How to Evaluate Property Management Software for Affordable Housing
The Checklist Competitors Don't Want You to Use
Every affordable housing operator goes through the same evaluation process. The vendor list narrows to three or four. Demos happen. Spec sheets get compared. Somewhere along the way, every platform starts saying the same things.
"Yes, we support LIHTC." "Yes, we integrate with TRACS." "Yes, we handle income certifications."
On a spec sheet, everyone checks every box. In the real world, "support" can mean anything from a one-click submission to a manual CSV export you mail to a consultant. "Integration" can mean a live API or a third-party middleware bolt-on. "Handles income certifications" can refer to either a generic form field or a state-specific TIC with 100+ pre-mapped data points.
If you're evaluating software for a LIHTC, Section 8, HOME, or USDA/RD portfolio, the question isn't whether a vendor claims to support your programs. It's whether their architecture was built for them.
This is the checklist that separates the two.
Print it. Bring it to every demo. Use the exact wording. If a vendor can't answer directly, you have your answer.
1. Program Coverage
The first filter. Most platforms were built for conventional multifamily and treat affordable housing as a feature tier. A few were built for affordable housing from day one. The difference shows up in month two, not month one.
Ask:
- Which affordable programs do you natively support — not through a partner, not through a module, but in your core platform?
- Can a single property carry layered certifications (LIHTC + Section 8 + HOME on the same unit)?
- How many of your customers manage mixed-income or mixed-finance portfolios today?
What you're looking for: A vendor who can name every program on one hand — LIHTC, HOME, Section 8 Project-Based and Tenant-Based, Section 202/811, USDA Rural Development, Tax-Exempt Bond, RAD, Public Housing, state HFA programs — without hesitating. Layered certifications are handled in a single workflow, not by running two systems in parallel.
If the answer is "we do LIHTC and Section 8 well and handle the rest with workarounds," that's the answer.
2. Tenant Income Certification Workflow
The TIC is the backbone of compliance. The difference between good software and bad software shows up here first.
Ask:
- When I generate a TIC, does your system produce the state-specific form — mine, not a generic template?
- Which states do you have native TIC forms for? How do you add new ones?
- How long does it take, start to finish, to generate an initial certification?
- Can applicants enter their own income data before staff review?
- Is there a verification checklist that blocks approval when documents are missing?
- Does the approval workflow separate site management from compliance?
What you're looking for: Instant PDF generation, pre-filled with household, income, asset, and rent data. State-compliant templates built per client's portfolio — not a one-size-fits-all form with editable fields. Applicant self-service that pushes data entry to the applicant, where it belongs. A verification checklist that enforces documentation before approval, not after. Dual-track approval — management and compliance — that mirrors how your org actually works.
If the demo rep has to manually type into a PDF during a demo, walk away.
3. TRACS Integration — Beyond the Export Button
"TRACS-compatible" is the most overused phrase in affordable housing software. It means nothing on its own.
Ask:
- When I run a voucher, where does the data go? Who submits it?
- Does the system reconcile HAP payments against actual subsidy receipts?
- How do you handle rent roll discrepancies between TRACS and your platform?
- Is TRACS access embedded, or do staff log into a separate system with a separate password?
- If I make a backdated certification change, does the HAP ledger update automatically?
What you're looking for: Live TRACS integration with embedded access to HUD data systems. 50059 data string generation. HAP voucher preview and automated posting. Rent roll sync with discrepancy detection. Automated ledger updates when certifications change. One-click portal login, not a separate credential and a training video.
The shorthand: if your compliance officer has to re-key anything, it's not integration.
4. Recertification Automation
Missing a recertification is one of the most expensive mistakes in affordable housing. The software should make missing one impossible.
Ask:
- When is the first recertification notice generated? The second? The third?
- Are notices produced as PDFs with resident and lease data already merged in?
- Can residents sign their recertification digitally without coming to the office?
- What happens when a recertification crosses 140% of AMI? Does the system flag it automatically?
- Can I see every overdue, upcoming, and in-progress recertification in one dashboard?
What you're looking for: Automated 120/90/60/30-day reminders. Pre-built notice templates with dynamic field merging. Embedded e-signature that works from the resident portal. Automatic 140% rule enforcement (AUR/NAUR) on every recertification approval. A recertification queue with tab filters for Overdue, Upcoming, and In Progress.
