STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

Puerto Rico
QAP scoring guide.

Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority (PRHFA / Autoridad para el Financiamiento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico, AFV) · 2025 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Sep 13, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

22 categories

Not stated. The QAP does not publish historical winning scores or recent award data; only the 30-point minimum threshold is specified.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

I.1 Location

17 pts

Points for siting in: an Urban Area/Central Urban Area/state Historical Zone/federal Historical District (3); a census tract outside an urban area with a below-poverty-line rate tier of ≤20% (3), 20-30% (2), or 30-40% (1); the zone of influence around an Urban Train Station (2); a site that is either outside a localized-risk geography or, if within one, a risk-mitigating rehabilitation (3); an area with the lowest proportion of rental housing outside the highest-risk zones per the Disaster Recovery Action Plan (3); or a municipality designated FEMA PA-eligible under the 2019/2020 Earthquakes Disaster Declaration-4473 (3).

I.2 Proximity to Amenities

8 pts

General: up to 6 points, 1 point each for being within 1,500m of up to 10 listed amenity types (town square, park/rec center, traditional market, school, large shopping center, grocery/supermarket, hospital/clinic, pharmacy, post office, public transit terminal). Targeted: up to 2 points for projects with ≥50% of units targeted to special-needs populations located within 500m of population-specific amenities (varies by population: elderly/disabled, single-headed household, youth-headed household, homeless, HIV/AIDS).

I.3 Undesirable Activities (deduction)

-5 (deduction) pts

Even if environmentally compliant, 1 point is deducted for each of up to 5 undesirable proximities: within 1/8 mile of a junkyard, landfill/dumpsite, industrial site, airport, or wastewater treatment plant; or adjoining a gas station, auto/tire/paint repair shop, woodworking shop, or a municipally-declared nuisance.

II.1 Infill or Nuisance Abatement

2 pts

1 point for an infill site or nuisance-abatement site; 1 additional point (up to 2 total) for each non-contiguous such site incorporated into a scattered-site project within a 1/4-mile radius.

II.2 Historic Property

3 pts

Flat 3 points for a substantial rehabilitation of a state-designated historic property, federally designated historic place, or a contributing resource to a federally designated Historic District.

II.3 Adaptive Reuse

3 pts

Flat 3 points where residential use is an adaptive reuse of an existing industrial/commercial property (not applicable if the existing structure is demolished).

II.4 Site Characteristics

6 pts

Mobility improvements (up to 3: accessible internal pedestrian network, off-site sidewalk construction/rehab, transit-stop/pull-off improvements) plus Urban Considerations (up to 3: maximum allowable density/height achieved, screened parking/service areas, main building entrance opens to a public sidewalk).

II.5 Building Characteristics

10 pts

Unit Mix (up to 2: 75%+ units with 2+ bedrooms = 2 pts, 50%+ = 1 pt) plus Building Amenities (up to 8: 1 point each, up to 13 listed features — courtyard/patio, community/meeting center, balconies, exercise room, common laundry ratio, playground, security guard/virtual security, trash chutes/recycling, storm windows/shutters, extra bathrooms for 3+BR units, W/D hookups, carports for single-family, ceiling fans).

II.6 Gap Financing Efficiency

10 pts

Formula-based: ((Total Development Cost − Gap Financing Requested) ÷ Total Development Cost) × 10, rewarding projects that minimize reliance on gap-financing sources (HOME, HTF, CDBG-MIT, RD, FHLB-NY, etc.) relative to total development cost.

II.7 Construction Readiness

5 pts

Flat 5 points (Tax-Credit-only applicants) for an unexpired Notification of Approval of the Construction Permit (multifamily) or an urbanization permit/approval plus approved Plano Seguro (single-family).

III.1 Targeted Units

3 pts

Tiered by share of units set aside for a special-population category (elderly, single-family, youth-headed households, HIV/AIDS, disabilities, veterans, assisted living) for the extended-use period: ≥75% of units = 3 pts, ≥50% = 2 pts, ≥25% = 1 pt.

III.2 Preservation

4 pts

Up to 4 points for a qualifying substantial rehabilitation: 2 points for replacing more than one major building component to curb physical-condition loss risk; 2 points for curbing risk of market conversion of a Tax-Credit or rent-assisted property, or preserving comparable project-based rental subsidies expiring within 2 years.

III.3 Term

2 pts

Up to 2 points for extending affordability beyond the 30-year extended-use period: 10+ additional years = 2 pts, 5+ additional years = 1 pt.

III.4 Homeownership Conversion

1 pts

Flat 1 point for a proposed conversion to tenant homeownership (right of first refusal) after the compliance period expires.

