§ 1437d. Contract provisions and requirements; loans and annual contributions
(a)
Conditions; elevators
The Secretary may include in any contract for loans, contributions, sale, lease, mortgage, or any other agreement or instrument made pursuant to this chapter, such covenants, conditions, or provisions as he may deem necessary in order to insure the lower income character of the project involved, in a manner consistent with the public housing agency plan. Any such contract shall require that, except in the case of housing predominantly for elderly or disabled families, high-rise elevator projects shall not be provided for families with children unless the Secretary makes a determination that there is no practical alternative.
(b)
Limitation on development costs
(1)
Each contract for loans (other than preliminary loans) or contributions for the development, acquisition, or operation of public housing shall provide that the total development cost of the project on which the computation of any annual contributions under this chapter may be based may not exceed the amount determined under paragraph (2) (for the appropriate structure type) unless the Secretary provides otherwise, and in any case may not exceed 110 per centum of such amount unless the Secretary for good cause determines otherwise.
(2)
For purposes of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall determine the total development cost by multiplying the construction cost guideline for the project (which shall be determined by averaging the current construction costs, as listed by not less than 2 nationally recognized residential construction cost indices, for publicly bid construction of a good and sound quality) by—
(3)
In calculating the total development cost of a project under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall consider only capital assistance provided by the Secretary to a public housing agency that are [1] authorized for use in connection with the development of public housing, and shall exclude all other amounts, including amounts provided under—
(4)
The Secretary may restrict the amount of capital funds that a public housing agency may use to pay for housing construction costs. For purposes of this paragraph, housing construction costs include the actual hard costs for the construction of units, builders’ overhead and profit, utilities from the street, and finish landscaping.
(c)
Revision of maximum income limits; certification of compliance with requirements; notification of eligibility; informal hearing; compliance with procedures for sound management
Every contract for contributions shall provide that—
(1)
the Secretary may require the public housing agency to review and revise its maximum income limits if the Secretary determines that changed conditions in the locality make such revision necessary in achieving the purposes of this chapter;
(2)
the public housing agency shall determine, and so certify to the Secretary, that each family in the project was admitted in accordance with duly adopted regulations and approved income limits; and the public housing agency shall review the incomes of families living in the project no less frequently than annually;
(3)
the public housing agency shall not deny admission to the project to any applicant on the basis that the applicant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking if the applicant otherwise qualifies for assistance or admission, and that nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking [2]
(4)
the public housing agency shall promptly notify
(i)
any applicant determined to be ineligible for admission to the project of the basis for such determination and provide the applicant upon request, within a reasonable time after the determination is made, with an opportunity for an informal hearing on such determination, and
(ii)
any applicant determined to be eligible for admission to the project of the approximate date of occupancy insofar as such date can be reasonably determined; and
(5)
the public housing agency shall comply with such procedures and requirements as the Secretary may prescribe to assure that sound management practices will be followed in the operation of the project, including requirements pertaining to—
(A)
making dwelling units in public housing available for occupancy, which shall provide that the public housing agency may establish a system for making dwelling units available that provides preference for such occupancy to families having certain characteristics; each system of preferences established pursuant to this subparagraph shall be based upon local housing needs and priorities, as determined by the public housing agency using generally accepted data sources, including any information obtained pursuant to an opportunity for public comment as provided under section
1437c–1
(f) of this title and under the requirements applicable to the comprehensive housing affordability strategy for the relevant jurisdiction;
(B)
the establishment of satisfactory procedures designed to assure the prompt payment and collection of rents and the prompt processing of evictions in the case of nonpayment of rent;
(C)
the establishment of effective tenant-management relationships designed to assure that satisfactory standards of tenant security and project maintenance are formulated and that the public housing agency (together with tenant councils where they exist) enforces those standards fully and effectively;
(D)
the development by local housing authority managements of viable homeownership opportunity programs for low-income families capable of assuming the responsibilities of homeownership;
(E)
for each agency that receives assistance under this subchapter, the establishment and maintenance of a system of accounting for rental collections and costs (including administrative, utility, maintenance, repair and other operating costs) for each project or operating cost center (as determined by the Secretary), which collections and costs shall be made available to the general public and submitted to the appropriate local public official (as determined by the Secretary); except that the Secretary may permit agencies owning or operating less than 500 units to comply with the requirements of this subparagraph by accounting on an agency-wide basis; and
(d)
Exemption from personal and real property taxes; payments in lieu of taxes; cash contribution or tax remission
Every contract for contributions with respect to a low-income housing project shall provide that no contributions by the Secretary shall be made available for such project unless such project (exclusive of any portion thereof which is not assisted by contributions under this chapter) is exempt from all real and personal property taxes levied or imposed by the State, city, county, or other political subdivision; and such contract shall require the public housing agency to make payments in lieu of taxes equal to 10 per centum of the sum of the shelter rents charged in such project, or such lesser amount as
(ii)
is agreed to by the local governing body in its agreement for local cooperation with the public housing agency required under section
1437c
(e)(2) of this title, or
(iii)
is due to failure of a local public body or bodies other than the public housing agency to perform any obligation under such agreement. If any such project is not exempt from all real and personal property taxes levied or imposed by the State, city, county, or other political subdivision, such contract shall provide, in lieu of the requirement for tax exemption and payments in lieu of taxes, that no contributions by the Secretary shall be made available for such project unless and until the State, city, county, or other political subdivision in which such project is situated shall contribute, in the form of cash or tax remission, the amount by which the taxes paid with respect to the project exceed 10 per centum of the shelter rents charged in such project.
