URA Notice Of Eligibility (NOE) 	

Instructions: 
•	Fill in the information in red. Change all text to black, remove instructions and print on your letterhead. Use this as a guide and revise to reflect the circumstances.
•	Minnesota Housing must approve the template before notices are sent to tenants.
•	The tenant file must indicate the manner in which this notice was delivered (e.g., personally served or certified mail, return receipt requested) and the date of delivery. (See Paragraph 2-3 I of Handbook 1378.)

[Date]

Dear [Tenant]:

On [Date of GIN]  the [Owner/Developer] notified you of proposed plans to [acquire, rehabilitate, or demolish] the property you currently occupy at [Address] for a project which could receive funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the [HOME and/or NHTF]program. On [Date of Funding Application Certification] the project was approved and will receive federal funding.

It has been determined that you will be displaced by the project. Since you are being displaced in connection with this federally funded project, you will be eligible for relocation assistance and payments under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act (URA).

This is your Notice of Eligibility for relocation assistance.  The effective date of your eligibility is	. [date of Funding Application Certification].

(NOTE: Pursuant to Public Law 105-117, aliens not lawfully present in the United States are not eligible for relocation assistance under the URA, unless such ineligibility would result in exceptional hardship to a qualifying spouse, parent, or child.  All persons seeking relocation assistance under the URA will be required to certify that they are a United States citizen or national, or an alien lawfully present in the United States.)

To carry out the project, it will be necessary for you to move. However, you do not need to move now. You will be provided written notice of the date by which you will be required to move. This date will be no less than 90 days from the date comparable replacement housing has been made available to you.

Enclosed is a brochure entitled, "Relocation Assistance to Tenants Displaced From Their Homes." Please read the brochure carefully. It explains your rights and provides additional information on eligibility for relocation payments and what you must do in order to receive these payments.

The relocation assistance to which you are entitled includes:

•	Relocation Advisory Services. Including counseling and other assistance to help you find another home and prepare to move.
•	Payment for Moving Expenses. You may choose: (1) a payment for your actual reasonable moving and related expenses, or (2) a fixed moving payment in the amount of [$________]based on the URA Fixed Residential Moving Cost Schedule, or (3) a combination of both.
•	Replacement Housing Payment. You may be eligible for a replacement housing payment to rent or buy a replacement home. The payment is based on several factors including: (1) the monthly rent and cost of utility services for a comparable replacement dwelling, (2) the monthly rent and cost of utility services for your present home, and (3) for low-income persons, 30 percent of your average monthly gross household income. This payment is calculated on the difference in the old and new housing costs for a one- month period and multiplied by 42.

Listed below are three comparable replacement dwellings that you may wish to consider for your replacement home. If you would like, we can arrange transportation for you to inspect these and other replacement dwellings.

Address	Rent & Utility Costs	Contact Info	
     	     	     	
     	     	     	
     	     	     	

We believe that the dwelling located at [Address] is the most representative of your present home. The monthly rent and the estimated average monthly cost of utilities for this dwelling is $[dollar amount] and it will be used to calculate your maximum replacement housing payment. Please contact us immediately if you believe this dwelling is not comparable to your current home. We can explain our basis for selecting this dwelling as most representative of your current home and discuss your concerns.

Based on the information you have provided about your income and the rent and utilities you now pay, you may be eligible for a maximum replacement housing payment of approximately $[Dollar Amount](42 x $[Dollar Amount]), if you rent the dwelling identified above as the most comparable to your current home or rent another dwelling of equal cost.

Replacement housing payments are not adjusted to reflect future rent increases or changes in income.  This is the maximum amount that you would be eligible to receive. If you rent a decent, safe and sanitary home where the monthly rent and average estimated utility costs are less than the comparable dwelling, your replacement housing payment will be based on the actual cost of the dwelling. We will not base your payment on any dwelling that is not a comparable replacement home. All replacement housing payments must be paid in installments. Your payment will be paid in [Number] installments.

Should you choose to purchase (rather than rent) a decent, safe and sanitary replacement home, you would be eligible for a downpayment assistance payment which is equal to your maximum replacement housing payment, $[Dollar Amount]*. Let us know if you are interested in purchasing a replacement home and we will help you locate such housing.

Please note that all replacement housing must be inspected in order to ensure it is decent, safe and sanitary before any replacement housing payments are made.

If you have any questions about this letter and your eligibility for relocation assistance and payments, please contact [Name], [Title], [Address], [Phone] before you make any moving plans. [He/she] will assist you with your move to a new home and help ensure that you preserve your eligibility for all relocation payments to which you may be entitled.

Remember, do not move or commit to the purchase or lease of a replacement home before we have a chance to further discuss your eligibility for relocation assistance. This letter is important to you and should be retained.

Sincerely,

[Name and Title] 

Enclosure/s
*Enclose a copy of the "Relocation Assistance to Tenants Displaced from Their Homes." Brochure from HUD’s website.