Live Local Act Exemption Consulting in Plantation, FL
We prepare Live Local Act property tax exemption applications for multifamily owners. That covers the FHFC certification request, the DR-504AFH filing with the property appraiser, resident income verification and annual recertification. One consultant handles your file for properties in Plantation, Sunrise, Davie and nearby Broward cities.
Live Local Act Exemption Services
The exemption lives in Section 196.1978(3) of the Florida Statutes, and it rewards precise paperwork. A qualifying unit only counts if its rent, its resident's income and its documentation all line up. We handle the full chain: the exemption application, FHFC certification filing, county DR-504AFH filing, resident income verification, annual recertification and ongoing compliance support. Developers who have relied on us include Coral Rock Development Group and Terra Group.
Exemption Applications
We assemble the rent rolls, income data and FHFC certification your property needs, then file the Live Local Act exemption with the county before the deadline.
FHFC Certification Filing
We prepare your FHFC certification request and file it with the agency so the property appraiser gets a valid certificate with your DR-504AFH by March 1.
County DR-504AFH Filing
We prepare and file the DR-504AFH return with the county property appraiser, matched unit by unit to your FHFC certification and rent roll.
Annual Recertification
Yearly renewal of your Live Local Act tax exemption: updated rent and income checks, the FHFC request and the county filing, tracked by one person on our team.
Resident Income Verification
We document each resident's income against current AMI limits so every restricted unit you count toward the exemption is backed by a complete, defensible file.
Ongoing Compliance Support
Monthly tracking of rent caps, resident income files and filing dates so a Live Local Act property stays eligible between annual filings.
How an Exemption File Moves From Start to Finish
Each step depends on the one before it. The county will not accept a DR-504AFH without FHFC certification, so the order matters.
- 1
Free eligibility check
On the phone we go over unit count, construction date, current rents and your income set-aside. If the property qualifies, we give you a free savings estimate based on the unit tiers.
- 2
Rent roll and income review
We match every qualifying unit to its resident's income documentation and test the rent against the FHFC limit and 90 percent of market rent. Then you get a list of what is missing.
- 3
FHFC certification request
We prepare the certification request and file it with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. If their reviewers raise questions, we answer them and keep you informed by phone.
- 4
County DR-504AFH filing
Once certification is issued, we file Form DR-504AFH with the property appraiser before the county deadline and follow the file through to determination.
- 5
Recertification and upkeep
The exemption is not permanent. It has to be renewed each year, so we keep your records current between filings and start the next cycle early.
Why Owners Hand Us the Whole File
Most exemption problems start in the gap between two parties. The leasing office, the FHFC and the property appraiser each see a different piece. We keep all of those pieces with one person.
One consultant from first call to approval
The person who runs your eligibility check is the same person who builds the FHFC request, files the DR-504AFH and answers the appraiser's follow-up questions. You never repeat your property's history to someone new.
We check units, not just the building
The exemption is figured one unit at a time. A unit whose resident earns no more than 80 percent of area median income can have its whole portion of assessed value exempted, while a unit in the 80 to 120 percent band qualifies at 75 percent. We sort every unit into its tier before anything is filed, so the request matches your rent roll.
Rent limits checked two ways
A unit's rent has to stay at or below the lesser of the FHFC-published rent limit or 90 percent of market rent. We test each qualifying unit against both figures, because a unit that passes one test and fails the other drops out of the count.
Income files built to hold up
A certification is only as strong as the resident income records behind it. We review pay stubs, benefit letters and tenant certifications for gaps before a reviewer finds them.
Straight answers on eligibility
If a property falls short, for example because it has 70 or fewer qualifying units, we tell you during the eligibility check. We do not sell you an application with no realistic path.
What Shapes the Cost of an Exemption Engagement
Our fees follow the work your file actually needs, and that varies more than most owners expect. A clean, recently stabilized building with organized leasing records takes far less time than a property whose tenant files are scattered across two management companies. Here is what moves the scope.