(f)
Housing quality requirements
(1)
In general
Each contract for contributions for a public housing agency shall require that the agency maintain its public housing in a condition that complies with standards which meet or exceed the housing quality standards established under paragraph (2).
(2)
Federal standards
The Secretary shall establish housing quality standards under this paragraph that ensure that public housing dwelling units are safe and habitable. Such standards shall include requirements relating to habitability, including maintenance, health and sanitation factors, condition, and construction of dwellings, and shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be consistent with the standards established under section
1437f
(o)(8)(B)(i) of this title. The Secretary may determine whether the laws, regulations, standards, or codes of any State or local jurisdiction meet or exceed these standards, for purposes of this subsection.
(3)
Annual inspections
Each public housing agency that owns or operates public housing shall make an annual inspection of each public housing project to determine whether units in the project are maintained in accordance with the requirements under paragraph (1). The agency shall retain the results of such inspections and, upon the request of the Secretary, the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or any auditor conducting an audit under section
1437c
(h) of this title, shall make such results available.
(g)
Substantial default; conveyance of title and delivery of possession; reconveyance and redelivery; payments for outstanding obligations
Every contract for contributions (including contracts which amend or supersede contracts previously made) may provide that—
(1)
upon the occurrence of a substantial default in respect to the covenants or conditions to which the public housing agency is subject (as such substantial default shall be defined in such contract), the public housing agency shall be obligated at the option of the Secretary either to convey title in any case where, in the determination of the Secretary (which determination shall be final and conclusive), such conveyance of title is necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter, or to deliver to the Secretary possession of the project, as then constituted, to which such contract relates; and
(2)
the Secretary shall be obligated to reconvey or redeliver possession of the project as constituted at the time of reconveyance or redelivery, to such public housing agency or to its successor (if such public housing agency or a successor exists) upon such terms as shall be prescribed in such contract, and as soon as practicable
(i)
after the Secretary is satisfied that all defaults with respect to the project have been cured, and that the project will, in order to fulfill the purposes of this chapter, thereafter be operated in accordance with the terms of such contract; or
(ii)
after the termination of the obligation to make annual contributions available unless there are any obligations or covenants of the public housing agency to the Secretary which are then in default. Any prior conveyances and reconveyances or deliveries and redeliveries of possession shall not exhaust the right to require a conveyance or delivery of possession of the project to the Secretary pursuant to subparagraph (1) upon the subsequent occurrence of a substantial default.
Whenever such a contract for annual contributions includes provisions which the Secretary in such contract determines are in accordance with this subsection, and the portion of the annual contribution payable for debt service requirements pursuant to such contract has been pledged by the public housing agency as security for the payment of the principal and interest on any of its obligations, the Secretary (notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter) shall continue to make such annual contributions available for the project so long as any of such obligations remain outstanding, and may covenant in such contract that in any event such annual contributions shall in each year be at least equal to an amount which, together with such income or other funds as are actually available from the project for the purpose at the time such annual contribution is made, will suffice for the payment of all installments, falling due within the next succeeding twelve months, of principal and interest on the obligations for which the annual contributions provided for in the contract shall have been pledged as security. In no case shall such annual contributions be in excess of the maximum sum specified in the contract involved, nor for longer than the remainder of the maximum period fixed by the contract.
