Phase Two: 2009 HUD Partners Surveys

OMB Approval No.: xxxxx
Expires: xxxxx

HUD Survey of Multifamily
Housing Owners

This brief, confidential survey solicits your opinion—as a spokesperson for your business or organization—of the service
being provided to you by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is being conducted by Silber &
Associates, an independent and non-partisan research organization. Please answer the questions by placing an “x” in the
box of the response that comes closest to describing your experiences with HUD. If you deal with more than one HUD
program, office, or employee, take all of your experiences into consideration when answering the questions. If you are not
the property owner to whom the survey was sent by Silber and Associates, but are responding on behalf of the owner,
please do your best to answer all questions as that owner would answer them.
Your responses will remain confidential. Neither you nor your business or organization will be identified in reporting the
survey findings to HUD or anyone else.
Please complete the questionnaire this week and return it in the enclosed envelope. If you need assistance, please
telephone Silber & Associates toll-free at 1-888-SILBER-1 (888-745-2371) or e-mail [email protected].
1.

How frequent have your business’ or organization’s contacts been with HUD during the past twelve months?
Very frequent (PLEASE GO TO Question 2)
Somewhat frequent (PLEASE GO TO Question 2)
Not very frequent (PLEASE GO TO Question 2)
On behalf of your business or organization, are you in a position to assess and
None at all
comment on the performance of HUD’s organization and programs?
Don’t know
Yes (CONTINUE)
No
Don’t Know

2.

PLEASE FORWARD TO APPROPRIATE PERSON, OR RETURN
QUESTIONNAIRE IF THERE IS NO SUCH PERSON

During the past twelve months has your business or organization had contact with:

Yes

No

Don’t Know

a. HUD personnel in HUD’s Washington DC Headquarters office
b. HUD personnel in one or more of HUD’s field offices
c. HUD personnel in a specialized HUD Center or Hub (such as Real Estate Assessment
Center, Section 8 Financial Management Center, Multifamily Property Disposition Center)

d. A contractor working for HUD (such as a Section 8 Performance Based Contract

3.

4.

s
or

’s
D lly
H U ua
’s
& q
UD
on
D te
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c
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’s
ith
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ith ab
UD
UD
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r
During the past twelve months, when you interacted with HUD, were your dealings th
ow
ith
i
de cto
ed cto
t
t
w
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c
more with HUD, or were they more with HUD’s contractors/third-party contractors? e
a
a
o
t
r
r
e
’
n t
ra t
or
or
on
t e on
id on
Check “Did not deal with HUD’s contractors” if that applies.
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a

d
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Overall, taking everything into consideration, how satisfied or dissatisfied are
l
iss
on
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i
t
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td
f
t is
ow
a
you with the service provided by HUD’s contractors/third-party contractors?
is
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iss
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Check “Did not deal with HUD’s contractors” if that applies.
e
y
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m
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id ith
on
er
V

So

So

Ve

Please answer the remainder of the questionnaire based on your experience with HUD,
including its contractors/third-party contactors.
1

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w

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5.

ou

r
g y
HUD has several different responsibilities. On one hand, it provides various forms of
in g
he
u
id tin
ot
v
support (for example, funding, technical assistance, information) and, on the other,
yo
g
o la
g
in
pr g u
in
ng
it has a regulatory responsibility (that is, it makes rules, assures compliance
th
ly re
l
at
e
di ou
l
i
m
ua nd
with those rules, makes assessments). In your business’ or organization’s relationship
gu
ov y
ow
so
re
pr rt t o
eq r t a
r/
kn
t
y
y
e
l
with HUD, would you say HUD is mainly providing support to you, mainly regulating
l o
t
o
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’
h
n
n
t
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ai
ai p p
ei
on
you, or doing both about equally?
Ab sup
M
N
M su
D

6. Thinking first about HUD programs with which you currently deal and then about
how HUD runs those programs, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you, in general, with:
a. The HUD programs you currently deal with

Ve

ry

sa

f ie
t is

d

m
So

ew

t
ha

ti
sa

m
So

e
sfi

ew

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t
ha
Ve

ss
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ry

ie
isf
at

d

at
iss
It

d

ie
isf
de

d

n
pe

ds
D

k
’t
on

w
no

b. The way HUD currently runs those programs

7.