If the answer to "how do we track upcoming recerts" is "you'd set up a calendar reminder," that's not software. That's a spreadsheet with a login.
5. HOTMA Readiness
This one matters right now. HUD extended the HOTMA compliance deadline to January 1, 2027. TRACS 203A — the technical specification that enables end-to-end full HOTMA compliance — has not yet been released as of early 2026. Any vendor claiming full HOTMA compliance today is overselling.
Ask:
- What does your HOTMA roadmap look like between now and January 2027?
- Which HOTMA-aligned state TIC forms are live today?
- How do you handle the $50,000 asset de minimis rule?
- Are your relationship codes HOTMA-compliant? Do income exclusion rules apply automatically?
- When does TRACS 203A drop? What's your implementation timeline?
What you're looking for: A vendor who can explain the TRACS 203A dependency without flinching. HOTMA-aligned state forms already live (ours include the Texas TDHCA HOTMA 2025 form). HOTMA-compliant relationship codes and income exclusion rules are enforced in the data model. A readiness framework — not a "fully compliant" claim, because nobody is yet.
Honesty about what's done and what's pending is the most useful signal you'll get in this section.
6. AMI Designations and Rent Limits
When HUD publishes new income and rent limits every April, the update should take minutes, not weeks.
Ask:
- When new HUD limits are published, how do I update my portfolio?
- Does your system enforce rent limits automatically, or does it rely on staff to check?
- Can I track 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 100% AMI tiers?
- Is historical designation data preserved when limits change?
- Do you auto-import from the HUD User API?
What you're looking for: One-click HUD API import. Bulk designation update across the entire portfolio. Time-based designation periods that automatically preserve historical records. Rent limit enforcement at the point of lease entry — not as a quarterly report. AIT (Average Income Test) validation for LIHTC properties that elect it. Applicable fraction calculation per building per year, on demand.
If the vendor describes annual HUD limit updates as "a project," factor that into the TCO.
7. Reporting and MOR Readiness
When the auditor shows up, your documentation needs to be complete and retrievable in minutes — not days.
Ask:
- Can I pull a complete resident file — application, TICs, leases, correspondence, work orders — in under a minute?
- How long are historical records retained, and how do I get to them?
- Is there a single audit log, or do I have to search across modules?
- Can I generate a LIHTC deal summary on demand for investor reporting?
- How are demographic and fair housing data captured — as a separate exercise, or during normal workflows?
What you're looking for: Unlimited document storage tied to resident records. Complete audit trails with timestamps and user attribution. Historical designation records, TIC approvals, and ledger adjustments are preserved indefinitely. A LIHTC deal summary with auto-populated fields. Fair housing and demographic reporting that falls out of your normal leasing and certification process, not a separate end-of-quarter scramble.
The test: if an auditor asks for a specific resident's 2022 recertification and the answer is "we'd need to pull that from archive storage," that's a gap.
8. Accounting — Built for Affordable Housing
General-purpose accounting software doesn't understand subsidy splits. Property management software with basic accounting doesn't understand consolidated entity reporting. Affordable housing needs both.
Ask:
- Do you have a native double-entry GL, or do I integrate with QuickBooks for that?
- How do you handle the subsidy split between the resident portion and HAP payment?
- Can I run consolidated income statements across 10, 20, 50 LLCs in one view?
- Do you support Cash and Accrual books side by side?
- Can I drill from any line on the Income Statement down to the source journal entry — and edit it from there?
What you're looking for: Native double-entry GL with automatic journalization from resident charges and payments. Subsidy tracking with separate GL mapping. Multi-property consolidated reporting — one click, not a separate report builder, and a data export. Period enforcement with close-out batches. Drill down from every financial statement to the source transaction.
If the answer is "we integrate with QuickBooks," you're about to own two systems and reconcile them forever.
9. Support and Implementation
The least glamorous section. The one that decides whether you'll still be happy with this software in three years.
Ask:
- Where is your support team based?
- When I call, do I get a person or a ticket number?
- How long does a typical implementation take for a portfolio like mine?
- What does onboarding include — and who runs it?
- When new HUD rules drop, how quickly do you update the platform?
