STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

Rhode Island
QAP scoring guide.

RIHousing (Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation), in consultation with the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing · 2026 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Sep 12, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

21 categories

Not stated. The QAP and reviewed companion documents do not publish historical winning scores or a competitiveness benchmark.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

Financing - TDC per Unit

25 pts

Weighted-average Total Development Cost per unit (([2×TDC/unit]+[TDC/#bedrooms])/3), scored in $5,000 increments against Overall TDC caps by building type (e.g. Urban $440,000/unit, Historic Mill $469,000/unit, Garden-style $442,000/unit, up to $470,000/unit for 4-story-with-elevator, $266,000/unit for preservation). Capitalized reserves excluded; documented 'extraordinary conditions' (environmental remediation, unsuitable soils, prevailing wage, etc.) may be deducted before scoring.

Financing - LIHTC Efficiency (Credit per Unit)

20 pts

Weighted-average LIHTC requested per unit (([2×bedrooms]+[1×units])/3). 0 points if weighted average exceeds $30,000 of credit per unit; points increase by 1 for every $1,000 below that ceiling, in $1,000 increments.

Financing - Leverages Operating Support

5 pts

Committed rental/operating subsidy (e.g. Project-Based Section 8, HPF-ELI, RIH-ELI, or similar federal/state program): 5 pts if ≥20% of units are covered, 3 pts for 10-19%, 0 pts for up to 9%.

Financing - Leverages Hard Debt / Other Competitive Resources

10 pts

Hard debt or other competitive resources (USDA, municipal/federal/state historic credits, FHLB, private grants) per unit: 0 pts below $20,000/unit, rising in tiers to 10 pts at ≥$60,000/unit (2/4/6/8/10 pts at $20k/$30k/$40k/$50k/$60k thresholds).

Incomes/Populations Served - 3-Bedroom+ Unit Creation

6 pts

New (not preserved) 3-bedroom-or-larger units as a share of total unit count: 2 pts at 10%, 4 pts at 20%, 6 pts at 30%; 0 pts if under 10%.

Incomes/Populations Served - Deep-Income, Homeless & Special-Needs Populations

25 pts

Effectively serving households ≤30% AMI, homeless via Coordinated Entry, or persons with special needs (disability, DV survivors, housing-instability risk). With a supportive-services partnership (service plan + MOU required): 10/15/20/25 pts at ≤10%/11-15%/16-20%/≥21% of units. Without supportive services (30% AMI units only): 9/12/15/18 pts at the same tiers.

Incomes/Populations Served - Mixed-Income (Units Above 80% AMI)

5 pts

For mixed-income developments where units above 80% AMI don't need capital subsidy support: 2 pts at 15% of units, 3 pts up to 20%, 5 pts above 20%.

Incomes/Populations Served - Resident Services Provision

6 pts

On-site Resident Services Coordinator (or 3rd-party MOU for equivalent hours), cost built into operating budget or MOU: 6 pts at 40 hrs/week, 4 pts at 20 hrs/week, 2 pts at 10 hrs/week.

Incomes/Populations Served - Additional Accessible Units

2 pts

2 pts for making no less than 10% of newly created units accessible (above the UFAS baseline minimum of 5%/1 unit).

Promoting RI Workforce/Permitting - RI-Based Construction Firms

3 pts

3 pts if the applicant certifies up to 50% of subcontractor contracts will go to Rhode Island-based construction firms.

Promoting RI Workforce/Permitting - MBE/WBE Participation

2 pts

2 pts for including a certified Minority- or Women-owned Business Enterprise as Developer, minimum-50% Co-developer, Architect, General Contractor, or Property Manager.

Promoting RI Workforce/Permitting - RI Nonprofit Developer

3 pts

3 pts if the Developer is a community-based nonprofit, RI-incorporated, IRS 501(c)(3), with a track record operating housing in the neighborhood/similar neighborhoods; may be part of a JV owning ≥50% of the GP interest.

Promoting RI Workforce/Permitting - Fully Permitted / Design Completion

8 pts

Tiered by permitting/design-completion stage: up to 4 pts for by-right/preliminary approval with schematic plans; up to 6 pts for master/preliminary/final approval with ≥50% Design-Development-level plans; 8 pts for fully permitted (municipal + state regulatory agencies) with ≥90% complete specs, architect certification of 100% completion within 30 days, and a signed GC schedule of values.

Community - Location / Affordable-Housing Concentration & Growth Alignment

10 pts

Mutually exclusive tiers (max 10 pts total): 10 pts for a community with <10% affordable housing meeting Housing 2030 Modest/Strategic Growth criteria; 7 pts for a community with >10% affordable housing meeting the same Growth criteria; 5 pts for a Continued Growth community with access to public water.