Listed below are several different ways to think about your relationship with HUD.
For each item, indicate your level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction at the present point
in time. Check “Not Applicable” if the situation does not apply to your business or
organization (for example, if you do not currently receive information from HUD).
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you, in general, with…?
a.

The quality of the information you currently receive from HUD

b.

The timeliness of the information you currently receive from HUD

c.

The timeliness of decision-making by HUD (such as requests for waivers, rulings,

d
ie
isf
ed
t
i
f
a
d
le
t is
ss
ie
di
sa
ab
isf
ed
t
w
t
i
t
c
i
f
l
a
no
ha
ha
t is
ss
pp
w
w
tk
sa
di
a
’
e
e
ry
ry
m
m
ot
on
N
D
So
Ve
So
Ve

and approvals)

d.

The quality of guidance you currently get from HUD

e.

The consistency of guidance you currently get from HUD

f.

The clarity of HUD rules and requirements that apply to your business or
organization; in other words, how easy they are to understand

g.

The responsiveness of the people with whom you currently deal at HUD

h.

The competence of the people with whom you currently deal at HUD

i.

The extent to which HUD employees have the knowledge, skills, and ability
to do their work

j.

Your ability to reach the people at HUD whom you need to contact

k.

The time commitment required to comply with HUD reporting requirements
(e.g., Tenant Rental Assistance Certification System [TRACS] or HUD’s Real Estate
Assessment Center [REAC])

8.

HUD provides training and technical assistance through different methods. For
each method listed below, please indicate how useful or not useful you’ve found
it. Check “Have not used” if you haven’t used the method for HUD training or
technical assistance.
a. HUD-sponsored conferences
b. HUD-sponsored satellite broadcasts
c. HUD-sponsored training programs conducted by contractors
d. HUD’s Webpage
e. HUD’s Webcast training
f. HUD participation in panel discussions and training sessions set up by nonHUD groups
2

l
fu
ll
l
se
ed
ta
fu
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e
us
t
s
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u
t
ow
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h
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o
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ry
m
on
ot
ot
Ha
D
N
So
Ve
N

9.

HUD has increasingly relied on electronic transmission to communicate with its
partners. Based on your experience in the past 12 months, please indicate how
effective or ineffective each of the following has been as a tool for HUD to convey
important information to you, such as notices and guidance. Check “Have not used”
if HUD hasn’t communicated with you this way.
V

a. HUD listserves (automated mailing lists of subscribers to which HUD sends e-mail

c
ffe

e
t iv

e
ti v
ec

at

l
al

e
e
ed
e
iv
iv
f
w
us
at
ct
ct
ef
t
h
e
no
e
f
ff
w
no
tk
oo
ef
e
e
’
t
e
y
v
m
ot
on
ot
er
N
N
D
So
Ha

messages)

b. HUD’s Website postings
c. HUD’s E-mail (individual correspondence to or from a HUD employee)

10. Property owners may work with multiple HUD offices, hubs, centers, and performancebased contractor administrators (PBCAs) for various purposes. How clear or unclear
are the different functions and responsibilities of these offices, hubs, centers, and
PBCAs?

11. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with each of the following as it relates to
your business or organization. Check “Not Applicable” if the situation does not
apply to your business or organization.
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with...?

ry
Ve

c

ar
le
m
So

ew

tc
ha

ar
le

m
So

ew

ha

l
nc
tu

r
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ry
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c
un

ar
le
D

k
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on

w
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ie
isf
ed
i
t
f
a
tis
le
ss
ed
sa
di
sfi
ed
ab
i
t
i
t
f
t
w
c
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t is
ha
ha
pl
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iss
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w
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e
e
a
’
ry
m
m
ry
ot
on
Ve
So
So
N
D
Ve

a. The ability of HUD field office personnel—those in the multifamily hubs and
program centers, and contractors working on behalf of HUD (such as PBCAs)—
to consistently interpret policies and regulations that pertain to your
properties
b. The physical inspections by HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC)
c. Electronic financial reporting to REAC
d. HUD’s capacity to monitor and provide oversight related to your property or
properties
12. At present, taking everything into consideration, how satisfied or dissatisfied are
you with HUD’s overall performance?

Ve

ry

sa

fie
t is

d
m
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ts
ha

at

d
ie
i sf

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at
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ry

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t
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Note: If you are a property manager or managing agent and not the owner to whom the survey was sent,
please answer questions 13 and 14 based on that owner’s portfolio.
13. In total, how many multifamily FHA-insured, HUD-assisted (subsidized), or
Section 202/811 properties does the business or organization own?
1

14.

p

pe
ro

rt y
5
2-

e
op
pr

er

e
rt i

s

1
6-

0

pr

op

s
tie
er
1

15
1-

p

r
pe
ro

s
tie

0
-2
16

pr

op

s
tie
er

21

25

p

r
pe
ro
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s
tie

e
or

th

an

25

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it s

p

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k
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rt i

w
no
t’ k
on

0
00
2,

it s
un

it s
un
un
w
00
0
an
0
In total, how many multifamily FHA-insured, HUD-assisted (subsidized), it
no
0
,
th
,0
00
00
00
-2
00
tk
n
1
4
’
3
2
1
e
5
u
or Section 202/811 units does the business or organization own?
1
1
111or
0
on
00
50
30
D
M
1,
20
10
40
10
rf
so

3

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i
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its
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15. Please indicate the title/position of the person (or persons) who answered these questions:
Owner/CEO/managing general partner/president/chair/principal/director
Other company/organization senior official

Other company/organization employee

Property manager/managing agent

Sponsor

Other:_______________________________________________

16. Taking into account all the jobs in your employment history, how many years, in
total, have you interacted with HUD as part of your job?

th
ss
Le

an

1
1

ye

ar

-3

s
ar
ye
4

–

6

ar
ye

s
7

–

9

ar
ye

s
10

ar
ye

17. Which HUD Hub(s) does your business or organization interact with on a regular basis? Mark all that apply.
Hub Location

Hub Location

Includes:

Includes:

Atlanta

GA, KY, TN, Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands

Greensboro

NC, SC

Baltimore

DC, MD, VA

Jacksonville

AL, FL, MS

Boston

CT, ME, NH, RI, VT

Kansas City

IA, KS, MO,NE, OK

Buffalo

Upstate NY, including Albany and Syracuse

Los Angeles

Southern CA

Chicago

IL, IN

Minneapolis

MN, WI

Columbus

OH

New York

NYC and areas not covered by Buffalo HUB

Denver

CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY

Philadelphia

DE, PA, NJ, WV

Detroit

MI

San Francisco

AZ, Central and Northern CA, HI, NV

Ft. Worth

AR, LA, NM, TX

NW/Alaska

AK, ID, OR, WA

We welcome and appreciate any comments you may have about HUD. PLEASE PRINT. Use extra paper if needed.
PLEASE DO NOT IDENTIFY YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE BY NAME.

Thank You for Completing the HUD Survey of Multifamily Housing Owners.
Please return your completed questionnaire to:
HUD SURVEY, c/o Silber & Associates, 13067 Twelve Hills Road, Suite B, Clarksville, MD 21029-1144
A prepaid envelope is enclosed for your convenience.
CALL: 1-888-SILBER-1

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SURVEY?
FAX: 1-410-531-3100
E-MAIL: [email protected]

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