Direct Lease Housing

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)

Hurricane Helene – DR4827-NC

DIRECT LEASE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

 (RFI)# 70FBR425-DL-DR4827NC

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 15.201(d) & (e). This RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ), and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. All information contained in this RFI is preliminary and is subject to change if, and when, a solicitation is issued. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. If a competitive solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this RFI, or future solicitations.

BACKGROUND

Direct Lease is a form of Direct Temporary Housing Assistance that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enter into multiple firm-fixed priced contracts with property management companies to lease properties not usually available to the public (corporate apartments, vacation rentals, and second homes) for the purpose of providing temporary housing to eligible applicants who are displaced due to Hurricane Helene under DR-4827-NC. FEMA may utilize these units for eligible applicants who are unable to use rental assistance due to lack of available resources.

PROJECT SCOPE/DELIVERABLES

FEMA is principally seeking potential property management companies who do business in the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties and tribal areas of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Properties should be located within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes of the affected areas or a distance that does not place an undue hardship in the State of North Carolina. All interested property owners and property management companies are encouraged to participate. Under Direct Lease, FEMA is seeking property portfolios readily available to lease to FEMA. Eligible properties must adhere to all local, state, and federal codes/standards. This should include existing residential properties advertised for lease (e.g., corporate apartments, vacation rentals, and second homes), vacant residential properties that are listed for sale (single family and multiple occupancy), and bank owned properties (e.g. foreclosures). The properties in Direct Lease are to be offered as temporary housing for FEMA applicants for a term of no less than 18 months, with the option of lease extension.

PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS & PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA

FEMA will enter into a lease agreement with the property owner and pay rent based on the Fair Market Rent (FMR) rates identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for that particular area. Property management companies must be willing to act on behalf of the government with property owners or their agents in all aspects of the lease, including but not limited to, inspecting properties, managing tenant concerns, ensuring building maintenance occurs, executing tenant leases with FEMA applicants, and tenant lease terminations and evictions. Property management companies will be required to evaluate potential units or properties to ensure properties adhere to all local, state, and federal codes and standards to be considered habitable by the agency. Additional criteria include:

• Properties must be located within an area included in a major disaster declaration or within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes commuting distance of the following declared counties in the State of North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties and tribal areas of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Each unit must provide complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons and contain permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation;
• The property/unit must comply with Housing Quality Standards established by Housing and Urban Development, and all utilities, appliances, and other furnishings must be functional.
• The property must be located within reasonable commuting distance to community and wrap-around services, such as accessible public transportation, schools, fire and emergency services, grocery stores, etc.;
• The vacant units on the property must be available to be leased to FEMA allowing FEMA’s exclusive use as temporary housing for eligible applicants for a term of no less than 18 months with the possibility of contract extension;
• All property management companies must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) and have a Unique Entity Identifier.

Interested property management companies are advised of the following terms and conditions that will apply to any agreement between FEMA and owners of property selected for Direct Lease:

• A provision granting FEMA exclusive use of the units and sole discretion to identify and select occupants during the term of lease agreement;
• A provision granting FEMA the option to extend the lease if FEMA extends the period of assistance beyond 18 months;
• A provision granting FEMA the option of releasing the unit to the owner and ceasing all monthly payments for the unit at any time by providing thirty days’ notice;
• A provision allowing FEMA to make, at FEMA’s expense, reasonable modifications or improvements to the property to provide a reasonable accommodation for an eligible applicant with a disability or other access and functional needs;
• A provision allowing FEMA to restore the property to its original condition before any reasonable modifications or improvements to the property as requested by the property owner;
• A provision incorporating a lease addendum containing FEMA’s conditions of eligibility and termination of tenancy and eviction into any lease between the

property owner and the occupant;

• A provision allowing FEMA to re-assign a vacated unit when eligible applicants need temporary housing assistance, and a unit becomes available before the end of the period of assistance;
• Property owners will waive credit screening for eligible applicants;
• Property owners must provide all building maintenance services;
• Property owners must be current and in good standing with property mortgage payments and have a current rental license.

Requested Information

Interested property management companies, please provide the following information:

• • Property name, location, property owner name, and phone number;
  • Number of units (a separate bathroom, kitchen, and living space) available for FEMA's exclusive use and the number of bedrooms each unit contains;
  • Number of units compliant with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards and/or have features in unit(s) that provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities;
  • Confirmation that the property owner is current and up to date with the property’s mortgage payments;
  • Confirmation that property is readily available for applicants to move in;
  • History of the building’s use (dates used as a rental, etc.), if applicable;
  • Any applicable pet restrictions, such as what pets are allowed in the units and any restrictions on number of pets or size of pets, and any applicable pet deposits;
  • Number of parking spaces (including accessible and van-accessible) available for each unit, if applicable;
  • Rental range for property, including any associated fees;
  • Utilities included in rent; and
  • Number of any units fully furnished.

DEFINITIONS

Applicant: An individual or household who has applied for FEMA Assistance, and because of the disaster has a disaster-caused need for temporary housing.

Direct Lease: Type of Direct Temporary Housing Assistance that may be used to lease existing residential properties not generally available to the public to provide temporary housing to eligible applicants when verified disaster-caused housing needs cannot be met.

Fair Market Rent (FMR): Housing market-wide estimates of rent values in which rental housing units are in competition. The FMR rates applied are those identified by HUD as being adequate for existing rental housing in a particular area. FEMA uses the applicable rate based upon the location of the housing unit, the number of bedrooms in the housing unit, and the fiscal year in which the major disaster declaration was issued.

Fair Housing Act: Protects people from discrimination when they are renting, buying, or securing financing for any housing. The prohibitions specifically cover discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and the presence of children.

Unit: A house, apartment, manufactured homes, or other readily fabricated dwelling. A room or group of rooms in an occupied dwelling may qualify as a housing unit if the room(s) in which the applicant and household live are separate from any other persons in the dwelling/building.

Occupant: An applicant, co-applicant, or any household member over the age of 18 who is listed on the Temporary Housing Agreement, as being authorized to reside in the Temporary Housing Unit (THU).

Period of Assistance: Individuals and Households Program (IHP) assistance is limited to 18 months following the date of the disaster declaration. The period of assistance begins at the date of the Presidential declaration and not the date on which the disaster is designated for Individual Assistance (IA). The President may extend the period of assistance due to extraordinary circumstances that an extension would be in public interest. Through the delegation of authority, the Assistant Administrator (AA) for Recovery may, at the request of a state, territorial, and tribal government, extend the period of assistance for the IHP Financial Assistance, Direct Temporary Housing Assistance, or both.

Period of Performance (POP): The POP is for 18 months after the Presidentially declared disaster September 28, 2024.

Reasonable Commuting Distance: A distance which does not place an undue hardship on an applicant. It also takes into consideration the traveling time due to road conditions; e.g., mountainous regions or bridges out and the normal commuting patterns of the area.

Utilities: Services such as water, gas, electricity, heating oil, and/or propane. Utilities do not include amenity services, e.g. cable, television, internet, telephone, etc.

SUBMISSION OF CAPABILITY PACKAGES INSTRUCTIONS

Interested property owners shall submit a brief capabilities' statement package via email to the Points of Contact listed below. There is no page limitation on your submission.

Respondents shall also provide a cover page with their property/company name, Unique Entity Identifier, CAGE Code, web address, address, point of contact, telephone number, e-mail address, size of your organization, and, if applicable, the small business socioeconomic category.

This documentation should address, at a minimum, the following to demonstrate the vendor's capability to perform the requirements:

1. The vendor's technical capability to deliver the aforementioned services within the specified timeframe; and
2. Past experience with similar requirements along with the contract type/ pricing methodology;

1. The vendor's capacity in each of the geographic locations of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to include the number of available properties and access to additional properties; and

1. The vendor's ability to manage, as prime, the types and magnitude of services required.

Please provide additional information you deem relevant to respond to the specifics of the RFI. The Government is not requesting any proprietary information to be submitted, nor shall it be liable for any consequential damages for proprietary information included. Any information submitted to the RFI (e.g. capability statement) is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC 552 (a). All submissions submitted will not be returned.

The applicable NAICS code is 531110. The applicable PSC is X1FA.

RESPONSE DEADLINE: RFI responses and comments are due as soon as possible but  no later than 5:00 PM EST, November 06, 2024 via email to the POC listed below. The                                                                                            email subject line shall read: RFI #[SG1] 70FBR425-DL-DR4827NC                                  

POINTS OF CONTACT: |Ralph La Rosa[SG2] | email: fema-direct_lease_dr4827nc@fema.dhs.gov Phone calls will not be accepted or returned

All responses received and questions answered will be considered as part of the market research for this requirement in accordance with FAR 10.001(a)(3).

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS: Small Business concerns are encouraged to provide responses to this RFI in order to assist in determining competition determination.