(h)
New construction contracts
On or after October 1, 1983, the Secretary may enter into a contract involving new construction only if the public housing agency demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the cost of new construction in the neighborhood where the public housing agency determines the housing is needed is less than the cost of acquisition or acquisition and rehabilitation in such neighborhood, including any reserve fund under subsection (i) of this section, would be.
(i)
Reserve fund; major repairs
The Secretary may, upon application by a public housing agency in connection with the acquisition of housing for use as public housing, establish and set aside a reserve fund in an amount not to exceed 30 per centum of the acquisition cost which shall be available for use for major repairs to such housing.
(j)
Performance indicators for public housing agencies
(1)
The Secretary shall develop and publish in the Federal Register indicators to assess the management performance of public housing agencies and resident management corporations. The indicators shall be established by rule under section
553 of title
5. Such indicators shall enable the Secretary to evaluate the performance of public housing agencies and resident management corporations in all major areas of management operations. The Secretary shall, in particular, use the following indicators for public housing agencies, to the extent practicable:
(A)
The number and percentage of vacancies within an agency’s inventory, including the progress that an agency has made within the previous 3 years to reduce such vacancies.
(B)
The amount and percentage of funds provided to the public housing agency from the Capital Fund under section
1437g
(d) of this title which remain unobligated by the public housing agency after 3 years.
(D)
The utility consumption (with appropriate adjustments to reflect different regions and unit sizes).
(F)
The proportion of maintenance work orders outstanding, including any progress that an agency has made during the preceding 3 years to reduce the period of time required to complete maintenance work orders.
(G)
The percentage of units that an agency fails to inspect to ascertain maintenance or modernization needs within such period of time as the Secretary deems appropriate (with appropriate adjustments, if any, for large and small agencies).
(H)
The extent to which the public housing agency—
(1)
administer the system of evaluating public housing agencies flexibly to ensure that such agencies are not penalized as result of circumstances beyond their control;
(2)
reflect in the weights assigned to the various indicators the differences in the difficulty of managing individual projects that result from their physical condition and their neighborhood environment; and
(3)
determine a public housing agency’s status as “troubled with respect to the program under section
1437l [5] of this title” based upon factors solely related to its ability to carry out that program.
(2)
(A)
(i)
The Secretary shall, under the rulemaking procedures under section
553 of title
5, establish procedures for designating troubled public housing agencies, which procedures shall include identification of serious and substantial failure to perform as measured by the performance indicators specified under paragraph (1) and such other factors as the Secretary may deem to be appropriate. Such procedures shall provide that an agency that fails on a widespread basis to provide acceptable basic housing conditions for its residents shall be designated as a troubled public housing agency. The Secretary may use a simplified set of indicators for public housing agencies with less than 250 public housing units. The Secretary shall also designate, by rule under section
553 of title
5, agencies that are troubled with respect to the program for assistance from the Capital Fund under section
1437g
(d) of this title.
(ii)
The Secretary may also, in consultation with national organizations representing public housing agencies and public officials (as the Secretary determines appropriate), identify and commend public housing agencies that meet the performance standards established under paragraph (1) in an exemplary manner.
(iii)
The Secretary shall establish procedures for public housing agencies to appeal designation as a troubled agency (including designation as a troubled agency for purposes of the program for assistance from the Capital Fund under section
1437g
(d) of this title), to petition for removal of such designation, and to appeal any refusal to remove such designation.
(B)
(i)
Upon designating a public housing agency with more than 250 units as troubled pursuant to subparagraph (A) and determining that an assessment under this subparagraph will not duplicate any comparable and recent review, the Secretary shall provide for an on-site, independent assessment of the management of the agency.
(ii)
To the extent the Secretary deems appropriate (taking into account an agency’s performance under the indicators specified under paragraph (1)), the assessment team shall also consider issues relating to the agency’s resident population and physical inventory, including the extent to which
(I)
the agency’s comprehensive plan prepared pursuant to section
1437l [5] of this title adequately and appropriately addresses the rehabilitation needs of the agency’s inventory,
(III)
any projects in the agency’s inventory are severely distressed and eligible for assistance pursuant to section
1437v of this title.
