Compliance Specialist, Affordable Housing - Cortland Preston North

What You'll Actually Do

Affordable housing compliance is detail work that never really stops. At Cortland's Preston North property in Frisco, you'll own the compliance function for an affordable community, keeping files tight, rents and income limits current, and the property audit-ready at all times. That means LIHTC certifications, Project-Based Section 8 requirements, Tax-Exempt Bond covenants, and HOME program obligations are all in your lane. When agency reporting deadlines hit or an investor review comes up, you're the one with the answers.

On the leasing side, you'll guide income-qualified applicants through the additional verification steps that affordable programs require. The paperwork burden on prospective residents can feel significant, and your job is to move people through it accurately and without unnecessary friction. File accuracy matters here in ways that market-rate leasing rarely demands. One bad cert or a missed recertification can trigger findings that take months to resolve.

You'll also serve as the internal subject matter expert, which means training site staff on compliance requirements and flagging risks before they become audit findings. Maintaining solid working relationships with contract administrators, housing agencies, and syndicators is part of the role, not a side note.

What You Bring

• At least 3 to 5 years working specifically in affordable housing compliance, not general property management with some affordable exposure
• Solid LIHTC certification experience; familiarity with Project-Based Section 8, Tax-Exempt Bonds, and HOME is a real advantage
• Direct experience responding to agency file audits and physical inspections, including corrective action follow-through
• Ability to manage compliance reporting across multiple programs simultaneously without things slipping
• Strong documentation habits and the organizational discipline to keep tenant files, income data, and eligibility records accurate across every cycle
• Comfort working independently while staying connected to the onsite team and cross-functional partners

A Few Things Worth Knowing

Affordable compliance roles tend to attract candidates who either genuinely enjoy the regulatory side of housing or who find themselves in it by accident. The ones who do well long-term are usually the former. If you find satisfaction in a clean file, a passed audit, or catching a documentation gap before it becomes a finding, this kind of work suits you. The Texas affordable housing market has seen increased scrutiny on LIHTC properties in recent years, with state agencies paying closer attention to recertification timelines and income documentation standards. Coming in with audit experience and a methodical approach to file management matters more than it used to.

Cortland operates as a vertically integrated platform, which means you'll have internal resources and cross-functional support that smaller fee management shops typically can't offer. For someone in compliance, that usually translates to better systems access and more structured processes, though it also means your work feeds into investor and syndicator reporting with real visibility.