III.5 PHA Waiting Lists

1 pts

Flat 1 point for a referral agreement with a Public Housing Authority to draw tenants from its (or the project's) waiting list.

IV.1 Developer Track Record

8 pts

Tiered by the number and tenure of Tax Credit/affordable-housing developments successfully developed and kept in full compliance by the GP/managing member/developer: 5+ developments in service 3+ years = 8 pts; 5+ developments <3 years = 6 pts; 2-4 developments 3+ years = 4 pts; 2-4 developments <3 years = 2 pts; 1 development in service 5+ years = 1 pt.

V.1 Funds Leveraging

2 pts

Non-Authority/non-PRDOH/non-municipal public funding covering ≥15% of total development cost = 2 pts; ≥10% = 1 pt.

V.2 Local Government Funding

3 pts

Municipal cash, donated/discounted land, off-site improvements, grants, or a project-specific construction tax abatement valued at ≥5% of TDC = 3 pts; ≥3% = 2 pts; ≥1% = 1 pt.

V.3 Local Government Land/Building

3 pts

Flat 3 points for land purchased or optioned from PRDOH, PRPHA, a Municipality, or another Puerto Rico government instrumentality.

V.4 PRHFA Financing

3 pts

3 points for both interim and permanent financing from the Authority; 2 points for interim or permanent financing alone.

V.5 Intermediary Costs

3 pts

Third-party soft costs (architectural, engineering, accounting, legal, environmental, construction management) as a % of TDC: 0-5.00% = 3 pts; 5.01-10.00% = 2 pts; 10.01-15.00% = 1 pt. Note: the QAP narrative text says a project 'may be awarded up to five (5) points' for this criterion, but the scoring table itself caps it at 3 points — an apparent internal drafting inconsistency; the 3-point cap is used here since it's what the tiered score table actually awards and is needed for the categories to sum to the stated 100-point total.

VI.1 Supportive Services

3 pts

Up to 3 points for a binding funding commitment (federal program funds — e.g., CoC, VASH, GPD, SSVF, CDBG, Section 811/202, HOPWA, FSS — or a qualifying state/municipal program, or a certified Assisted Living services contract) for the length of the compliance period, sized at ≥5% of the project's annual operating cost = 3 pts, ≥3% = 2 pts, ≥1% = 1 pt.

Scoring source

Puerto Rico 2025 Qualified Allocation Plan, Section 5.4 "Project Evaluation and Selection (Point Ranking System)," specifically 5.4.2 "Point Scoring Criteria" (pp. 33–44), with tie-breakers as Category VII (p. 44) and the 30-point minimum stated in Section 5.4.1 (p. 30). Source PDF: https://www.afv.pr.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/qap25.pdf

WHEN SCORES ARE CLOSE

Tie-breakers

Review the agency’s tie-breaker rules alongside the scoring criteria.

Project that is readiest to proceed
Lowest total development cost per unit
Located in municipality with longest period since a Tax Credit allocation

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

Puerto Rico 2025 Qualified Allocation Plan (PRHFA, approved Oct. 24, 2025), Section 5.2.3 "Underwriting Parameters" (pp. 27–28) for vacancy/escalation/DSCR/reserves/profit-cap/tax-credit-percentage/equity pricing; Section 5.2.2 "Allowable Costs and Expenses" (pp. 24–26) for developer fee and contractor fee caps; Section 5.3 "Underwriting and Financial Feasibility Analysis" (pp. 29–30) for the credit-sizing methodology; Section 9 "Projects Financed with Tax-Exempt Obligations" (pp. 52–53) for the 50%/25% bond test; Section 11 "Fees" (pp. 54–55) for the fee schedule; and the Foreword, "Available Funding" (p. vi) for the credit ceiling. Source PDF: https://www.afv.pr.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/qap25.pdf

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: not specified

2025-QAP §10.1 (incorporating Annex O by reference) → PRHFA Compliance Monitoring Plan, Annex O (Revised July 2016), Section E "Utility Allowance," pp. 31-35, plus Utility Allowance Certification Form PRHFA-12

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for Puerto Rico

PHASE 1Site sourcing and screening PHASE 2Site control and due diligence PHASE 3Entitlement pathway election PHASE 4Program election (9% vs. 4% vs. hybrid)PHASE 5Rents, income limits, and the operating pro forma PHASE 6Cost, construction type, and the labor package PHASE 7PRHFA's own money, PRDOH's money, and a $1.4 billion program the QAP barely names PHASE 8One paper package, five threshold buckets, and a 30-point floor PHASE 9A private letter starts the clock, and December 31 ends it — twice PHASE 10Construction through placed-in-service: PRHFA's cost certification and Form 8609 process PHASE 11Compliance, Year 15, and Puerto Rico's 30-year extended-use floor

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →