Click on the links below to find information on the NEW Credential for Green Property Management (CGPM), the Rental Owners Course (ROC) and the National Affordable Housing Management Association's Specialist in Housing Credit Management® (SHCM®) programs:
The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) and the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) offer the Credential for Green Property Management (CGPM) to onsite managers, maintenance staff and supervisors of front-line staff based on green building principles and best practices, and HUD Office of Affordable Preservation (OAHP) – established guidelines, with training offered by OAHP-recognized trainers.
The Credential for Green Property Management will provide management companies and owners a mechanism for meeting their initial and ongoing training commitments to OAHP if they have opted for a green Mark-to-Market restructuring.
The Credential for Green Property Management is not restricted to employees of management companies who have opted for OAHP green restructuring. This credential will also benefit onsite managers, maintenance staff and supervisors of front-line staff at other affordable and conventional apartment communities employing Green Operations and Maintenance Practices.
Credential holders will learn the latest techniques and technologies for making cost-saving green improvements at properties.
What are the Credential for Green Property Management Requirements?
The HUD Office of Affordable Preservation (OAHP) requires that projects going through the Green Initiative, which will receive the full benefits of a green restructure (including a maximum 50% increase in the Incentive Performance Fee, and a reduction in required owner contribution to as little as 3% of green rehabilitation costs), must have on-site managers, maintenance staff and supervisors of front-line staff certified in green building principles and practices. This requirement can be met by completing a total of 16 hours of training in a variety of green building topics.
Initial Requirements
Within six months after the Mark-to-Market (M2M) Green Initiative closing, the property owner must provide evidence to OAHP that an individual in property management (onsite staff, onsite lead maintenance person, or their direct supervisor) has completed a minimum of 16 hours of training in the required topics and from an accepted provider. Each of the following topics must be covered in the training, with a cumulative total of at least 8 hours in these areas:
- Green Building Principles and Practices Overview
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Efficiency
- Integrated Pest Management
- Indoor Air Quality
- Green Operations and Maintenance
Other topics that may be included in the 16-hour requirement include:
- Green Site Landscaping, Xeriscape, Composting, etc.
- Green Building Systems
- Alternative Energy Sources (Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Combined Heat and Power, Co-generation)
- Energy Star (including indoor and outdoor lighting) and WaterSense Programs
- Recycling and Waste Reduction
- Resident Green Education
Ongoing Requirements
In addition, a minimum total of four hours per year of continuing education in any of the above 12 topics is required to renew the Credential for Green Property Management.
How to Apply
Download the CGPM application here. All applications should be sent to Green Credential, c/o NAHMA, 400 N. Columbus St., Suite 203, Alexandria VA 22314.
For more details on the credential program, please contact Brenda Moser at Brenda.moser@nahma.org or 703/683-8630.
Like any business owner, you are focused on your bottom line and in business information gives you the competitive edge. That's why NAA developed the ROC, Rental Owners Course. ROC covers the fundamentals of property management... the skills needed for success. Some of the benefits of the program include:
- Improving efficiency of operations
- Teaching you how to avoid problems
- Knowing how to comply with changing regulations
- Relieving stress and worries
- Increasing income and reducing costs.
Subjects include:
- Ownership and property management
- Employees
- Preparing the property
- Rent
- Marketing
- Applications
- Screenings
- Rental agreements and leasing forms
- Moving in
- End of the lease
- Resident problems
- Evictions
- Resident retention
- Taxes
- Protecting your investment
- Section 8
NAA certification programs are scheduled by local and state affiliates.
For more information, contact NAAEI at 703/518-6141 or your state or local affiliate.
Specialist in Housing Credit Management® (SHCM®)
The Housing Credit Certification Developed
by Management Professionals for Management Professionals
The Specialist in Housing Credit Management® (SHCM®) certification has been developed by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) especially for management professionals involved with properties developed and operated under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The SHCM is designed by management professionals for management professionals to ensure they have attained the knowledge, experience and competence required to excel in the housing credit property management industry.
As experienced affordable housing management professionals know, the LIHTC program is the primary production tool for creating new affordable housing properties across every state in the country, and it is also the most important tool for rehabilitating and preserving the nation's existing stock of aging affordable housing. To maximize their careers, management professionals in the affordable housing industry must be able to demonstrate their experience and expertise in mastering the complex requirements of the LIHTC program. Earning your SHCM enables you to do just that.
The SHCM® is offered in association with the NAA, the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).
Development of the SHCM® exam was based on an exacting process established for national certification programs to ensure the exam is a reliable and pyschometrically valid testing tool for its subject matter. NAHMA retained a well-respected third-party consultant to assist in this process. For the most up-to-date information on obtaining your SHCM®, visit the Specialist in Housing Credit Management® information page on NAHMA.org.
List of NAHMA Trainers