The A to Zs of Housing
Housing acronyms, (like PBV) can be so darn confusing! One minute you’re reading along just fine, and the next you’re staring at a string of capital letters wondering if you missed a meeting, a memo, or an entire dictionary.
That’s exactly why this page exists.
Think of it as your handy little decoder ring—a straightforward, no-nonsense guide designed to help you quickly understand what those mysterious letters actually mean.
Instead of getting lost in a sea of capital letters, you’ll have one clear place to find the answers. No jargon. No overcomplicated definitions. Just clear explanations to help you make sense of it all—one acronym at a time.
A
ACC - Annual Contributions Contract
ACOP - Admissions & Continued Occupancy Policy
AGMI - Area Gross Median Income
AHP - Affordable Housing Program
AIA - American Institute of Architects
ALTA - American Land Title Association (surveys)
AMI - Area Median Income
B
BIN - Building Identification Number
C
CARH - Council on Affordable and Rural Housing
CDBG - Community Development Block Grant
CDC - Community Development Corporation
CDBO - Community Based Development Organization
CDE - Community Development Entities
CDFI - Community Development Financial Institution
CHAP - CARES Housing Assistance Program (COVID-19)
CHDO - Community Housing Development Organization
CMAR - Construction Manager at Risk
CNA - Capital Needs Assessment
COC - Continuum of Care (aka Shelter Plus Care) Vouchers
CPD - HUDS's Office of Community Planning and Development
D
DDA - Difficult to Develop Area
DOE - Department of Energy
E
EAP - Emergency Assistance Program
EIV - Electronic Income Verification
EUL - Estimated Useful Life
EUP - Extended Use Period
F
FHA - Fair Housing Act
FHFA - Federal Housing Finance Agency
FHLB - Federal Home Loan Bank
FHLBSF - Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, click here to see how they contributed to our homeownership education course.
FISH - Friends in Service Helping
FMR - Fair Market Rent, click here to see our most recent information.
FSS - Family Self Sufficiency
FUP - Family Unification Program
G
GNMA - Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae)
GRIPF - Green Retrofit Incentive Performance Fee
GRP - Green Retrofit Program
H
HAL - Home At Last is one of our many great homeownership programs and has been a key part of NRH since 2006. There’s no first-time homebuyer requirement, so it could be a great fit for you. Learn more here.
HAP - Housing Assistance Payment
HCV - Housing Choice Voucher, formerly called Section 8, is a federally funded program that helps very low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities afford rent in the private housing market. Learn more here.
HERA - Housing and Economic Recovery Act
HFA - Housing Finance Agencies
HH - Household
HOPE - Public and Indian Housing (HUD)
HUD - Housing and Urban Development
I
IDIS - Integrated Disbursement and Information System (HUD)
IDRR - Initial Deposit to Replacement Reserves
IOI - Identify of Interest
IRP - Interest Reduction Payment
L
Lf - Linear Feet
LIHEA - Low Income Housing Energy Assistance
LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit
LIHTF - Low Income Housing Trust Fund
LOCCS - Line of Credit Control System
LOI - Letter of Intent
LPA - Limited Partnership Agreement
Ls - Lump Sum
M
MBS - Mortgage Backed Securities
MCC - Mortgage Credit Certification
MFIS - Multi-Family Information System
MI - Move in
MOU - Memorandum of Understanding
MPR - Multi-Family Preservation & Revitalization
MTSP - Multi-Family Tax Subsidy Project
N
NACO - National Association of Counties
NAHRO - National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
NALHFA - National Association of Local Housing Financial Authorities
NCSHA - National Council of State Housing Agencies
NHC - Nevada Housing Coalition
NHD - Nevada Housing Division
NOD - Notice of Delivery (Settlements for DPA program)
NOFA - Notice of Funding Available
NOFO - Notification of Funding Opportunity (Federal)
NRHI - Nevada Rural Housing, Inc.
NSP2 - Neighborhood Stabilization Program
O
OAHP - Office of Affordable Housing Preservation
OMB - Office of Management and Budget
P
PABC - Private Activity Bond Cap
PAC - Project Assistance Contract
PBRA - Project Based Rental Assistance
PAE - Participating Administrative Entity
PBCA - Performance Based Contract Administration
PBRA - Project Based Rental Assistance
PBV - Project Based Voucher
PCTC - Per Capita Tax Credit
PHA - Public Housing Assistance
PHADA - Public Housing Authority's Director's Association
PHAS - Public Housing Assessment System
PILOT - Paid in lieu of taxes
PIS - Placed in Service
PJ - Participating Jurisdictions
PMA - Primary Market Area
PUPA - Per Unit Per Annual
PUPM - Per Unit Per Month
Q
QAP - Qualified Allocation Plan
QCT - Qualified Census Tract
QLICI - Qualified Low-Income Community Investments
R
RA - Retrofit Administrator
RAD - Rental Assistance Demonstration
RAP - Rental Assistance Payments
RAP - Rental Assistance Program
RCAC - Rural Community Assistance Corporation
RD - Rural Development
REAC - Real Estate Assessment Center
REB - Reasonably Expected Basis
RFA - Retrofit Funding Agreement
RFP - Request for Proposal
RHS - Rural Housing Service
RSP - Rent Supplement Program
RUL - Remaining Useful Life
S
SD - Security Deposit
SEI - Social Entrepreneurs, Inc.
SERC - Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers
SLA - Supportive Living Arrangement
SPC - Shelter Plus Care
SY - Square Yards
T
TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
TBRA - Tenant Based Rental Assistance
TCAC - Tax Credit Allocation Committee
TIC - Tenant Income Certification
TTP - Total Tenant Payment
TPV - Tenant Protection Vouchers
U
UAP - Utility Assistance Payment (AKA URP)
UPCS - HUD's Uniform Physical Condition Standards
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture
V
VALIC - Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company
VASH - Veteran's Affairs Supportive Housing (program through HUD)
VMS - Voucher Management System
W
WAP - Weatherization Assistance Program
WNHC - Western Nevada HOME Consortium
WX - Weatherization