Pre-Application Forms

At some Harborlight Homes locations, apartments are offered for applicants at multiple income levels ranging from 30% to 80% AMI.  AMI stands for Area Median Income, and this is a metric used by HUD to determine income eligibility for affordable housing across the country. Depending on the AMI limits, some applicants will pay 30% of their gross annual income toward rent – regardless of what that income may be – because the development received state and federal funding in the form of Project-Based Vouchers (PBV).  For example, if you are a single person whose income is $21,000/year, and you are applying for a PBV-subsidized apartment whose rent is 30% of gross income, you would pay approximately $7,000/year toward rent.  For units subsidized by PBV, rents are variable based on income.  Someone making $21,000/year would not pay the same amount as someone making $10,000/year, but they would pay the same percentage.

If your gross annual income places you above the income limit for a PBV-subsidized unit, the rent will be fixed in a range between the Contract Rent and the Maximum Allowable Rent.  Harborlight Homes typically sets the Contract Rent to be 85% of the Maximum Allowable Rent for units that do not have PBV.  Just like the AMI limits themselves, the Maximum Allowable Rents are also determined by HUD on an annual basis.

If you or a member of your household does not receive any income, you must submit a notarized letter of $0 income if/when you are given an opportunity to lease an apartment.

For units that are not subsidized by Project-Based Vouchers (PBV), Harborlight Homes establishes a minimum income limit so that applicants won’t pay more than 40% of their monthly income toward rent.  This amount is calculated by taking the monthly Contract Rent and annualizing it for gross income.  If rent constitutes more than 40% of monthly income, residents are considered “cost-burdened,” which creates hardship, stress, and financial instability for the household.

No, households must meet the age restrictions at the time of application unless the property has a Disability Exception.  Harborlight Homes currently has (3) properties that include a Disability Exception, and these are noted with a (DE) on the Waitlist Pre-Application.

State regulations require that spouses, and/or those in a similar living arrangement, share a bedroom unless a consequence of sharing would be a severe adverse impact on their mental or physical health.  If couples wish to apply for a 2-bedroom unit, they must provide reliable medical documentation as to the adverse impact of sharing a bedroom.

In accordance with current HUD regulations, there is no asset limit for households seeking housing for unsubsidized units at any AMI level.  Asset limits for non-retirement accounts do apply for the 30% and 50% AMI PBV-subsidized units based on subsidy program requirements (currently $100,000 for Section 8 units and $25,000 for MRVP units).

As applicable, actual income earned from assets (e.g. interest and dividends), or the imputed income of 0.40% (the current HUD Passbook Savings Rate) of assets without actual income, will be considered in the calculation of a household’s total qualifying income.  Assets do not include retirement accounts or essential personal property, but may include cash, net cash value of stocks, checking and savings accounts, investment accounts, real property, CDs, bonds, cash value of life insurance policies, and capital investments, etc.

Pet policies and/or breed restrictions vary by location, but service or emotional support animals are always allowed, with medical documentation.

No, you may not sublease your apartment to another person, or operate it as an Airbnb.  The affordable unit must be your principal, full-time residence.  You can take occasional trips or vacations, but the duration of absences must conform to the terms of your lease and the program requirements of the property (e.g. HUD, LIHTC, HOME, Rural Development, etc.)

The State Sanitary Code governs how many people can share a bedroom and overall living space based on square footage relative to occupancy.  As such, households must meet the guidelines noted on the Waitlist Pre-Application for each location and unit specified. Families cannot be “under-housed” – meaning they have too few bedrooms for the size of the household.

State regulations require at least (1) occupant per bedroom.  As such, households must meet the guidelines noted on the Waitlist Pre-Application for each location and unit specified.  Families cannot be “over-housed” – meaning they have too many bedrooms for the size of the household.

Yes, you can host overnight guests or short-term visitors within the overall terms of the lease.  Typically, Harborlight Homes allows residents to host guests for a maximum of (2) weeks/year for all combined guest visitors.