STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

Virginia
QAP scoring guide.

Virginia Housing (formerly Virginia Housing Development Authority) · 2026 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Aug 20, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

33 categories

The QAP does not state a target score, but the companion 2026 Final Rankings (Board-approved, awarded scores) show actually-funded 9% applications scoring roughly 336 to 591 points across pools — e.g., funded scores of 336.64 and 391.27 in the Balance of State Pool, 424.75-495.07 in the Nonprofit Pool, up to 591.08 in the Northern Virginia New Construction Pool and 579.58 in the Richmond MSA Pool — well above the flat 300-point eligibility threshold, since Bonus Points (up to ~135 combined) and Housing Needs/Development Characteristics items routinely push competitive scores into the 400s-500s. Source: "2026 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program: Final Rankings" (Virginia Housing, board-approved), not the QAP itself.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

1. Readiness

10 pts

Written evidence satisfactory to Virginia Housing of unconditional local approval of the plan of development/site plan, or that such approval is not required.

2a. Locality Notification Compliance (penalty)

-50 pts

Applicant must timely submit the Locality Notification Information (LNI) form so Virginia Housing can solicit comment from the locality's chief executive; failure to make a timely submission triggers a 50-point penalty.

2b. Locality Opposition (penalty)

-25 pts

A formal opposition letter from the locality's chief executive (certifying zoning/land-use inconsistency, accompanied by a Fair-Housing-compliant legal opinion) triggers a 25-point penalty.

2c. Revitalization Area / QCT / Tribal Land Location

15 pts

Up to 15 points for development location in a qualified census tract or city/county-designated redevelopment/conservation/rehab area (10 pts); a resolution-designated revitalization area, local housing rehabilitation zone, funded opportunity zone, community revitalization plan area, or Tribal Nation-owned land (each 15 pts). Only the single highest-applicable category counts — not cumulative.

2d. Local Waiting-List Leasing Preference

5 pts

Commitment (for non-project-based-assistance deals) to give leasing preference to households on local public housing or Section 8 waiting lists, with notification of unit availability to the relevant administrator.

2e. Local Subsidy / Below-Market Financing Leverage

60 pts

2 points for each 1% that a binding non-Virginia-Housing funding source, donated land/buildings, tap-fee waivers, or below-market-rate loans/land leases represent of total development cost, capped at 60 points; any points awarded under category 2f reduce this cap in equal measure.

2f. New HUD/RD Project-Based Voucher Subsidy

40 pts

5 points per new HUD or Rural Development project-based voucher, capped at 40 points; available only when competing in the New Construction or Northern Virginia pool; reduces the 2e cap dollar-for-dollar in points.

2g. Real Estate Tax Abatement

5 pts

Development will receive a real estate tax abatement on the increase in value resulting from the development.

2h. At-Risk HUD/RD Preservation

20 pts

Development currently subject to HUD Section 8/236 or RD 515 at the time of application, where the applicant has no common ownership interest with the current owner and waives acquisition-related developer fees.

2i. Low Poverty-Rate Census Tract

30 pts

Development (elderly or family) located in a census tract with <3.0% poverty rate (30 pts), <10% poverty rate (25 pts), or <12% poverty rate (20 pts), per Census Bureau data.

2j. Rural Development Top-25 High-Priority Rehab List

15 pts

Development is listed among Rural Development's top 25 high-priority-for-rehabilitation developments at the time of application.

2k. Increasing Rent-Burdened-Population Pool / Additional Rental Space

20 pts

Up to 20 points for new construction, adaptive reuse, or rehab-adding-units located in a pool the Authority has identified as having an increasing rent-burdened population; 0 points if competing in the At-Large pool (and, per 2026 award-data notes, these points are removed entirely for At-Large-pool scoring).

2l. Economic Development Activity Area

5 pts

Location within an area the Executive Director designates (via an annually published guidance document, using data such as per-capita job creation) as having medium or high levels of economic development activity.

