Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Housing Resources

Doorway Housing Portal

The City of Emeryville is pleased to share a new resource for property managers to advertise available affordable housing opportunities across the Bay Area called the Doorway Housing Portal. The Doorway Housing Portal serves as both one-stop-shop for affordable rental housing and include a common application to make applicants experience of applying for housing easier. Doorway provides housing opportunity listings, free to our partners, for deed-restricted affordable housing.

The public-facing Doorway Housing Portal (DHP), helps Bay Area housing seekers find and apply for affordable homes. The Doorway Partners Portal (DPP) is the backend platform that helps affordable housing property owners and operators create listings and manage applications. It is a single place to market affordable housing opportunities throughout the Bay Area for available units and open waitlists, offered in the region’s five most common written languages: English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese.

Fact Sheet: Benefits of Doorway for Property Managers(PDF, 244KB)

The city adopted BMR Rental Guidelines(PDF, 707KB) to provide clear, consistent guidance to developers, tenants and property managers on requirements for participating in the City of Emeryville BMR Rental Program. These guidelines are updated from time to time, and are currently in the process of being updated.

Section 4 of the BMR Rental Guidelines outlines the following requirements for prospective applicants and existing BMR tenants:

• Qualification Requirements
• Household Size Requirements
• Calculating Household Income
• Emeryville Local Preference Requirements
• Application Process
• Exceptions & Appeals
• Annual Recertification Process

NOTE:  The recorded Emeryville Affordable Housing Agreement or the recorded Affordable Housing Agreement issued by other funders, may supersede some of the requirements in the BMR Rental Guidelines. 

To learn more about the BMR Rental requirements, please view the training modules below or schedule a training session by contacting Hello Housing at emeryville@hellohousing.org.

Introduction to BMR Rental Housing(PDF, 324KB)

Troubleshooting Tips for BMR Rental Units: Program Management(PDF, 98KB)

Troubleshooting Tips for BMR Rental Units: Household Changes(PDF, 149KB)

Troubleshooting Tips for BMR Rental Units: Reasonable Accommodations(PDF, 180KB)

BMR Maximum Income Limits

BMR Income Limits represent the maximum income a household may have to qualify for a BMR Rental Unit, based on the number of people in the household. BMR Income Limits are based on information published by the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD). HCD releases annually the income limits based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revisions to the Public Housing and Section 8 Income Limits that HUD releases. The income limits reflected in the City's adopted Affordable Housing Table are for Alameda County. Please note, the some BMR Rental Projects allow BMR tenants' income to increase to a higher income tier during the BMR annual recertification process. To determine the maximum allowable income limit during the recertification process, please contact the property manager or BMR leasing agent at your BMR Rental Property.   

BMR Maximum Gross Rental Rates

BMR Rental Units cannot be leased for more than the gross rental rate, assuming there is no utility allowance or required tenant fees. BMR Rental Rates are published annually, in the City's Adopted Affordable Housing Table, adjusted for the number of bedrooms in a unit and the income tier associated with the unit. The Affordable Housing Table monthly rental rates are based on the housing affordability definitions found in the California Health and Safety Code at Section 50053.

Utility Allowance

When utilities are paid directly by the tenant, a calculation called the Utility Allowance must be made to determine a reasonable cost to associate with those utilities. In Emeryville, the Housing Authority of Alameda County (HACA) determines what the reasonable cost is associated with those utilities and publishes annually a Utility Allowance Schedule based on the # of bedrooms in a unit.

BMR Maximum Net Rent Rate

In order to determine the maximum amount of rent a tenant can be charged for a BMR Rental Unit, take the Maximum Gross Rental Rate and deduct the applicable Utility Allowance and any required tenant fees.  

Required Tenant Fees

Required tenant fees include any charges or expense all tenants, must incur as a condition of renting a BMR Rental Unit. Required tenant fees may vary amongst BMR Rental Properties. Examples of required tenant fees may include rental property insurance, technology fees, package locker fees or amenities fees. To determine if you have any required tenant fees, please review your lease agreement. 

Resource Documents

Affordable Housing Table(PDF, 147KB)

Utility Allowance Schedule(PDF, 177KB)

Maximum Rent & Utility Allowance Fact Sheet for Property Managers(PDF, 512KB)

Maximum Rent & Utility Allowance Fact Sheet for Tenants(PDF, 514KB)