(iii)
An independent assessment under this subparagraph shall be carried out by a team of knowledgeable individuals selected by the Secretary (referred to in this section as the “assessment team”) with expertise in public housing and real estate management. In conducting an assessment, the assessment team shall consult with the residents and with public and private entities in the jurisdiction in which the public housing is located. The assessment team shall provide to the Secretary and the public housing agency a written report, which shall contain, at a minimum, recommendations for such management improvements as are necessary to eliminate or substantially remedy existing deficiencies.
(C)
The Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement with each troubled public housing agency, after reviewing the report submitted pursuant to subparagraph (B) (if applicable) and consulting with the agency’s assessment team. Such agreement shall set forth—
(i)
targets for improving performance as measured by the performance indicators specified under paragraph (1) and other requirements within a specified period of time;
(ii)
strategies for meeting such targets, including a description of the technical assistance that the Secretary will make available to the agency; and
(iii)
incentives or sanctions for effective implementation of such strategies, which may include any constraints on the use of funds that the Secretary determines are appropriate.
To the extent the Secretary deems appropriate (taking into account an agency’s performance under the indicators specified under paragraph (1)), such agreement shall also set forth a plan for enhancing resident involvement in the management of the public housing agency. The Secretary and the public housing agency shall, to the maximum extent practicable, seek the assistance of local public and private entities in carrying out the agreement.
(3)
(A)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law or of any contract for contributions, upon the occurrence of events or conditions that constitute a substantial default by a public housing agency with respect to the covenants or conditions to which the public housing agency is subject or an agreement entered into under paragraph (2), the Secretary may—
(i)
solicit competitive proposals from other public housing agencies and private housing management agents which
(I)
in the discretion of the Secretary, may be selected by existing public housing residents through administrative procedures established by the Secretary, and
(II)
if appropriate, shall provide for such agents to manage all, or part, of the housing administered by the public housing agency or all or part of the other programs of the agency;
(ii)
petition for the appointment of a receiver (which may be another public housing agency or a private management corporation) of the public housing agency to any district court of the United States or to any court of the State in which the real property of the public housing agency is situated, that is authorized to appoint a receiver for the purposes and having the powers prescribed in this subsection;
(iii)
solicit competitive proposals from other public housing agencies and private entities with experience in construction management in the eventuality that such agencies or firms may be needed to oversee implementation of assistance made available from the Capital Fund under section
1437g
(d) of this title for the housing; and [6]
(iv)
take possession of all or part of the public housing agency, including all or part of any project or program of the agency, including any project or program under any other provision of this subchapter; and
(v)
require the agency to make other arrangements acceptable to the Secretary and in the best interests of the public housing residents and families assisted under section
1437f of this title for managing all, or part, of the public housing administered by the agency or of the programs of the agency.
Residents of a public housing agency designated as troubled pursuant to paragraph (2)(A) may petition the Secretary in writing to take 1 or more of the actions referred to in this subparagraph. The Secretary shall respond to such petitions in a timely manner with a written description of the actions, if any, the Secretary plans to take and, where applicable, the reasons why such actions differ from the course proposed by the residents.
(B)
(i)
If a public housing agency is identified as troubled under this subsection, the Secretary shall notify the agency of the troubled status of the agency.
(ii)
(I)
Upon the expiration of the 1-year period beginning on the later of the date on which the agency receives initial notice from the Secretary of the troubled status of the agency under clause (i) and October 21, 1998, the agency shall improve its performance, as measured by the performance indicators established pursuant to paragraph (1), by at least 50 percent of the difference between the most recent performance measurement and the measurement necessary to remove that agency’s designation as troubled.
(II)
Upon the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the later of the date on which the agency receives initial notice from the Secretary of the troubled status of the agency under clause (i) and October 21, 1998, the agency shall improve its performance, as measured by the performance indicators established pursuant to paragraph (1), such that the agency is no longer designated as troubled.
