The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) recently announced two rules that have been released for public comment: 10 TAC Section 10.612 Tenant File Requirements and New 10 TAC 10.628 entitled Verification of Occupant Legal Status for HOME, HOME-ARP, and NHTF developments. These rule actions were approved by the TDHCA Governing Board on January 15, 2026, and are open for public comment through March 3, 2026. The rule actions, including their preambles, are available to view on the Department’s Public Comment Center webpage.
A virtual public hearing for these rules will be held on Tuesday February 24, 2026, at 1 p.m., Central Time.
- To register for the hearing via GoToWebinar, follow this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/763631070007250779
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the online Public Hearing. If you have any questions about the registration, please contact Cara Pollei via email at [email protected].
As previously announced, written public comment is still accepted and may be sent to [email protected]. Written comments on these rules must be received no later than 5 p.m., Central Time, on March 3, 2026.
These two rule actions relate to the implementation of PRWORA legal status requirements in the Department’s HOME, HOME-ARP, and HTF Multifamily properties. The revisions are being made to two sections of the Compliance rule to effectuate this policy. All properties in the Department’s portfolio that have HOME, HOME-ARP, or NHTF units will be required to adhere to this rule. The rule will require that all persons signing a lease must have been verified as having legal status being a US citizen, US National, or are a qualified alien. This requirement will not apply to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and/or dating violence, more specifically populations protected by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). A property can perform this requirement through verification based on a series of acceptable documents or through the SAVE system.
Individuals who require auxiliary aids, services or sign language interpreters for this public hearing should contact Nancy Dennis, at (512) 475-3959 or by email at [email protected] or Relay Texas at 1-800-735-2989, at least five days before the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Non-English speaking individuals who require interpreters for the public hearings should contact Danielle Leath by phone at (512) 475-4606 or by email at [email protected] at least five days before the hearings so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Personas que hablan espanol y requieren un interprete, favor de llamar a Danielle Leath al siguiente numero (512) 475-4606 o enviarle un correo electronico a [email protected] por lo menos cinco dias antes de la junta para hacer los preparativos apropiados.