Property management software for affordable housing

The weekly work of an affordable housing team

Affordable housing adds a compliance layer to every normal property job. The weekly work includes:

• Income certifications. Verify income and household size at move-in and at each recertification, and keep the file complete. HUD Handbook 4350.3 sets the occupancy requirements for HUD's subsidized multifamily programs.

• LIHTC compliance. Keep units rent-restricted and income-qualified. Under 26 U.S.C. 42, a project must meet one of three tests: at least 20% of units for households at or below 50% of area median income, at least 40% at or below 60%, or the average income test. The compliance period is 15 taxable years.

• Voucher payments. For Housing Choice Voucher residents, HUD says the resident usually pays about 30% of adjusted monthly income, and the housing agency pays its share directly to the landlord. The ledger must keep the two portions apart.

• Inspections. Voucher units are inspected at the start and usually every one to two years. HUD says safety failures must be repaired within 24 hours. HUD properties also face NSPIRE inspections, which focus on health, safety, and functional defects.

• Leasing and waitlists. Fill units from waitlists in order, with every applicant treated the same.

• Everyday operations. Collections, maintenance, resident messages, and the month-end close.

Where general tools fall short

Market-rate software tracks rent and leases. Affordable housing also needs income limits, rent limits, certification dates, subsidy contracts, and agency reporting. When compliance lives in spreadsheets beside the property system, staff enter the same household twice, and a missed recertification date becomes a compliance problem for the property.

What Darcy covers for affordable housing

Darcy also covers commercial, associations, affordable housing, utilities, capital projects, and investment entities. The confirmed features help with the operating work. The compliance-specific work needs a conversation.

If your team needs HUD forms, TRACS files, or LIHTC compliance reports produced inside the property system today, compare dedicated affordable housing software in our best list before you decide.

How the agents fit affordable housing

Darcy starts by preparing work for your team to review. In affordable housing, early uses are the routine jobs that are the same as market-rate: maintenance triage, resident messages, and bank matching. As Darcy learns your policies, you hand it more tasks one type at a time. Every action shows the records it used, which helps when an auditor or a compliance monitor asks why a decision was made.

Cost example

At $2 per unit per month as of October 2026, a 200-unit property costs $400 per month and a 1,500-unit portfolio costs $3,000 per month. Payment processing is billed per transaction: $2.50 per ACH transfer and 2.85% + $0.30 per card payment.

How to evaluate affordable housing software

Test each candidate with one real household file and one real property:

• Certify a household. Enter one household's income and size. Check how the system compares it with the income limit and flags the next recertification date.

• Check the set-aside. Ask how the system shows that the property meets its LIHTC test across all units.

• Split a voucher payment. Enter a voucher resident's ledger. Check that the housing agency portion and the resident portion stay separate.

• Prepare an inspection. Ask how open work orders and inspection findings are listed before an inspection date.

• Produce agency files. Ask which HUD and state agency reports the system produces, and which ones your team would still prepare by hand.

Related pages

Compare options in our list of the best affordable housing software. For terms, see LIHTC, tenant income certification, Housing Choice Voucher, and HAP contract. To see what Darcy can take on for your properties, book a demo.