(III)
In the event that a public housing agency designated as troubled under this subsection fails to comply with the requirements set forth in subclause (I) or (II), the Secretary shall—
(aa)
in the case of a troubled public housing agency with 1,250 or more units, petition for the appointment of a receiver pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii); or
(bb)
in the case of a troubled public housing agency with fewer than 1,250 units, either petition for the appointment of a receiver pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii), or take possession of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency) pursuant to subparagraph (A)(iv) and appoint, on a competitive or noncompetitive basis, an individual or entity as an administrative receiver to assume the responsibilities of the Secretary for the administration of all or part of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency).
This subparagraph shall not be construed to limit the courses of action available to the Secretary under subparagraph (A).
(IV)
During the period between the date on which a petition is filed under subclause (III)(aa) and the date on which a receiver assumes responsibility for the management of the public housing agency under such subclause, the Secretary may take possession of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency) pursuant to subparagraph (A)(iv) and may appoint, on a competitive or noncompetitive basis, an individual or entity as an administrative receiver to assume the responsibilities of the Secretary for the administration of all or part of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency).
(C)
If a receiver is appointed pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii), in addition to the powers accorded by the court appointing the receiver, the receiver—
(i)
may abrogate any contract to which the United States or an agency of the United States is not a party that, in the receiver’s written determination (which shall include the basis for such determination), substantially impedes correction of the substantial default, but only after the receiver determines that reasonable efforts to renegotiate such contract have failed;
(ii)
may demolish and dispose of all or part of the assets of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project of the agency) in accordance with section
1437p of this title, including disposition by transfer of properties to resident-supported nonprofit entities;
(iii)
if determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, may seek the establishment, as permitted by applicable State and local law, of 1 or more new public housing agencies;
(iv)
if determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, may seek consolidation of all or part of the agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency), as permitted by applicable State and local laws, into other well-managed public housing agencies with the consent of such well-managed agencies; and
(v)
shall not be required to comply with any State or local law relating to civil service requirements, employee rights (except civil rights), procurement, or financial or administrative controls that, in the receiver’s written determination (which shall include the basis for such determination), substantially impedes correction of the substantial default.
(D)
(i)
If, pursuant to subparagraph (A)(iv), the Secretary takes possession of all or part of the public housing agency, including all or part of any project or program of the agency, the Secretary—
(I)
may abrogate any contract to which the United States or an agency of the United States is not a party that, in the written determination of the Secretary (which shall include the basis for such determination), substantially impedes correction of the substantial default, but only after the Secretary determines that reasonable efforts to renegotiate such contract have failed;
(II)
may demolish and dispose of all or part of the assets of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project of the agency) in accordance with section
1437p of this title, including disposition by transfer of properties to resident-supported nonprofit entities;
(III)
may seek the establishment, as permitted by applicable State and local law, of 1 or more new public housing agencies;
(IV)
may seek consolidation of all or part of the agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency), as permitted by applicable State and local laws, into other well-managed public housing agencies with the consent of such well-managed agencies;
(V)
shall not be required to comply with any State or local law relating to civil service requirements, employee rights (except civil rights), procurement, or financial or administrative controls that, in the Secretary’s written determination (which shall include the basis for such determination), substantially impedes correction of the substantial default; and
(ii)
If, pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii)(III)(bb), the Secretary appoints an administrative receiver to assume the responsibilities of the Secretary for the administration of all or part of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency), the Secretary may delegate to the administrative receiver any or all of the powers given the Secretary by this subparagraph, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate and subject to clause (iii).
(E)
The Secretary may make available to receivers and other entities selected or appointed pursuant to this paragraph such assistance as the Secretary determines in the discretion of the Secretary is necessary and available to remedy the substantial deterioration of living conditions in individual public housing projects or other related emergencies that endanger the health, safety, and welfare of public housing residents or families assisted under section
1437f of this title. A decision made by the Secretary under this paragraph shall not be subject to review in any court of the United States, or in any court of any State, territory, or possession of the United States.
(F)
In any proceeding under subparagraph (A)(ii), upon a determination that a substantial default has occurred and without regard to the availability of alternative remedies, the court shall appoint a receiver to conduct the affairs of all or part of the public housing agency in a manner consistent with this chapter and in accordance with such further terms and conditions as the court may provide. The receiver appointed may be another public housing agency, a private management corporation, or any other person or appropriate entity. The court shall have power to grant appropriate temporary or preliminary relief pending final disposition of the petition by the Secretary.
(G)
The appointment of a receiver pursuant to this paragraph may be terminated, upon the petition of any party, when the court determines that all defaults have been cured or the public housing agency is capable again of discharging its duties.
