Housing specialists and occupancy specialists are the backbone of affordable housing organizations. They are often the ones who work directly with tenants, helping them with everything from getting on the waitlist to signing their lease. But behind the scenes, these dedicated professionals carry an enormous load—managing paperwork, ensuring compliance with changing regulations, and keeping everything running smoothly.

‍

As partners in the affordable housing space, we recognize how much responsibility rests on your shoulders. We see the long hours, the complex workflows, and the pressure to meet both the needs of families and the demands of federal guidelines. And it’s not getting any easier. Each year, the gap between the number of people needing housing and the resources available to help them continues to grow. Yet, housing specialists and occupancy specialists are expected to do more with less.

‍

One of the latest challenges is the upcoming implementation of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA). This new set of regulations changes the way income is calculated, which directly affects how affordable housing organizations determine tenant eligibility and rent contributions. It’s such a significant change that HUD pushed back the implementation date to July 1st, 2025, giving specialists more time to prepare. But even with the extra time, the burden still falls heavily on the specialists to make sure everything goes smoothly.

‍

Here’s the thing—other industries, like finance, have long equipped their teams with specialized tools to streamline their work. Mortgage officers and loan processors, for instance, have software that makes their jobs more efficient and less stressful. But for some reason, housing specialists and occupancy specialists are left to handle equally complex, if not more demanding, tasks with far fewer resources. This needs to change.

‍

So, how do we ensure that specialists are fully prepared for HOTMA and future regulations? The answer lies in modernization. It's not just about staying compliant but about empowering specialists with the tools they need to manage their workloads more effectively.

‍

In our next blog post, we’ll dive deeper into HOTMA and discuss how we, as partners in affordable housing, can help you become more efficient and better equipped to tackle these upcoming challenges.

‍

We see you. We appreciate you. And we're here to help.