Community - Areas of Opportunity / HS Graduation Rate

3 pts

1 pt for location in a QCT and/or covered by a Concerted Community Revitalization Plan; plus up to 2 pts based on local high-school graduation rate versus the statewide 84% average (2 pts ≥92%, 1 pt 84-91.99%, 0 pts <84%).

Sustainability - Energy Star / RNC Tier II

3 pts

New construction achieving RI Energy's RNC Tier II and Energy Star 3.1 rev.11 (multifamily 1.1 rev.2) standards; substantial rehab achieving RNC Tier II; partial points (1-2) for Historic Mill rehab achieving Adaptive Reuse Program Levels 1-2.

Sustainability - All-Electric Construction

2 pts

2 pts for 100% electric systems and appliances meeting Design and Construction Standards energy-efficiency requirements.

Sustainability - Net Zero / Passive House

3 pts

Up to 3 pts for achieving RNC Tier III AND current Net Zero or Passive House (PHIUS) certification standards.

Sustainability - Onsite Solar / Renewables

3 pts

Tiered by coverage of the project's annual common-area/site electric load: 1 pt for ≤50% coverage, 2 pts for ≥100% coverage, 3 pts for a system sized to create a net-zero development.

Sustainability - Preservation of Greenfields

3 pts

3 pts for a development that avoids destruction of fields/forests/agricultural/environmentally sensitive land, and/or a cluster development conserving >50% of the land.

Negative Points (Prior LIHTC Performance Penalties)

-20 (four -5 pt deductions) pts

Up to -5 pts each (max -20) assessed for: (a) higher TDC/unit at prior deal's closing than at initial scoring (waived if offset by non-RIHousing/non-State gap funding); (b) higher LIHTC/unit at prior deal's closing than at initial scoring; (c) developer not closing a prior LIHTC transaction within 12 months of preliminary approval (exceptions for circumstances outside developer's control); (d) developer closing a prior project that received QAP-incentive points but omitting those scope items from final construction. A penalized applicant must still score at or above the lowest-scoring application in the funding round to remain eligible.

Scoring source

2026 RIHousing QAP (Developer's Handbook Section 7), Part III "LIHTC Review Criteria": Threshold Criteria at Part III.A (pp.27-31); Scoring/Point Allocation Summary table at Part III.B (p.32); detailed Scoring Assessment Criteria at Part III.C (pp.33-46, covering Financing pp.33-35, Incomes/Populations Served pp.35-37, Promoting RI Workforce/Permitting pp.38-39, Community pp.39-40, Sustainability pp.40-42, Negative Points p.41-42); Non-Profit Set-Aside at Part III.D (p.46); Assisted Living/Supportive Housing carve-outs at Part III.E-F (p.47); 4% vs. 9% scoring distinction at Part IV "Tax Exempt Financing with 4% Credit" (p.47).

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

RIHousing 2026 Developer's Handbook, Section 3.1 "Underwriting Guidelines and Development Standards," Chapter 1 - Underwriting Guidelines, §§1-25 (pp. 3-11) - specifically §11-13 Developer Fee (pp. 5-6), §21 Expense/Revenue Terms - vacancy & escalation (p. 8), §22 Required Development Reserves (pp. 8-9), §24.14 Debt Service Coverage (p. 10); plus the Program Bulletin in Handbook Section 9, "Developer Fee Policy," fee schedules, TDC caps, and "Operating Expense Ranges" (pp. 2-5). The QAP itself (Section 7 of the Handbook) states fees/allocation-pool figures directly (Part I.B p.8; Part VI "Fee Structure for LIHTC Proposals" pp.47-48) but for substantive underwriting parameters (DCR, vacancy, reserves, developer fee, escalation) explicitly incorporates by reference the Developer's Handbook at rihousing.com/developers-handbook (QAP Part V "Underwriting Guidelines," p.47) rather than restating them inline.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: not specified

2026 LIHTC Program Utility Allowance Schedule (RIHousing's own agency-estimate schedule, built on HUD Form 52667 / HUD USM format) ↗

RIHousing LIHTC Compliance Manual (Revised March 2021), "Utility Allowances" / "UA Calculation Methodologies," pp. 17-19, and appendix comparison chart "UTILITY ALLOWANCES" (cross-referencing Treas. Reg. 1.42-10 and the 8823 Guide, Ch. 18). The 2026 QAP itself only touches UAs once, as a recordkeeping item in Section VII, Compliance Monitoring (p. 49: owner must retain "the applicable utility allowance" documentation) and points to this Compliance Manual for detail.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for Rhode Island

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 7RIHousing's own gap sources, a reorganized agency, and a tax credit that already sunset PHASE 8One annual round, five threshold gates, and a rolling line for bonds PHASE 9A clock that starts at the reservation letter, not a fixed post-award calendar PHASE 10Construction standards, the in-state labor rules, and the road to Form 8609 PHASE 11Compliance monitoring, the mandatory Qualified Contract waiver, and Rhode Island's 30-year floor

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →