Housing

Affordable Housing 

Wayne County Economic Development and Planning department is continuing to evaluate and assist in the provision and preservation of affordable housing options across the County through a series of programs and studies. This is made possible through the New York State Preservation Opportunity Program (NYS-POP), authorized by Attorney General Letitia James and managed through Enterprise Community Partners. Overall, this is a $12 million program created to support local housing agencies and authorities outside of New York City to develop strategic approaches to preserving existing affordable housing portfolios. Affordable housing is a term defined by federal housing standards as housing in which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. This definition is applied most commonly in reference to home ownership, but is also applied when referring to rentals. Through NYS-POP, Wayne County also recently completed an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment which identified a need for more affordable rental units. 

As part of this program, we hosted a series of four Landlord Training & Legal Clinic workshops for local landlords who provide rental housing for County residents.  Pre-recorded workshops are available online for a limited time, via the links shown below each workshop session listed on this page. We also hosted a housing panel event which is described below. In continuation of this effort, we are offering free legal consultation for a limited number of landlords. 

FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION

We are offering an additional resource to local landlords who provide rental housing in Wayne County. Local landlords can apply for free but limited, legal counsel in a 1-on-1 consultation with a leading NYS real estate attorney. There are a limited number of counseling sessions available and only available until the end of 2021. To qualify for this offer, the landlord must offer rental housing in Wayne County. For more information on qualifications for this offer, please contact our consultants at MM Development Advisors at 503.929.9591 or email. 

HOUSING PANEL EVENT

On Tuesday, October 5th at the Newark Kountry Klub in Newark, NY, local and regional landlords, property developers or managers, as well as non-profit housing providers, housing assistance program administrators, rental industry professionals, and local officials attended this event. There was a panel of industry professionals representing different subsections and covering issues such as affordable housing programs, landlord-tenant law, housing assistance, rental property development and management, and the role of government in rental housing. If you were unable to attend this event or if you are interested in being part of this ongoing conversation, please contact our office and mention this affordable housing study.

ONLINE WORKSHOPS

Related Documents are provided on this page sidebar, labeled Landlord Workshop Documents. These documents are provided courtesy of Ms. Cain for review and education. Please do NOT reproduce or modify these documents without written permission from Ms. Cain.

Session 1 (9/7/2021) HSTPA: Part 1 – Establishing Tenancy - Defining Affordability, Summary of HTSPA law changes especially management related items like Screening Applicants, Security Deposits, Housing Inspections, Code Compliance, Maintenance Records, Lease Basics, Lead Notice, Fair Housing, and other required Notices; overview on Fair Housing Laws including discussions of topics such as source of income discrimination, emotional support animals and occupancy restrictions.

(Link to Wayne County Planning YouTube Channel - Week 1 Video)

Session 2 (9/14/2021) HSTPA: Part 2 – Managing Tenants – Proper Tenant Notices and Paperwork, Timing, Maintenance complaints, Documentation, Warrants, Move-Out inspections and Security Deposits, Fair housing as it pertains to Criminal Status, disparate impact treatment analysis under President Biden, Criminal activity or Victims of Domestic Violence (VAWA protections). 

(Link to Wayne County Planning YouTube Channel - Week 2 Video)

Session 3 (9/21/2021) Post-COVID Tenant Relationships – Rent collection, ERAP protocols,  Damages or Rents not paid by ERAP, Judgments, Lease Renewals, and Victims of Domestic Violence rental rights.

(Link to Wayne County Planning YouTube Channel - Week 3 Video)

Session 4 (9/28/2021) Protecting Real Estate – Buying and selling with or without tenant occupied, Business models (LLC vs DBA vs Corp), Mixed-use development and other zoning or code issues. Structuring the deal, purchasing the real estate v. purchasing or creating a new LLC and the potential benefits of a membership purchase interest agreement, Use of 1031 exchanges.

(Link to Wayne County Planning YouTube Channel - Week 4 Video)

Housing Panel Discussion (10/5/2021) Panelists include a sitting judge and lawyer, a housing developer and landlord, non-profit housing providers, housing rehab service providers, and county representative. This event requests an RSVP via the above registration link or email. The event will be held in person at 2 Country Club Drive, Newark, NY 14513 at 5:00 p.m.