[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 68 (Friday, April 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16414-16415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8184]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5223-N-04]


Final Fair Market Rents for the Housing Choice Voucher Program 
and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program for Fiscal 
Year 2009; Revised

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of Final Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for Fiscal Year (FY) 
2009, Update

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SUMMARY: This notice updates the FMRs for New Orleans, LA and Pearl 
River, MS based on Random Digit Dialing (RDD) surveys conducted in 
September and October, 2008.

DATES: Effective Date: April 10, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information on the 
methodology used to develop FMRs or a listing of all FMRs, please call 
the HUD USER information line at (800) 245-2691 or access the 
information on the HUD Web site, http://www.huduser.org/datasets/fmr.html. FMRs are listed at the 40th or 50th percentile in Schedule B. 
Any questions related to use of FMRs or voucher payment standards 
should be directed to the respective local HUD program staff. Questions 
on how to conduct FMR surveys or further methodological explanations 
may be addressed to Marie L. Lihn or Lynn A. Rodgers, Economic and 
Market Analysis Division, Office of Economic Affairs, Office of Policy 
Development and Research, telephone (202) 708-0590. Questions about 
disaster-related FMR exceptions should be referred to the respective 
local HUD office. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access 
this number

[[Page 16415]]

through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service 
at (800) 877-8339. (Other than the HUD USER information line and TTY 
numbers, telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

Update

    Random Digit Dialing (RDD) surveys were completed in October 2008 
for the following FMR areas: New Orleans--Metairie--Kenner, LA MSA, 
Hattiesburg, MS MSA, and Pearl River County, MS. These RDDs were begun 
in August 2008 but were interrupted by Hurricane Ike and so not 
completed until October 2008. The RDD survey for Hattiesburg, MS 
indicated a slight decline in rents in that metropolitan area, but the 
difference in rents was within the confidence interval of the survey 
result so no change in the FMR is indicated. Survey results for Pearl 
River show an increase in market rents over the published FY2009 FMR.
    New Orleans was surveyed at the request of program sponsors in 
response to evidence that the New Orleans rental market and the Section 
8 program were being adversely affected by the FMR bonus applied to the 
New Orleans FMR in FY2006 to facilitate program operations after 
hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The New Orleans survey indicates that 
current market rents in New Orleans are lower than the FY2009 FMR 
published on September 29, 2008. This revision to the New Orleans FMR 
effectively eliminates the Katrina-related bonus in New Orleans. 
Because the rental market appears to be working again in New Orleans, 
return of the New Orleans FMR to its market level is warranted.
    The FMR for the affected areas are updated as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Number of bedrooms
                                 ---------------------------------------
      2009 Fair market rent        0 BR    1 BR    2 BR    3 BR    4 BR
                                     $       $       $       $       $
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New Orleans-Metairie--Kenner, LA     733     811     949    1219    1259
 MSA............................
Pearl River, MS.................     539     540     647     790    1113
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    Dated: March 26, 2009.
Jean Lin Pao,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
 [FR Doc. E9-8184 Filed 4-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P