Section 3560.656 - Incentives offers(a) The Agency may offer a borrower, who submits a prepayment request meeting the conditions of § 3560.653(d) , incentives to agree to the restrictive-use period in § 3560.662 if the following conditions are met:(1) The market value of the housing project is determined by the Agency, based on an appraisal conducted in accordance with subpart P of this part.(2) There are no restrictive-use agreements or prepayment prohibitions in effect.(b) Specific incentives offered will be based on the Agency's assessment of:(1) The value of the housing project as determined by the Agency based on an "as-is" market value appraisal conducted in accordance with subpart P of this part;(2) An incentive amount that will provide a fair return to the borrower;(3) An incentive amount that will not cause basic rents at the housing project to exceed conventional rents for comparable units; except that when determined necessary by the Agency to allow for decent, safe and sanitary housing to be provided in market areas where conventional rents are not sufficient to cover necessary operating, maintenance, and reserve costs. Basic rents may be allowed to exceed comparable rents for conventional units, but in no case by more than 150% of the comparable rent for conventional unit rent level; and(4) An incentive amount that will be the least costly alternative for the Federal Government while being consistent with the Agency's commitment to the preservation of housing for very-low, low, and moderate income households in rural areas.(c) The Agency may offer the following incentives:(1) The Agency may increase the borrower's annual return on equity by one of the following two methods. The actual withdrawal of the return remains subject to the procedures and conditions for withdrawal specified in subpart G of this part. (i) The Agency may recognize the borrower's current equity in the housing project. The equity will be determined using an Agency accepted appraisal based on the housing project's value as unsubsidized conventional housing.(ii) When a current appraisal indicates an equity loan can not be made, the Agency may recognize the borrower's current equity in the housing project at the higher of the original rate of return or the current 15-year Treasury bond rate plus 2 percent rounded to the nearest one-quarter percent. The equity will be determined using the most recent Agency accepted appraisal of the housing project prior to receiving the prepayment request.(2) The Agency may agree to convert projects without interest credit or with Plan I interest credit to Plan II interest credit or increase the interest credit subsidy for loans with Section 8 assistance to lower the interest rate on the loan and make basic rents more financially feasible.(3) The Agency may offer additional rental assistance, or an increase in assistance provided under existing contracts under §§ 521(a)(2), 521(a)(5) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490a(a)(2) ) or section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. §1437f ).(4) The Agency may make an equity loan to the borrower. The equity loan must not adversely affect the borrower's ability to repay other Agency loans held by the borrower and must be made in conformance with the following requirements: (i) The equity loan must not exceed the difference between the current unpaid loan balance and 90 percent of the housing project's value as determined by an "as-is" market value appraisal conducted in accordance with subpart P of this part.(ii) Borrowers with farm labor housing loans are not eligible to receive equity loans as incentives.(iii) If an incentive offer for an equity loan is accepted, the equity loan may be processed and closed with the borrower or any eligible transferee.(iv) Excess reserve funds will be used to reduce the amount of an equity loan offered to a borrower.(v) Equity loans may not be offered unless the Agency determines that other incentives are not adequate to provide a fair return on the investment of the borrower to prevent prepayment of the loan or to prevent displacement of project tenants.(5) The Agency will offer rental assistance to protect tenants from rent overburden caused by any rent increase as a result of a borrower's acceptance of an incentive offer or tenants who are currently overburdened.(6) In housing projects with project-based section 8 assistance, the Agency may permit the borrower to receive rents in excess of the amounts determined necessary by the Agency to defray the cost of long-term repair or maintenance of such a project.(d) The Agency must determine that the combination of assistance provided is necessary to provide a fair return on the investment of the borrower and is the least costly alternative for the Federal Government.(e) At the time a specific incentive offer is developed, the Agency must take into consideration the costs of any deferred maintenance, items in the housing project's operating budget, and any expected long-term repair or replacement costs based on a capital needs assessment developed in accordance with § 3560.103(c) . Deferred maintenance may include specific items identified in previous Agency inspections where the borrower has had the opportunity and resources available to take corrective actions and did not.(1) Deferred maintenance does not include routine repair and replacement that results from normal wear and tear of the physical asset. The amount required for the reserve account to be considered fully funded will be adjusted accordingly. To determine if basic rents exceed conventional rents for comparable units in the area, monthly contributions necessary to obtain the adjusted fully funded reserve account will be included in the calculation of basic rents.(2) Deferred maintenance including any deficiencies identified in project compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must be addressed as part of the development of the incentive and must be completed as part of an acceptance agreement of any incentive.(f) Existing loans must be consolidated, provided consolidation retains the Agency's lien position, and reamortized in accordance with subparts I and J of this part, provided it maintains feasibility of the housing for the tenants or reduces the debt service or the level of monthly rental assistance.(g) The borrower must accept or reject the incentive offer within 30 days. If no answer to the offer is received within 30 days, the Agency may consider the incentive offer to be rejected. (1) If the borrower accepts the incentive offer, procedures outlined in § 3560.657 must be followed.(2) If the borrower rejects the incentive offer, the borrower must comply with requirements listed in § 3560.658 . 69 FR 69106 , Nov. 26, 2004, as amended at 73 FR 65506 , Nov. 4, 2008; 87 FR 11286 , Mar. 1, 2022