3a. Development Amenities Package

See criteria

A menu of construction/amenity features available to any application, each independently scored (no single stated combined cap): community/meeting room ≥749 sf (5 pts); brick or approved low-maintenance exterior cladding, up to 20 pts scaled to % of exterior wall coverage (max 50% coverage counted); fiber cement board cladding, independently up to another 20 pts on the same scale; DBHDS behavioral-health design standards (10 pts); WaterSense-only bathroom fixtures (3 pts, if not already earning green-certification points); free individual high-speed internet in every unit (15 pts); bath-fan delayed timer/continuous ERV exhaust (3 pts) plus humidistat (3 pts); kitchen fire-suppression features (2 pts); rehab dehumidification rough-in (2 pts) or fully installed dehumidification, rehab or new construction (5 pts); solid-core interior doors (3 pts); USB charging ports in kitchen/living room/bedrooms (1 pt); LED kitchen lighting (2 pts); new-construction-only balcony/patio ≥30 sq ft (4 pts); renewable energy electric system (10 pts); rehab high-speed internet/broadband infrastructure (5 pts).

3a(2). Elderly-Specific Amenities

5 pts

For developments electing to serve elderly tenants: front-control cooking ranges (1 pt), independent/supplemental bathroom heat source (1 pt), dual-height entry-door eye viewers (1 pt), hallway entry shelf/ledge outside each unit (2 pts).

3b. Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Eligibility

5 pts

Structure is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (or in a certified historic district) and the rehabilitation will be completed to qualify for historic rehabilitation tax credits.

3c. Accessible/Section 504 Units Marketed to Persons with Disabilities

20 pts

At least 10% of units conform to HUD Section 504 accessibility regulations and are actively marketed to persons with disabilities under an application-approved marketing plan.

3d. Transit Proximity

20 pts

10 points if within 1/2 mile of existing/planned commuter rail, light rail, or subway, or 1/4 mile of a public bus stop; increases to 20 points if the development is ranked in the Northern Virginia or Tidewater MSA pool (per 2026 award-data notes, reduced to 10 points in the At-Large pool regardless of location).

3e. Green Building Certification / Zero Energy Ready / Passive House

20 pts

10 points (not cumulative with itself) for committing to EarthCraft Gold-or-higher, USGBC LEED, National Green Building Standard Silver-or-higher, or Enterprise Green Communities certification beyond the mandatory Energy Star/HERS baseline; plus a separate, cumulative 10 points awarded on an applicant's future applications where a principal has a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home or Passive House Institute-certified project elsewhere in Virginia.

3f. Universal Design Features

15 pts

15 points if all units in an elderly development meet Virginia Housing's universal design standard (architect must be on the certified Universal Design architect list); prorated by the percentage of qualifying units for non-elderly developments.

3g. Smaller Development Size

20 pts

20 points for developments producing 50 or fewer low-income housing units, declining 0.4 points for each additional unit down to 0 points at 100 or more low-income units.

3h. Combination 9%/4% Bond Development

15 pts

10 points if the larger combined development (same/contiguous site, part of a common plan) totals more than 100 but fewer than 150 units with ≥30% tax-exempt-bond financed units; 15 points if it totals ≥150 units with ≥30% bond-financed units. Requires a pre-application meeting with Virginia Housing staff to review both financing pieces.

4. Tenant Population Characteristics (Family-Friendly Unit Mix)

30 pts

15 base points for committing to a children's-family leasing preference in a development capping 1-bedroom-or-smaller units at ≤20% of total units; plus 0.75 points for each percentage point of low-income units with 3+ bedrooms, up to 15 additional points (30-point combined cap).

5a. Veteran-Owned/Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned Business Contracts

10 pts

Sliding scale for contracting with a certified VOSB/service-disabled-veteran-owned business for qualifying roles (application consulting, ongoing dev services, GC, architect, property manager, accounting, or legal): 5 points for one contract, 7 for two, 10 for three or more.

5b. VOSB-Certified Controlling Principal

30 pts

Applicant has at least one principal with ≥25% ownership interest in the controlling GP/MM who holds an individual VOSB certification.

5c. Compliance/Performance History (penalties)

See criteria

Negative points assessed for a principal's prior record in Virginia Housing-financed developments: uncorrected life-threatening HUD UPCS hazard (-50 pts, 3 yrs); IRS Form 8823-reported noncompliance not timely corrected or uncured extended-use violation (-15 pts, 3 yrs, waivable for compliance training in some cases); failure to build as represented in the application (-2x the item's points, or -50 per unmet minimum requirement, 3 yrs); reservation terminated by the Authority (-10 pts, 3 yrs); management company rated unsatisfactory used or previously used (-25 pts); final cost certification ≥5.0% over the applicable cost limit (-50 pts, 3 yrs, waivable for documented extenuating circumstances); more than two final-inspection requests on a prior credit development (-5 pts, 2 yrs).

