ServicesAnnual Recertification
Annual Live Local Act Recertification in Plantation
A Live Local Act exemption does not renew itself. Each year the rents, resident incomes and filings have to line up again. We check your rent roll against the new limits, prepare the FHFC request and the county form, and keep one person on your file the whole way.
What annual recertification covers
The property tax exemption under Florida's Live Local Act is granted one year at a time. To keep it, an owner has to request certification from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation again and file Form DR-504AFH with the county property appraiser again, using the current year's numbers. Last year's approval does not carry over.
What usually trips owners up is that the inputs change. FHFC posts a new income and rent limit chart each year, derived from HUD figures, and qualifying rents must also stay at or below 90 percent of market rent. A lease signed in the spring can be compliant under one chart and out of line under the next. Residents move out, new ones move in, and every qualifying unit needs a current income certification behind it.
We rebuild the file each cycle from the rent roll up. The same person on our team who reviewed your property the first time handles the renewal, so you are not re-explaining your unit mix or your management setup to someone new every fall.
What we handle each cycle
Rent roll check against the new chart
We compare every unit claimed for the exemption against the latest FHFC limit chart by bedroom count and income tier. Units that drifted over the limit get flagged before anything is filed, not after the appraiser asks.
Market rent comparison
Qualifying rents also have to sit at or below 90 percent of market rent. We confirm the market study or comparison you rely on still supports that, and tell you plainly if it needs updating.
Resident income file review
We look for missing, expired or incomplete income certifications on each qualifying unit. If the gaps are large, our Resident Income Verification service can take on that work directly.
FHFC certification request
We prepare the annual request to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, get it filed ahead of the January 1 deadline, and track it until the certification comes back.
DR-504AFH filing with the county
Once FHFC certifies the property, we complete Form DR-504AFH and file it with the Broward County Property Appraiser by March 1, with the FHFC certification attached.
Follow-up after filing
If the appraiser's office asks for documents or clarification, we answer it. When the TRIM notice arrives in August, we check that the exemption shows up the way it should.
Signs your renewal needs attention now
- Nobody owns the deadline
- The first exemption was handled by a developer, a lender's consultant or an employee who has since left. If no one can say who is filing this year, the January 1 FHFC date is at risk.
- Rents went up this year
- Increases at renewal can push a unit over the new limit, or past 90 percent of market. One out-of-range unit can change what qualifies.
- High turnover in qualifying units
- Every new resident in a claimed unit needs an income certification on file. Busy leasing seasons are when those records fall behind.
- Management company changed
- A new property manager often stores resident files differently. Records that were complete under the old system can be scattered or missing under the new one.
- You bought an exempt property
- The exemption follows the property's compliance, not the seller's paperwork habits. A new owner should confirm the records will hold up before the first renewal under their name.
How a renewal runs, step by step
- 1
Fall review by phone or video
We start in the fall with a call to go over what changed since last year: new leases, rent changes, turnover and any ownership or management changes. You send the rent roll and resident files; we work from our office.
- 2
Compliance check and fix list
We test each claimed unit against the current chart and the market rent cap, then send you a short list of what needs correcting, with the reason for each item. Fixes come before the filing, not after.
- 3
FHFC request before January 1
We file the certification request with FHFC, attach the supporting records and follow its status. If FHFC asks for more, the same person who built the file responds.
- 4
County filing by March 1
After FHFC approves the property, we prepare the DR-504AFH and lodge it with the Broward County appraiser's office. You get a copy of the complete package to keep.
- 5
Confirmation in August
We review your TRIM notice with you to confirm the exemption was applied, then note what to watch for in next year's cycle.
What sets the price of a renewal
Recertification costs depend mostly on how much work the records need, not on a flat formula. A well-kept file for a single building takes far less time than a multi-building property with a year of untracked turnover. On the first call we give you a free savings estimate and explain which of these factors apply to you.
- Number of units and buildings
- More qualifying units mean more rents and income certifications to check. Separate parcels can each need their own filing.
- Condition of resident files
- Complete, current income certifications keep the review short. Missing or expired ones add time, or a separate verification project.
- Market rent support
- If the existing market rent comparison no longer reflects the area, it may need updating before rents can be shown to sit under the 90 percent cap.
- How close the deadline is
- Starting in the fall leaves room to fix problems calmly. Starting in late December compresses the same work into days.
Questions about annual recertification
- Do we really have to refile every year if nothing changed?
- Yes. The Live Local Act exemption requires a new FHFC certification and a new DR-504AFH each year. Even when your leases look the same, the rent limit chart itself changes, so the numbers have to be checked again.
- What happens if we miss the March 1 county deadline?
- Missing it can cost you the exemption for that tax year. Options after the deadline are limited and depend on the circumstances, so call us as soon as you realize it and we will look at what is still possible.
- Do residents need new income certifications every year?
- Each qualifying unit needs income documentation that supports its status for the year you are claiming. We review what you have and tell you which files need updating. Our Resident Income Verification service can handle the certifications themselves if your staff is stretched.
- Can you take over from the firm that did our first application?
- Yes. We ask for last year's FHFC certification, the filed DR-504AFH and your current rent roll, then rebuild the file from there. From that point one person on our team is your contact for the renewal.
- Do we need to come to your office?
- No. Most clients in Plantation and nearby cities like Sunrise and Davie work with us entirely by phone and video, with documents sent electronically. If you would rather go through the paperwork across a table, a sit-down at our office is also an option.
- What about compliance between filings?
- Recertification is the yearly checkpoint. If you want someone watching rents and resident files during the year, our Ongoing Compliance Support service covers that so the next renewal starts clean.
Start this year's renewal before the deadlines do
One call gets your property reviewed against the current limits and tells you what needs attention before January 1. You will deal with the same person from that call through the August check.