What you're looking for: A U.S.-based support team that picks up the phone. Implementation measured in days, not months, for standard portfolios. A dedicated Customer Success Manager through go-live. Unlimited training. Regulatory updates rolled into the platform without a change order or an upgrade fee.
The fastest way to learn what support is really like: ask for three reference calls with customers who went live in the last twelve months. Ask them about the hardest week.
10. Pricing Transparency
The last check. It tells you how the vendor thinks about the relationship before you sign anything.
Ask:
- Is your pricing per unit, per user, per module, or some combination?
- What's included in the base price, and what's an add-on?
- Are there separate charges for the vendor portal, e-signature, screening, or compliance workflows?
- How do payment processing fees work — flat, tiered, or interchange-plus?
- What's the minimum annual commitment, and what happens if we grow or shrink?
What you're looking for: Flat, transparent, per-unit pricing. No module gouging. Vendor portal, compliance workflows, e-signature, accounting, and standard reporting are included in the base price. Payment processing fees disclosed up front — and lower than those charged by legacy incumbents. No surprise enterprise tiers that gate basic functionality behind a sales call.
When a vendor's pricing PDF has more footnotes than line items, you already know how the renewal conversation will go.
Running the Demo Itself
Two rules that separate a productive demo from a sales pitch:
Bring your data. Send the vendor three or four real TIC scenarios from your portfolio ahead of time — a simple LIHTC initial, a complex Section 8 recertification with a mid-year interim, a USDA/RD property, and something messy. Ask them to run all four live. Watch what they do. Watch what their system does.
Ask for the edit, not the happy path. Any vendor can demo a clean move-in. Ask to see: a backdated certification correction, a unit transfer with ledger migration, a subsidy allocation adjustment, a month-end close across multiple LLCs. That's where platforms break.
If the rep gets flustered or promises to "follow up on that one," make a note.
The Honest Close
We built ExactEstate because we got tired of watching affordable housing operators pay enterprise prices for platforms that punished them for asking questions. Every item on this checklist is something we intentionally meet. We won't be the right fit for every operator — no vendor is — and we're comfortable with that. What we won't do is tell you we check a box we don't check.
If you want to run this checklist against us directly, book a working session with Fernando. Bring your hardest scenarios. We'll run them in real time, against a real configuration, with the actual product in front of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't checking a vendor's spec sheet tell me what I need to know?
Because every vendor checks every box. "TRACS integration" can mean anything from a live embedded connection to a manual CSV export you send to a consultant. "Supports LIHTC" can mean a native workflow or a workaround bolted onto a conventional multifamily platform. The spec sheet won't show you the difference — a structured demo with your actual data will.
What's the most important workflow to test during an affordable housing software demo?
Tenant Income Certification. It's where the gap between good and bad software shows up first. Ask the vendor to generate a state-specific TIC for your portfolio live, with real household data pre-filled. If the demo rep is manually typing into a PDF, that tells you everything you need to know.
Can any vendor claim full HOTMA compliance right now?
No — and you should be skeptical of anyone who does. TRACS 203A, the technical specification required for end-to-end HOTMA compliance, hadn't been released as of early 2026. What you should be looking for instead is a clear roadmap, HOTMA-aligned state forms already in production, and an honest explanation of what's done versus what's still pending.
What does real TRACS integration look like versus a basic export?
Real integration means your 50059 data generates MAT records automatically, HAP voucher payments post directly to resident ledgers, and rent roll discrepancies are flagged without manual reconciliation. If your compliance officer has to re-key anything — from one system into another — it's not true integration, regardless of what the vendor calls it.
Why does pricing structure matter beyond the monthly cost?
Because per-module and per-user pricing models tend to gate the features you actually need behind add-on fees — vendor portals, e-signatures, compliance workflows, and accounting. A platform that looks affordable at the base price can become significantly more expensive once you build out a functional configuration. Flat per-unit pricing with all features included is the clearest signal that the vendor isn't planning to nickel-and-dime you after you're locked in.
What's the fastest way to evaluate vendor support quality before you sign?
Ask for three reference calls with customers who went live in the last twelve months, and specifically ask them about the hardest week of their implementation. Support quality during normal operations is easy to oversell — how a vendor handles a difficult go-live period is much harder to fake.