(a) General. (1) The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) requirements set forth in 24 CFR part 5, subpart L, apply to all HOME tenant-based rental assistance and rental housing assisted with HOME funds, as supplemented by this section.

(2) For the HOME program, the “covered housing provider,” as this term is used in HUD's regulations in 24 CFR part 5, subpart L, refers to:

(i) The housing owner for the purposes of 24 CFR 5.2005(d)(1), (d)(3), and (d)(4) and § 5.2009(a); and

(ii) The participating jurisdiction and the owner for purposes of 24 CFR 5.2005(d)(2), 5.2005(e), and 5.2007, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (g) of this section.

(b) Effective date. The core statutory protections of VAWA that prohibit denial or termination of assistance or eviction solely because an applicant or tenant is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking became applicable upon enactment of VAWA 2013 on March 7, 2013. Compliance with the VAWA regulatory requirements under this section and 24 CFR part 5, subpart L, are required for any tenant-based rental assistance or rental housing project for which the date of the HOME funding commitment is on or after December 16, 2016.

(c) Notification requirements. The participating jurisdiction must provide a notice and certification form that meet the requirements of 24 CFR 5.2005(a) to the owner of HOME-assisted rental housing.

(1) For HOME-assisted units. The owner of HOME-assisted rental housing must provide the notice and certification form described in 24 CFR 5.2005(a) to the applicant for a HOME-assisted unit at the time the applicant is admitted to a HOME-assisted unit, or denied admission to a HOME-assisted unit based on the owner's tenant selection policies and criteria. The owner of HOME-assisted rental housing must also provide the notice and certification form described in 24 CFR 5.2005 with any notification of eviction from a HOME-assisted unit.

(2) For HOME tenant-based rental assistance. The participating jurisdiction must provide the notice and certification form described in 24 CFR 5.2005(a) to the applicant for HOME tenant-based rental assistance when the applicant's HOME tenant-based rental assistance is approved or denied. The participating jurisdiction must also provide the notice and certification form described in 24 CFR 5.2005(a) to a tenant receiving HOME tenant-based rental assistance when the participating jurisdiction provides the tenant with notification of termination of the HOME tenant-based rental assistance, and when the participating jurisdiction learns that the tenant's housing owner intends to provide the tenant with notification of eviction.

(d) Bifurcation of lease requirements. For the purposes of this part, the following requirements shall apply in place of the requirements at 24 CFR 5.2009(b):

(1) If a family living in a HOME-assisted rental unit separates under 24 CFR 5.2009(a), the remaining tenant(s) may remain in the HOME-assisted unit.

(2) If a family who is receiving HOME tenant-based rental assistance separates under 24 CFR 5.2009(a), the remaining tenant(s) will retain the HOME tenant-based rental assistance. The participating jurisdiction must determine whether the tenant that was removed from the unit will receive HOME tenant-based rental assistance.

(e) VAWA lease term/addendum. The participating jurisdiction must develop a VAWA lease term/addendum to incorporate all requirements that apply to the owner or lease under 24 CFR part 5, subpart L, and this section, including the prohibited bases for eviction and restrictions on construing lease terms under 24 CFR 5.2005(b) and (c). This VAWA lease term/addendum must also provide that the tenant may terminate the lease without penalty if the participating jurisdiction determines that the tenant has met the conditions for an emergency transfer under 24 CFR 5.2005(e). When HOME tenant-based rental assistance is provided, the lease term/addendum must require the owner to notify the participating jurisdiction before the owner bifurcates the lease or provides notification of eviction to the tenant. If HOME tenant-based rental assistance is the only assistance provided (i.e., the unit is not receiving project-based assistance under a covered housing program, as defined in 24 CFR 5.2003), the VAWA lease term/addendum may be written to expire at the end of the rental assistance period.

(f) Period of applicability. For HOME-assisted rental housing, the requirements of this section shall apply to the owner of the housing for the duration of the affordability period. For HOME tenant-based rental assistance, the requirements of this section shall apply to the owner of the tenant's housing for the period for which the rental assistance is provided.

(g) Emergency Transfer Plan. (1) The participating jurisdiction must develop and implement an emergency transfer plan and must make the determination of whether a tenant qualifies under the plan. The plan must meet the requirements in 24 CFR 5.2005(e), as supplemented by this section.

(2) For the purposes of § 5.2005(e)(7), the required policies must specify that for tenants who qualify for an emergency transfer and who wish to make an external emergency transfer when a safe unit is not immediately available, the participating jurisdiction must provide a list of properties in the jurisdiction that include HOME-assisted units. The list must include the following information for each property: The property's address, contact information, the unit sizes (number of bedrooms) for the HOME-assisted units, and, to the extent known, any tenant preferences or eligibility restrictions for the HOME-assisted units. In addition, the participating jurisdiction may:

(i) Establish a preference under the participating jurisdiction's HOME program for tenants who qualify for emergency transfers under 24 CFR 5.2005(e);

(ii) Provide HOME tenant-based rental assistance to tenants who qualify for emergency transfers under 24 CFR 5.2005(e); or

(iii) Coordinate with victim service providers and advocates to develop the emergency transfer plan, make referrals, and facilitate emergency transfers to safe and available units.

[81 FR 80803, Nov. 16, 2016]