6. Efficient Use of Resources (Credits-per-Unit Efficiency)

100 pts

100 points multiplied by the percentage by which the development's requested per-low-income-unit credit amount is below Virginia Housing's standard per-unit-type credit benchmark; symmetric negative points are assessed if the requested amount exceeds the standard (uncapped downside).

7a. Deep Income Targeting (Bonus)

70 pts

Up to 50 points (100 × % of units both rent-restricted to and occupied at ≤50% AMGI) plus up to 10 more points for units further restricted to ≤30%/40% AMGI, plus up to 10 more points for unsubsidized units further restricted to ≤30% AMGI (up to ~70 combined). Mutually exclusive with category 7b.

7b. Deep Rent Targeting (Bonus)

50 pts

Up to 25 points (50 × % of units rent-restricted to ≤50% AMGI) plus up to 10 more points for units further restricted to ≤30%/40% AMGI (up to 35 total); doubled and capped at 50 points for developments in Virginia Housing-designated 'low-income jurisdictions.' Mutually exclusive with category 7a.

7c. Extended Affordability Beyond 30-Year Compliance Period (Bonus)

70 pts

40 points for committing to 10 additional years of affordability beyond the standard 30-year extended-use period, or 70 points for committing to 20 additional years. Mutually exclusive with category 7d.

7d. Nonprofit/LHA Right of First Refusal (Bonus)

65 pts

60 points for a qualifying local housing authority or nonprofit (≥10% GP/MM interest) receiving an executed, recorded right of first refusal/purchase option to buy the development at the end of the 15-year compliance period for no more than outstanding debt and exit taxes; plus 5 more points if that entity also submits an approved homeownership resale plan. Mutually exclusive with category 7c.

7e. RAD/PBV Conversion (Bonus, LHA Pool only)

10 pts

10 points for developments in the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program or another approved conversion to project-based vouchers/rental assistance, competing in the Local Housing Authority pool, with proof of a CHAP or RAD conversion commitment.

7f. Electronic Payment Commitment (Bonus)

5 pts

5 points for committing to submit all payments due to Virginia Housing (reservation fees, monitoring fees, etc.) electronically.

Scoring source

QAP 13VAC10-180-60(E), "Review and selection of applications; reservation of credits" (2026 QAP PDF, pp.12-19), further explained/operationalized in the 2026 Virginia Housing Tax Credit Manual §§6.7-6.13 (pp.35-59): 6.7 Project Readiness, 6.8 Housing Needs Characteristics, 6.9 Development Characteristics, 6.10 Tenant Characteristics, 6.11 Sponsor Characteristics, 6.12 Efficient Use of Resources, 6.13 Bonus Point Items.

WHEN SCORES ARE CLOSE

Tie-breakers

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

Highest combined Bonus Points sub-score wins (QAP §E7 / Manual §6.13)
Still tied: Executive Director breaks it by lot (random drawing)

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

Numeric underwriting parameters (DCR, vacancy, reserves, opex floor, escalation, developer fee formulas) are set in the companion 2026 Virginia Housing Tax Credit Manual, §6.3 "Reservation Specifications" (pp.20-22), §6.4 "Developer Fee Calculation" (pp.22-23), and §5.1 "Minimum Program Requirements" (pp.16-18) — not spelled out numerically in the QAP itself. The QAP (13VAC10-180-60, subsections I and J, pp.20-22 of the QAP PDF) authorizes the Executive Director to set and apply these feasibility criteria "as indicated on the application form, instructions, or other communication available to the public," which is why the Manual is the operative source for the numbers.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: local_pha

Virginia Housing Utility Allowance Schedules (Housing Choice Voucher schedules, by number of exposed walls) ↗

Virginia Housing, "Utility Allowance Options and Procedures" (Updated April 2022), published under Compliance Monitoring — not codified in the QAP itself (13VAC10-180) or the 2026 Federal Housing Tax Credit Manual, neither of which addresses UA methodology beyond generically requiring a utility allowance deduction from gross rent (Manual §5.1.4).

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for Virginia

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 7Capital stack and soft money PHASE 8Application assembly and submission PHASE 9Post-award readiness clock PHASE 10Construction, cost certification, and the road to Form 8609 PHASE 11Compliance, Year 15, and Virginia's 30-year floor — not 55

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →