(a) Compliance with equal opportunity requirements. Marketing of units and selection of Families by the Owner shall be in accordance with the Owner's FmHA-approved Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan, if required, and with all regulations relating to fair housing advertising including use of the equal opportunity logotype statement and slogan in all advertising. Projects shall be managed and operated without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, or national origin.

(b) Eligibility, selection and admission of families.

(1) The owner is responsible for determination of eligibility of applicants in accordance with the procedure of 24 CFR part part 5, selection of families from among those determined to be eligible (including provision of Federal selection preferences in accordance with 24 CFR part 5), and computation of the amount of housing assistance payments on behalf of each selected family, in accordance with schedules and criteria established by HUD.

(2) For every family that applies for admission, the owner and the applicant will complete and sign the form of application prescribed by HUD. However, if there are no vacant units and the owner's waiting list is such that there would be an unreasonable length of time before the applicant could be admitted, the owner may advise the applicant that the owner is not accepting applications for that reason.

The owner must retain copies of all completed applications together with any related correspondence for three years. For each family selected for admission, the owner must submit one copy of the completed and signed application to the HUD field office (in the case of private-owner/PHA projects, the owner simultaneously must send a copy of the form to the PHA). Housing assistance payments will not be made on behalf of an admitted family unit after this copy has been received by the HUD field office (or, in the case of private-owner/PHA projects, until the copy has been received by the PHA with a certification by the owner that the owner has sent a copy to HUD).

(3) If the Owner determines that the applicant is eligible on the basis of Income and family composition and is otherwise acceptable but the Owner does not have a suitable unit to offer, the Owner shall place such Family on his waiting list and so advise the Family.

(4) If the Owner determines that the applicant is eligible on the basis of Income and family composition and is otherwise acceptable and if the Owner has a suitable unit, the Owner and the Family shall enter into a Lease. Such Lease shall be on the form of Lease included in the Owner's approved Final Proposal and shall otherwise be in conformity with the provisions of this part.

(5) Records on applicant families and approved Families shall be maintained by the Owner so as to provide HUD with racial, ethnic and gender data and shall be retained by the Owner for three years.

(6) In the case of a PHA-Owner project, (i) if the PHA places a Family on its waiting list, it shall notify the Family of the approximate date of availability of a suitable unit insofar as such date can be reasonably determined, and (ii) if the PHA determines that an applicant is ineligible on the basis of income or family composition, or that the PHA is not selecting the applicant for other reasons, the PHA shall promptly send the applicant a letter notifying him of the determination and the reasons and that the applicant has the right within a reasonable time (specified in the letter) to request an informal hearing. If, after conducting such an informal hearing, the PHA determines that the applicant shall not be admitted, the PHA shall so notify the applicant in writing and such notice shall inform the applicant that he has the right to request a review by HUD of the PHA's determination. The procedures of this subparagraph do not preclude the applicant from exercising his other rights if he believes he is being discriminated against on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, or national origin. The PHA shall retain for three years a copy of the application, the letter, the applicant's response if any, the record of any informal hearing, and a statement of final disposition.

(7) See 24 CFR part 5 for the informal review provisions for the denial of a Federal selection preference.

(8) For the informal hearing provisions related to denial of assistance based upon failure to establish citizenship or eligible immigration status, see part 5 of this title for provisions concerning certain assistance for mixed families (families whose members include those with eligible immigration status, and those without eligible immigration status) in lieu of denial of assistance.

[41 FR 47168, Oct. 27, 1976. Redesignated at 45 FR 6909, Jan. 30, 1980, and amended at 53 FR 1162, Jan. 15, 1988; 53 FR 6601, Mar. 2, 1988; 60 FR 14845, Mar. 20, 1995; 61 FR 9047, Mar. 6, 1996; 61 FR 13594, Mar. 27, 1996; 65 FR 16723, Mar. 29, 2000]