Income-based rent, explained
An affordable house in Taos is not a contradiction.
Affordable, income-based, income-restricted, tax-credit: different words for one promise. If your household qualifies, your rent is set below the market. At Taos Haus, that promise mostly comes with your own house attached.
How the program works here
Taos Haus takes part in the federal affordable-housing tax-credit program. In exchange, every one of the 30 homes rents below the market rate, with caps set by the program. There is no separate affordable section and no lottery: every floor plan is priced the same way, and rent is a fixed amount, not a percentage of what you earn.
Who qualifies
Eligibility comes down to your household, not your age or your job title. Your combined income must fall under limits HUD publishes each year for Taos County, and the limits rise with household size. Taos rents and home prices have climbed steeply, so plenty of teachers, tradespeople, artists, and hospital and resort workers qualify without realizing it. One call with a rough idea of your monthly income settles it, and applying is straightforward from there.
Housing Choice Vouchers are welcome
You do not need a Section 8 voucher to live at Taos Haus, because rents are already below market for everyone. If your household does have a Housing Choice Voucher, it is welcome here, and the office will gladly walk you through how the voucher and the tax-credit program work together.
What it costs
Current program rents start at $592 per month for a two-bedroom home and $681 for a three-bedroom home, by income tier. Compare that with what a detached house rents for on the open market in Taos and the difference is startling. Program rents adjust from time to time, so call the office to confirm today's exact rate and check availability while you are on the line.
Common questions about qualifying
Are the homes at Taos Haus really houses?
Yes. Twenty-four of the 30 homes are detached single-family houses: your own walls, your own front door, and no neighbors on the other side of the wall. The other six are rehabilitated homes with the same below-market rents. Very few rental communities anywhere can say that, and in Taos it is nearly unheard of.
Who can live at Taos Haus?
Everyone is welcome to apply. Taos Haus is an affordable community, so eligibility comes down to household income and size, nothing else. One quick call to the office is usually enough to know where your household stands.
What are the income limits?
Household income must fall below limits that HUD sets each year for Taos County. The limits scale with household size and change annually, so the surest way to know is to call with a rough idea of your monthly income. In a town where housing costs have climbed the way they have here, many working households are surprised to learn they qualify.
Affordable Homes · Taos, New Mexico
Come see it for yourself.
The best way to know if Taos Haus feels like home is to visit. Call us and we will answer your questions and set up a tour.