ServicesFHFC Certification Filing
FHFC Certification Filing in Boynton Beach
Your Live Local Act exemption in Palm Beach County rests on a certificate from Florida Housing Finance Corporation. We prepare that certification request, check every line against your rent roll, deal with FHFC's questions, and deliver the finished certificate to you.
Why the FHFC step comes first
Getting the Live Local Act exemption takes two filings. Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) has to certify that your property follows the program rules. After that, the DR-504AFH form goes to the property appraiser. The county will not act on that form unless the FHFC certificate stands behind it.
FHFC looks at your unit count, which units are set aside, the income limits those units are held to, and the rents you charge. Every number has to line up with your rent roll and your leases. A small gap, like one unit listed at the wrong rent, can stall the request.
Our team is small, and the person who reviews your documents is the same person who files the request and takes the call when FHFC has questions. We have prepared filings for about 100 Florida properties.
What our FHFC filing work includes
- 01
Eligibility check up front
We look at your unit count, set-aside units and current rents before anything is filed. If the property does not qualify, we tell you plainly and stop there.
- 02
Rent roll and lease review
We go through your rent roll unit by unit. We flag rents above the allowed limit and units missing income records, so you can fix them before FHFC sees them.
- 03
Preparing the certification request
We complete the request and gather the supporting pages FHFC asks for. You read it over and sign off before it goes in.
- 04
Handling FHFC follow-up
FHFC staff sometimes come back with questions or ask for more records. We answer them for you and keep you posted on each step.
- 05
Passing the certificate to the county step
Once the certificate is issued, we line it up with your DR-504AFH filing. If you use our County DR-504AFH Filing service, the same person carries it through.
Questions about FHFC Certification Filing?
Call(561) 786-7157Signs it is time to get your FHFC filing started
You have set-aside units but no exemption
If you rent units at restricted rents and still pay full property tax on them, you may be leaving money on the table. A free savings estimate shows roughly what the exemption could be worth.
Your last request came back with questions
A request sent back for more information often points to a mismatch between the rent roll and the application. We find the gap and file it again clean.
The March 1 county deadline is getting close
The county form needs the FHFC certificate behind it. If you have not started certification yet, the clock is already running.
Your rents or income limits changed
Income limits and rent caps are updated over time. If your rents changed or your set-aside mix shifted, the old numbers may no longer hold up.
Nobody on staff owns the paperwork
Property managers already have full plates. If the filing keeps sliding to next week, hand it to a team that does nothing else.
How an FHFC filing runs with us
- 1
Start with a quick call
Give us a ring and tell us about the property and its set-aside units. We run a free eligibility check and give you a ballpark savings figure.
- 2
Collecting your records
You get a short checklist: the rent roll, some sample leases, income files for set-aside units and basic property details. Walk through it with us over phone or video, or drop it off at our office.
- 3
Checking and correcting
Each set-aside unit is measured against the program limits. When something is off, we mark it with a plain note your staff can act on.
- 4
Submitting to FHFC and answering back
We send the request to FHFC and reply to any questions the agency raises. One person stays your contact the entire time.
- 5
The certificate arrives
Once FHFC issues it, the certificate comes to you, set up for the county DR-504AFH filing that follows.
What moves the cost of FHFC filing
The estimate call is free, and so is the eligibility check. Our fee for the filing itself depends on how much work your property takes. We talk through the price on the phone before any work starts.
- Number of set-aside units
- More restricted units means more rent and income records to check. A larger property simply takes more hours.
- How organized your paperwork is
- When the rent roll is up to date and every set-aside unit has its income file, our review goes quickly. Gaps in those files, or leases that disagree with the rent roll, take longer to sort out.
- Number of properties
- Clients filing for several properties at once share setup work across them.
- Timing
- Starting early leaves room to fix problems. A request started close to the county deadline needs more of our time packed into fewer days.
FHFC certification questions we hear
Do I need FHFC certification every year?
Yes. The certification is tied to a tax year, so it has to be renewed. Our Annual Recertification service covers the yearly round so you are not starting from scratch each time.
Can I file the county form without the FHFC certificate?
No. The property appraiser expects the FHFC certificate as part of the DR-504AFH filing. That is why we start certification first and leave room before the county deadline.
What if some units are above the rent limit?
Those units may not count toward the exemption, and they can hold up the request. We flag them early so you can decide whether to adjust the rent or leave those units out.
Do I have to meet with you in person?
No. Most of our clients never come in, and the whole filing gets done over phone and video calls. If you like going through paperwork across a desk, you can do that at our office instead.
Do you serve properties outside Boynton Beach?
Yes. We work with property owners across the area, including Delray Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Boca Raton. The FHFC step works the same way statewide.
Find out what certification could save you
Tell us about your property on a short call. We will check eligibility and give you a free savings estimate before you commit to anything.