Fort Myers Live Local Act Exemption Help That Stays Current Year to Year
We help owners of rental properties win the Live Local Act property tax exemption and keep it. Our work covers FHFC certification filing, the county DR-504AFH, resident income verification and annual recertification, all run on a steady schedule for properties in Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Cypress Lake and the surrounding area.
- Eligibility check by phone
- Savings estimate in one call
- Meetings by phone or video
- Honest answers on fit
Filings and Upkeep for Live Local Properties
The exemption is not a one-time form. It rests on a state certification, a county application and rent and income records that have to stay in order for every qualifying unit. We prepare the first live local act exemption application, then keep the pieces current so the savings carry into the next tax year and the one after. Pick one service or let us handle the whole cycle through ongoing compliance support.
Exemption Applications
We check whether your rental property qualifies, gather the unit and rent records, and prepare the Live Local Act exemption application from start to finish.
FHFC Certification Filing
We prepare your Florida Housing Finance Corporation certification and send it to the agency so the county can approve your Live Local Act exemption.
County DR-504AFH Filing
We prepare the DR-504AFH for the property appraiser, tie it to your FHFC certification and unit list, and file before the county deadline.
Annual Recertification
We handle the yearly FHFC certification and county filing that keep your Live Local Act exemption in place, with rent and income checks done first.
Resident Income Verification
We verify and document resident incomes for set-aside units, then help your staff keep those files current so the exemption holds up year after year.
Ongoing Compliance Support
Year-round upkeep for an approved Live Local exemption: rent limit checks, lease reviews, organized files and reminders before each filing.
Why Owners Keep Us on the Calendar
Most exemption problems we see are not about eligibility. They come from a missed renewal, a stale rent roll or a resident file nobody updated.
We plan for year two on day one
When we set up your first filing, we also build the schedule for annual recertification. You know which documents we will need and roughly when, long before a deadline is close.
An honest read on whether it pays
Some properties qualify but save less than owners expect, and some miss on unit mix. Your free eligibility check tells you which situation you are in before you spend time gathering paperwork.
Records kept the way reviewers read them
We organize rent rolls, unit designations and resident income files so they line up with what the FHFC and the property appraiser actually ask for. Clean records make each renewal faster than the last.
Small issues caught early
A rent that drifts above the limit for its income tier or a lease renewal without updated income documentation can quietly put a unit at risk. Our periodic check-ins look for those gaps while they are still easy to fix.
No office visit required
We work from our office and meet you by phone or video, so property managers and owners can share records and get answers without driving anywhere.
How Working With Us Goes
The steps are the same whether you own one building or several, and you always know which one we are on.
- 1
Review call
We ask about unit count, current rents and how residents' incomes are documented. By the end you have a sense of eligibility and likely savings.
- 2
Record gathering
We send you a specific list of what we need and help your manager pull it together. Gaps get flagged right away, not at the deadline.
- 3
State and county filings
We prepare your request to the FHFC and, after the state signs off on the property, the DR-504AFH application for the property appraiser. We check that unit numbers and rents match across both.
- 4
Upkeep through the year
After approval we stay on the schedule: resident income checks at move-in and renewal, rent limit updates when new figures are published, and recertification prep each year.
Properties We Serve Around Fort Myers
We work with rental property owners throughout Fort Myers and Lee County, including Villas, Gateway, Lochmoor Waterway Estates, Tice, Whiskey Creek, Buckingham, Pine Manor, North Fort Myers, San Carlos Park and Cypress Lake. Because meetings happen by phone or video, distance is never a hurdle. We prepare DR-504AFH filings with the Lee County Property Appraiser's expectations in mind, which helps your application arrive complete.
- Fort Myers
- Villas
- Gateway
- Lochmoor Waterway Estates
- Tice
- Whiskey Creek
- Buckingham
- Pine Manor
- North Fort Myers
- San Carlos Park
- Cypress Lake
If your property sits elsewhere in Florida, give us a call and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
About Our Practice
We are a small consulting practice in Fort Myers focused on one thing: helping owners of affordable rental units claim the Live Local Act exemption and keep it. We know the paperwork can feel like a second job layered on top of running a property, and we try to make it the least stressful part of your year.
Our approach is maintenance, not rescue. The exemption is easiest to keep when someone checks rents, income files and deadlines on a regular rhythm, the same way you would service a building system before it fails. That steady attention is what we offer.
- Certifications
- Filings prepared for about 100 Florida properties
What Shapes the Cost of Our Work
Our fee depends on how much preparation your property needs, not on a fixed package. A tidy building with a current rent roll takes far less time than one where files have to be rebuilt. We walk you through the drivers on the first call.
Every engagement starts with a free savings estimate and eligibility check by phone. We explain our fee in plain terms before you decide anything.
- Number of qualifying units
- More set-aside units means more rent checks, more income files and a longer unit schedule on each filing.
- Income tiers in play
- Units at different area median income levels are treated differently for the exemption. Mixing tiers adds review time to confirm each unit is classified correctly.
- Condition of your records
- Current leases, rent ledgers and resident income documentation keep things moving. Missing or outdated files have to be collected and verified first.
- Starting fresh or renewing
- In the opening year we build your record system and prepare the state request and the county form from scratch. Later years reuse that groundwork, so renewals tend to go quicker.
- Timing against deadlines
- Starting well ahead of the FHFC and county filing dates leaves room to fix problems calmly. Work compressed into the final weeks takes more coordination.
What Owners Ask Us Most
Will my property qualify for the Live Local Act exemption?
That comes down to the number of units set aside for residents at qualifying incomes, what those units rent for and how big the property is overall. The rules are detailed, so looking at your rent roll gives a much better answer than any general guideline. That is just what our free eligibility check does.
When are the filings due?
The state's deadline for requesting FHFC certification falls at the start of the year, and the DR-504AFH application is due to the county property appraiser by March 1. We begin well in advance so nothing gets rushed.
Is a filing really needed every year?
Yes. Both the certification and the exemption apply to one tax year at a time, so the property must show each year that it still meets the rules. For that reason we plan annual recertification into the work from day one.
What might the exemption save us?
The savings turn on your assessed value, millage and the number of units in each income tier. We can't name a figure before we see your numbers, but the free savings estimate gives you a realistic range to compare with the work involved.
Which records will you ask us for?
Usually a current rent roll, lease details for the set-aside units and income papers for the residents in them. If something is incomplete, we help you rebuild it in an order that meets the deadline.
What if a unit falls out of compliance partway through the year?
Caught early, it can usually be fixed, for instance by changing the rent at renewal or bringing a resident's income file up to date. Our ongoing compliance support is designed to find those problems before they show up in a filing.
Do we need to visit your office?
Only if you want to. Most clients never come in; we talk by phone or video call. Your manager can send records in whatever way is simplest for them.
Find Out Where Your Property Stands
A short call tells you whether you likely qualify, what the exemption could be worth and what keeping it would involve. There is no cost and no obligation.