Is FHFC certification the same as the property tax exemption?

No. FHFC certification confirms that specific units meet the income and rent requirements. The exemption itself is granted by the county property appraiser after you file the DR-504AFH with that certification attached. You need both.

Do I have to certify every unit in the building?

No. Only the units you want counted toward the exemption go into the request. If a unit's rent is above the limit for its band, it is usually better to leave it out than to risk the whole request being questioned.

Can you guarantee FHFC will certify my units?

No one can promise that, and we will not. What we can do is review every unit before filing, tell you plainly which ones are likely to certify and why, and file a request that matches your records.

My building is in a neighboring city. Can you still help?

We can. Clients with properties in Greenacres, Lantana, West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach go through the same review as those in Lake Worth Beach. Since the work is done at our office or over phone and video, the building's address changes very little about how we handle it.

What happens after the first year?

The exemption is not permanent. Certification and income records have to be kept current each year, which we handle under Annual Recertification and Ongoing Compliance Support.

What does the free savings estimate cover?

On a short call, we look at your unit count, rents and the income bands you serve, then give you a rough sense of what the exemption could be worth. It also tells you whether a full certification review makes sense.

ServicesFHFC Certification Filing

FHFC Certification Filing in Lake Worth Beach

The county will not look at a Live Local Act exemption until Florida Housing Finance Corporation confirms which of your units qualify. We check your rent roll, unit mix and income files first, show you the findings, then prepare a certification request built from your actual records.

Get a free savings estimate: (561) 783-2260

Over-the-shoulder view of a woman at an office desk placing printed spreadsheet pages into a tabbed binder, with a monitor, laptop, desk phone and calculator nearby

Where state certification fits in the exemption

The county property appraiser cannot grant the Live Local Act tax break on its own. It relies on a certification from Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) stating which units in your multifamily development meet the income and rent tests. Without that document, the county filing has nothing to stand on. FHFC looks at unit counts, the income band each set-aside unit serves, and whether the rents charged stay within the applicable limits.

Most certification problems start in the property's own records, not on the form. A unit listed as serving residents at 80 percent of area median income with a lease rent above the limit for that band will not certify. A rent roll that counts a model unit or an office as a residential unit throws off the totals. We find those mismatches before anything goes to FHFC.

This service covers the FHFC step. The county side is handled under County DR-504AFH Filing, and the initial strategy for a new property under Live Local Act Exemption Applications.

What our certification filing includes

Rent roll and unit review

We go through your current rent roll unit by unit: bedroom count, lease rent, utility allowance treatment and the income band each unit is meant to serve. Every unit gets a plain status of qualifies, does not qualify or needs a document.

Rent limit comparison

We compare each set-aside unit's rent to the published limits for Palm Beach County at the right income band and bedroom size. If a rent is too high, we tell you by how much so you can decide whether to adjust it or leave that unit out.

Income file spot check

We check that tenant income documentation supports the band claimed for each unit. Gaps here usually trace to an expired verification or a missing source, such as a second earner's pay stubs. Full file work is covered under Resident Income Verification.

Written findings before filing

You get a short written summary of what we found and a list of units we recommend certifying. Nothing goes to FHFC until you have seen it and agreed.

Preparing and filing the request

We assemble the certification request, the supporting unit schedule and the owner attestations. Then we file the package with FHFC and track it until the agency responds.

Handling follow-up questions

If FHFC asks for clarification or an added document, we draft the response and gather what is needed from your management team.

Three people at a dark conference table review a printed sheet of photos while a laptop shows a grid of image thumbnails

Signs your property needs a certification review

You plan to claim the exemption this year: The county will not process a DR-504AFH without a current FHFC certification. If you want the exemption on this year's tax roll, certification has to be done first.
Your rent roll and leases do not match: Rent concessions, mid-lease increases or parking and storage fees bundled into rent can make a unit look over the limit. These are worth sorting out before FHFC sees them.
Management changed recently: A new property manager often brings a new software system, and unit designations or income records do not always carry over cleanly.
A previous request was returned: A denial or a request for more information usually points to one or two specific issues. We read the response, find the cause and correct the file.
You are unsure how many units qualify: The share of qualifying units and the income band they serve shape how much of the assessed value can be exempted. A careful count tells you what the certification is actually worth.

How a certification filing runs

1
Phone call and document list
We start with a call about the property: total units, set-aside commitments and any past filings. Then we tell you what we need, usually the rent roll, a sample of leases and income certifications.
2
Review at our office
We work through your records at our office and flag each unit that does not line up. Questions go to you or your manager by phone or video as they come up.
3
Findings meeting
We walk you through the results on a video call: which units qualify, which do not and why, and what fixing the gaps would involve. You decide what goes into the request.
4
Filing and tracking
We prepare the certification request, file it with FHFC, watch for agency correspondence and answer follow-up questions. When the certification is issued, we pass it to you ready for the county DR-504AFH filing.

What affects the cost of certification filing

Our fee depends on how much review your records need, not on a flat percentage of your tax savings. A clean rent roll for a single building moves quickly. Several buildings with mixed income bands and older paperwork take more hours. We explain the fee by phone after a first look, before any work starts.

Number of units: Every set-aside unit is checked against its rent limit and income documentation, so larger properties take longer to review.
Condition of the records: Current income certifications and a rent roll that matches the leases keep the review short. Missing or outdated files add time to rebuild.
Income bands claimed: Properties serving several bands, such as units at 80 percent and at 120 percent of area median income, need more comparison work than a single band.
Prior denials or open questions: Responding to an earlier FHFC request for information means reviewing what was sent before and correcting it, which adds steps.

FHFC certification questions

Is FHFC certification the same as the property tax exemption?: No. FHFC certification confirms that specific units meet the income and rent requirements. The exemption itself is granted by the county property appraiser after you file the DR-504AFH with that certification attached. You need both.
Do I have to certify every unit in the building?: No. Only the units you want counted toward the exemption go into the request. If a unit's rent is above the limit for its band, it is usually better to leave it out than to risk the whole request being questioned.
Can you guarantee FHFC will certify my units?: No one can promise that, and we will not. What we can do is review every unit before filing, tell you plainly which ones are likely to certify and why, and file a request that matches your records.
My building is in a neighboring city. Can you still help?: We can. Clients with properties in Greenacres, Lantana, West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach go through the same review as those in Lake Worth Beach. Since the work is done at our office or over phone and video, the building's address changes very little about how we handle it.
What happens after the first year?: The exemption is not permanent. Certification and income records have to be kept current each year, which we handle under Annual Recertification and Ongoing Compliance Support.
What does the free savings estimate cover?: On a short call, we look at your unit count, rents and the income bands you serve, then give you a rough sense of what the exemption could be worth. It also tells you whether a full certification review makes sense.

Find out what your units could qualify for

Tell us about your property and current rent roll. We will give you a straight read on which units look certifiable and what the exemption could save.

Your free eligibility check: (561) 783-2260