it finds necessary to produce revenues that, together with all other available money, revenues, income, and receipts of the authority, will be sufficient: (1) to pay, as they become due, the principal and interest on the bonds, notes, or warrants of the authority; (2) to meet the cost of, and to provide for, maintaining and operating the projects, including the cost of insurance and the administrative expenses of the authority; (3) to create, during a period of not less than six (6) years immediately after its issuance of any bonds, notes, or warrants, a reserve sufficient to meet the largest principal and interest payments due on them in any one (1) year after that, and to maintain that reserve; and (4) to accumulate reasonable reserves to cover the making of necessary repairs. (c) This section does not limit the power of an authority to vest rights in an obligee under section 33 of this chapter free from all the restrictions imposed by this section. As added by Acts 1981, P.L.309, SEC.37.
Under Indiana Code § 36-7-18-24, housing authorities are required to set rental rates at the lowest levels that still allow them to cover essential financial obligations — including debt service on bonds or notes, operating and maintenance costs, required reserve funds, and repair reserves. Authorities are explicitly prohibited from operating housing projects for profit or as a revenue source for the local government. The rule creates a ceiling on rents tied directly to demonstrated financial need rather than market conditions.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Housing authorities operating under Indiana Code § 36-7-18-24 are expected to document and justify rental rates based on the specific financial obligations enumerated in the statute, such as debt service, operating costs, insurance, administrative expenses, and reserve requirements. Compliant authorities generally maintain transparent accounting that demonstrates rents are set at the minimum necessary to meet those obligations. Because the statute prohibits profit-driven rate-setting, operators typically ensure that any surplus revenue is traceable to one of the permitted financial categories rather than general municipal revenue.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Indiana Code § 36-7-18-24 establishes that tenants in public housing projects have a statutory basis to expect that their rents are set at the lowest rates sufficient to cover the authority's legitimate costs — not to generate profit for the municipality or county. If rents appear to exceed what is necessary to meet the obligations listed in the statute, tenants may have grounds to raise this as a concern with the housing authority's governing board or relevant oversight bodies. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Indiana public housing law can help residents understand what financial disclosures authorities are expected to provide and what avenues exist for challenging rate-setting decisions.
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 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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