income-based rents. The PHA rent policies may provide for depositing a portion of tenant rent in an escrow or savings account, for imposing a ceiling on tenant rents, for adoption of permissive income deductions (see § 5.611(b) of this title), or for another reasonable system to determining the amount of income-based tenant rent.
(3) The income-based tenant rent must not exceed the total tenant payment (§ 5.628 of this title) for the family minus any applicable utility allowance for tenant-paid utilities. If the utility allowance exceeds the total tenant payment, the PHA shall pay such excess amount (the utility reimbursement) either to the family or directly to the utility supplier to pay the utility bill on behalf of the family.
(4) The PHA may elect to establish policies regarding the frequency of utility reimbursement payments for payments made to the family.
(i) The PHA will have the option of making utility reimbursement payments not less than once per calendar-year quarter, for reimbursements totaling $45 or less per quarter. In the event a family leaves the program in advance of its next quarterly reimbursement, the PHA must reimburse the family for a prorated share of the applicable reimbursement. PHAs exercising this option must have a hardship policy in place for tenants.
(ii) If the PHA elects to pay the utility supplier, the PHA must notify the family of the amount of utility reimbursement paid to the utility supplier.
(d) Ceiling rent. A PHA using ceiling rents authorized and established before October 1, 1999, may continue to use ceiling rents, provided such ceiling rents are set at the level required for flat rents under this section. PHAs must follow the requirements for calculating and adjusting flat rents in paragraph (b) of this section when