The free eligibility check and free savings estimate come first, by phone. After we review your unit count and rent roll, we give you a written scope of work before any engagement begins.
- Number of qualifying units
- Every unit counted toward the exemption needs its own income and rent documentation. A 300-unit property simply has more files to verify than an 80-unit one.
- Mix of income tiers
- Properties with units at both the 80 percent and 120 percent thresholds need two sets of rent and income checks. That adds review time.
- Condition of resident records
- Missing income certifications, expired documents or leases signed before the property's set-aside was in place all take time to correct.
- Parcels and buildings
- A development split across several tax parcels may need separate filings, each matched to the right units.
- First year or renewal
- A first-year application involves building the file from scratch. Annual recertification usually starts from records we already organized.
- Time left before deadlines
- Starting well ahead of the county filing date leaves room to fix documentation. A late start compresses the same work into fewer weeks.
Properties We Serve in Broward County
We work with multifamily owners in Plantation and across central Broward County. That includes Sunrise, Davie, Lauderhill, Tamarac, Lauderdale Lakes and Cooper City, as well as Broadview Park, Roosevelt Gardens, Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines. Since every property in these cities files with the same county property appraiser, the timelines and filing practice stay consistent.
- Plantation
- Davie
- Sunrise
- Lauderhill
- Tamarac
- Lauderdale Lakes
- Cooper City
- Broadview Park
- Roosevelt Gardens
- Fort Lauderdale
- Pembroke Pines
If you own property elsewhere in Florida, ask during your free eligibility check. Because we work by phone and video, distance rarely limits what we can review.
About Our Practice
Live Local Act Consultant Plantation works with owners and developers of multifamily rental property who set aside units for residents earning up to 120 percent of area median income. Our work happens at our office or by phone and video, so a meeting never means a site disruption for your leasing team.
We built the practice around one idea. The person you speak with first stays on your file. That consultant knows your unit mix, your management company's record-keeping habits and the questions the property appraiser asked last year. Each renewal goes faster because nothing has to be explained twice.
- Certifications
- Clients include Coral Rock Development Group and Terra Group
Live Local Act Questions Owners Ask Us
Something not covered here? (954) 738-3397
Does my property qualify for the Live Local Act exemption?
The statute requires a multifamily project with more than 70 units set aside for residents earning up to 120 percent of area median income, along with rents within the published limits. Newly constructed property also has timing rules tied to when improvements were completed. Our free eligibility check runs through these points with you by phone.
How much could the exemption save?
It depends on how your units split between the two income tiers. Lower-tier units, at 80 percent of area median income or less, can be exempt in full, and units up to 120 percent are exempt at 75 percent. Because unit mix and assessed value drive the number, we calculate it in a free savings estimate instead of quoting a general figure.
What is the difference between FHFC certification and the DR-504AFH?
FHFC certification is the state's confirmation that the property meets the affordability requirements. The DR-504AFH is the county-level request the property appraiser reviews to actually grant the exemption, and it cannot go forward without the state certification attached. We prepare both, certification first.
Is the exemption a one-time filing?
No. For each tax year the property has to show again that its qualifying units still meet the income and rent limits, so current resident documentation goes in every cycle. Our annual recertification service starts from the records we organized the year before, which keeps the renewal from piling up against the filing deadline.
What records will you need from my management company?
Mainly a current rent roll, leases for the qualifying units and the income documents behind each tenant certification. If anything is missing, we send a specific list rather than a general request.
Who will I be working with?
One consultant handles your file from the eligibility check through the county determination and into recertification. You get one person to call with questions, and that person already knows your property.
Can you guarantee the exemption will be approved?
No one honestly can, since the FHFC and the property appraiser make those decisions. What we control is a complete, accurate file filed on time, and we tell you early if we see a weakness in it.
Find Out What Your Units Could Qualify For
Bring your unit count and a rough rent roll to the call. We will tell you where the property stands and what the filing would involve.