Fair Market Rents for the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments ProgramFiscal Year 1998

Section 8(c)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 requires the Secretary to publish FMRs annually to be effective on October 1 of each year. FMRs are used for the Section 8 Rental Certificate Program (including space rentals by owners of manufactured homes under that program); the Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program; housing assisted under the Loan Management and Property Disposition programs; payment standards for the Rental Voucher program; and any other programs whose regulations specify their use. Today's notice provides final FY 1998 FMRs for all areas. It includes increased FMRs for 16 areas that submitted public comments and for 3 areas as a result of HUD-contracted Random Digit Dialing (RDD) surveys conducted through August, 1997. Today's notice also makes effective FMR reductions for 20 areas that were proposed for reduction in the April 30, 1997 notice (62 FR 23552), based on the results of recent RDD and American Housing Surveys (AHSs).