(H)
If the Secretary (or an administrative receiver appointed by the Secretary) takes possession of a public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency), or if a receiver is appointed by a court, the Secretary or receiver shall be deemed to be acting not in the official capacity of that person or entity, but rather in the capacity of the public housing agency, and any liability incurred, regardless of whether the incident giving rise to that liability occurred while the Secretary or receiver was in possession of all or part of the public housing agency (including all or part of any project or program of the agency), shall be the liability of the public housing agency.
(4)
Sanctions for improper use of amounts.—
(A)
In general.—
In addition to any other actions authorized under this chapter, if the Secretary finds that a public housing agency receiving assistance amounts under section
1437g of this title for public housing has failed to comply substantially with any provision of this chapter relating to the public housing program, the Secretary may—
(ii)
withhold from the agency amounts from the total allocations for the agency pursuant to section
1437g of this title;
(iii)
reduce the amount of future assistance payments under section
1437g of this title to the agency by an amount equal to the amount of such payments that were not expended in accordance with this chapter;
(iv)
limit the availability of assistance amounts provided to the agency under section
1437g of this title to programs, projects, or activities not affected by such failure to comply;
(B)
Termination of compliance action.—
If the Secretary takes action under subparagraph (A) with respect to a public housing agency, the Secretary shall—
(i)
in the case of action under subparagraph (A)(i), resume payments of assistance amounts under section
1437g of this title to the agency in the full amount of the total allocations under section
1437g of this title for the agency at the time that the Secretary first determines that the agency will comply with the provisions of this chapter relating to the public housing program;
(ii)
in the case of action under clause (ii) or (v) of subparagraph (A), make withheld amounts available as the Secretary considers appropriate to ensure that the agency complies with the provisions of this chapter relating to such program;
(5)
The Secretary shall submit to the Congress annually, as a part of the report of the Secretary under section
3536 of this title, a report that—
(A)
identifies the public housing agencies that have been designated as troubled under paragraph (2);
(B)
describes the grounds on which such public housing agencies were designated as troubled and continue to be so designated;
(6)
(A)
To the extent that the Secretary determines such action to be necessary in order to ensure the accuracy of any certification made under this section, the Secretary shall require an independent auditor to review documentation or other information maintained by a public housing agency pursuant to this section to substantiate each certification submitted by the agency or corporation relating to the performance of that agency or corporation.
(B)
The Secretary may withhold, from assistance otherwise payable to the agency or corporation under section
1437g of this title, amounts sufficient to pay for the reasonable costs of any review under this paragraph.
(k)
Administrative grievance procedure regulations: grounds of adverse action, hearing, examination of documents, representation, evidence, decision; judicial hearing; eviction and termination procedures
The Secretary shall by regulation require each public housing agency receiving assistance under this chapter to establish and implement an administrative grievance procedure under which tenants will—
(2)
have an opportunity for a hearing before an impartial party upon timely request within any period applicable under subsection (l) of this section;
(3)
have an opportunity to examine any documents or records or regulations related to the proposed action;
For any grievance concerning an eviction or termination of tenancy that involves any activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises of other tenants or employees of the public housing agency or any violent or drug-related criminal activity on or off such premises, or any activity resulting in a felony conviction, the agency may
(A)
establish an expedited grievance procedure as the Secretary shall provide by rule under section
553 of title
5, or
(B)
exclude from its grievance procedure any such grievance, in any jurisdiction which requires that prior to eviction, a tenant be given a hearing in court which the Secretary determines provides the basic elements of due process (which the Secretary shall establish by rule under section
553 of title
5). Such elements of due process shall not include a requirement that the tenant be provided an opportunity to examine relevant documents within the possession of the public housing agency. The agency shall provide to the tenant a reasonable opportunity, prior to hearing or trial, to examine any relevant documents, records, or regulations directly related to the eviction or termination.
(l)
Leases; terms and conditions; maintenance; termination
Each public housing agency shall utilize leases which—
(1)
have a term of 12 months and shall be automatically renewed for all purposes except for noncompliance with the requirements under section
1437j
(c) of this title (relating to community service requirements); except that nothing in this subchapter shall prevent a resident from seeking timely redress in court for failure to renew based on such noncompliance;