24 CFR 882.511 – Lease and termination of tenancy
(a) Lease. (1) The lease must include all provisions required by HUD, and must not include any provisions prohibited by HUD.
(2) The lease must provide that drug-related criminal activity engaged in on or near the premises by any tenant, household member, or guest, and any such activity engaged in on the premises by any other person under the tenant’s control is grounds for the owner to terminate tenancy. In addition, the lease must provide that the owner may terminate the tenancy of a family when the owner determines that a household member is illegally using a drug or when the owner determines that a pattern of illegal use of a drug interferes with the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents.
(b) Applicability. The provisions of this section apply to decisions by an Owner to terminate the tenancy of a Family during or at the end of the Family’s lease term.
(c) Grounds for termination of or refusal to renew the lease. The Owner must not terminate or refuse to renew the lease except upon the following grounds:
(1) Serious or repeated violation of the terms and conditions of the lease.
(2) Violation of applicable Federal, State or local law.
(3) Other good cause.
(d) Notice of termination of tenancy. (1) The Owner must serve a written notice of termination of tenancy on the Family which states the date the tenancy shall terminate. Such date must be in accordance with the following:
(i) When termination is based on failure to pay rent, the date of termination must be not less than five working days after the Family’s receipt of the notice; or, if the Secretary determines that tenants must be provided with adequate notice to secure Federal funding that is available due to a Presidential declaration of a national emergency, the date of termination must be not less than 30 days after the Family’s receipt of the notice.
(ii) When termination is based on serious or repeated violation of the terms and conditions of the lease or on violation of applicable Federal, State or local law, the date of termination must be in accordance with State and local law.
(iii) When termination is based on other good cause, the date of termination must be no earlier than 30 days after the notice is served on the Family.
(2) The notice of termination must:
(i) State the reasons for such termination with enough specificity to enable the Family to prepare a defense.
(ii) Advise the Family that if a judicial proceeding for eviction is instituted, the tenant may present a defense in that proceeding.
(iii) Be served on the Family by sending a prepaid first class properly addressed letter (return receipt requested) to the tenant at the dwelling unit or by delivering a copy of the notice to the dwelling unit.
(iv) Include such information to tenants during a national emergency, as required by the Secretary.
(3) Substitution of State and local requirements. In the case of failure to pay rent, a notice of termination which is issued pursuant to State or local law or is common practice in the locality and which satisfies paragraphs (d)(1) and (2) of this section may be substituted for or run concurrently with the notice required herein.
(e) Eviction. All evictions must be carried out through judical process under State and local law. “Eviction” means the dispossession of the Family from the dwelling unit pursuant to State or local court action.
(f) Lease. The requirements of this section shall be incorporated into the dwelling lease between the Owner and the Family.
(g) In actions or potential actions to terminate tenancy, the owner shall follow 24 CFR part 5, subpart L (Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking).