Industry-leading Online Training

NCHM has been the industry’s premier provider of training and certification in the classroom for nearly 50 years. In 2019, we added a key new benefit for our students – flexibility. Different people learn best in different ways and, now, you get to choose.

In 2019, we began offering our most highly sought-after certifications online, making earning these certifications more convenient and accessible to housing professionals across the country. Every online class covers the exact same material as in the classroom and is taught live by our most experienced instructors. Participants in online classes have the opportunity to interact with the instructor, just as they would in a physical classroom, getting answers in real-time to their most pressing questions, and the certification test is administered online, as well. This flexibility allows housing professionals to earn their certifications without leaving their desks or from home.

The same experienced instructors, same live interaction and feedback, at the same price – online and in the classroom.

Available Online Certifications

Certified Occupancy Specialist

Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) is the most widely-sought certification in the HUD affordable housing industry and has been the gold standard since 1981. The COS training is a comprehensive study of HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing guidelines and regulations set forth in HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 and subsequent notices, including rent calculation, eligibility, verification, recertification, tenant screening, and Fair Housing. The training program prepares students for the certification exam, which is administered immediately after the instruction when comprehension is the highest.

Management and Occupancy Review Specialist

Management and Occupancy Review Specialist (MORS) provides an in-depth understanding of the process used by HUD staff and Contract Administrators in conducting HUD-mandated Management and Occupancy Reviews (MOR). The training reviews MOR guidelines and regulations and their relevance to the MOR process and examines the common errors that lead to poor performance on MORs by both management staff and contract administrator staff. MORS is for property management, HUD, and contract administrator staff who want to understand the details of MOR and how they can be used to improve property performance and conditions.

Enterprise Income Verification Specialist

The use of HUD’s Enterprise Income Verification system (EIV) is mandatory for all HUD programs. NCHM’s Enterprise Income Verification Specialist (EIVS) covers everything you need to know about the HUD EIV system including its purpose, how it developed, how to sign up, how to maintain access, which reports are required, how to interpret reports, how to resolve any discrepancies and how to ensure the security of the data. 

Certified Voucher Specialist

Certified Voucher Specialist (CVS) provides training and certification for the HUD Housing Choice and Project-Based Voucher programs. The program incorporates HUD Handbook 7420.10G and numerous other Notices and Memos containing updated Rules and Regulations regarding occupancy guidance for the programs. Among the topics covered are eligibility, income and asset calculations, rent calculations, reexaminations, and applicable Fair Housing and Civil Rights obligations.

Tax Credit Specialist

NCHM is setting the standard for training and certification in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) world with our Tax Credit Specialist (TCS) program. TCS provides a thorough review of IRS regulations and guidance, including the IRS’s Guide for Completing Form 8823. The program also covers HUD Handbook 4350.3 guidance that pertains to LIHTC properties. Unlike programs offered by others, NCHM teaches and it certifies. Don’t make the mistake of getting your training from one source and taking your certification exam from another.

Blended Occupancy Specialist

Blended Occupancy Specialist (BOS) is a comprehensive study of the compliance challenges posed by “blended” sites – those properties receiving subsidies from multiple sources and/or financed through multiple programs. BOS focuses on where the rules overlap, where they differ, and how to steer a compliant path through it all.

Fair Housing Specialist

Fair Housing Specialist provides participants with a thorough understanding of requirements of the federal Fair Housing Act and other important Civil Rights statutes that pertain to Fair Housing compliance and it goes in depth in how to review the policy, practice and procedures of a property to identify and address any areas of concern. The training leads to a certification in fair housing.

Certified Manager of Maintenance

Certified Manager of Maintenance (CMM) teaches managers how to get the most out of a maintenance operation through careful planning and daily decision-making. CMM is designed for site level property managers, lead maintenance managers, and supervisory personnel.

Certified Financial Specialist

Certified Financial Specialist (CFS) teaches the nuts and bolts of property-level financial management; knowledge that is essential to the successful operation of any type of multi-family or senior housing. CFS approaches the subject in two ways. First, it teaches participants what basic financial statements mean and how to use them in the day-to-day management of a property. Secondly, CFS goes in-depth on the proper way to develop an annual budget, teaching the critical steps in creating a budget that is accurate, achievable, and effective.

Online Training Schedule