The National Affordable Housing Management Association is the leading voice for affordable housing management, advocating on behalf of multifamily property managers and owners whose mission is to provide quality affordable housing. As an advocate for professional standards for affordable housing providers, NAHMA holds a unique position in the industry.
Managers, owners and industry stakeholders join NAHMA because it is essential to their business. They rely on NAHMA for representation in Washington, invaluable professional education, information, networking and opportunities for one-on-one dialogue with federal and state agencies impacting the industry.
For more information on how to join NAHMA, please visit our Membership page.
For more details on NAHMA’s Affordable Housing Vanguard Award, for properties too new to meet the requirements of the Communities of Quality Recognition program, please click here.
Get recognized as a Community of Quality® through NAHMA’s National Recognition and Awards Program
Affordable housing providers who create safe, attractive, well-maintained properties that are neighborhood assets deserve to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. That’s why the National Affordable Housing Management Association created the Communities of Quality® (COQ) National Recognition and Awards program. When your property meets NAHMA’s high standards in physical maintenance, financial management, programs and services, employee credentials and other criteria, it becomes a member of an elite group. COQ properties qualify for regional and national awards, a listing in an online registry of the country’s top affordable properties, and the use of COQ marketing materials. See below for participation and program details.
How to get involved in the Communities of Quality (COQ) program
APPLY: Visit the National Recognition Program page for a COQ recognition program application, as well as electronic (scanning) submission guidelines, video tutorial, frequently asked questions and additional program information.
PROMOTE: A complete COQ Welcome kit will be mailed to the property contact, and congratulatory letters will be mailed to representatives at the management company and owner. The Welcome Kit will contain a sample press release, draft letters to congressional representatives, and details on COQ promotional products such as banners and signs – all helpful in celebrating your significant accomplishment as a Community of Quality! A key way to promote your property is with a COQ Digital Smart Badge – see below for more details!
AWARDS: NAHMA’s annual national COQ awards contest entry form is posted by June each year at https://www.nahma.org/awards-contests/communities-of-quality/awards. Eligible properties that have not yet won a national COQ award are welcome to re-enter the contest each year; however, previous national award winners are not eligible to re-compete.
CORPORATE PARTNER: Management companies that have at least 50 percent of their property portfolio accepted into the COQ National Recognition program qualify for the Communities of Quality® Corporate Partner Designation. This designation was created specifically to honor management companies that successfully maintain a significant portion of their properties to the high standards of the COQ National Recognition program. Click here for full details.
RENEW: Don’t let your valuable accomplishment expire – renew your COQ recognition every two years by submitting the renewal application posted to the National Recognition Program page.
For more details, contact Paulette Washington at pwashington@nahma.org or 703-683-8630, ext. 110.
National COQ Recognition Program
Through the Communities of Quality® (COQ) National Recognition program, multifamily properties can be certified as having achieved a high standard of excellence in the way they are managed, the services they provide residents, the experience and training of personnel, and other criteria. Please click here for complete program details; key documents are listed below for your convenience.
*NAHMA only accepts electronic submissions of the COQ application. Please refer to Electronic Submissions Guidelines below for instructions on submitting an electronic application. Please email Paulette Washington at NAHMA with any questions you may have.
Participants in NAHMA’s COQ National Recognition program may highlight their accomplishments through the use of Digital Smart Badges on their properties’ websites, enabling web visitors to see, and validate, their COQ national recognition status through a simple “click and verify” process. This allows visitors to trust that they are actually viewing the website of a NAHMA recognized COQ participant. When a website visitor clicks on one of the COQ Smart Badges, they will be seamlessly directed to a page on the NAHMA website, which will instantly validate the COQ status of the property. Once this is complete, the visitor can return to the property website by a simple click from the verification page. In addition to the “click and verify” aspect of the Digital Smart Badges, each badge also contains a dynamic date, so that the current date is always reflected on the Smart Badge – again allowing visitors to trust that the certification they are viewing is currently in effect. And most importantly, the Digital Smart Badges can’t be copied by unauthorized users and placed on unapproved websites, since it takes a two-step process administered through NAHMA for the Smart Badge verification process to work.
Important Notes: –The Corporate Partner Digital Smart Badge may only be used by management companies designated by NAHMA as COQ Corporate Partners, and is available to these companies for free. –The COQ Property Digital Smart Badge may be used on the webpage of any Nationally Recognized COQ Property, and is available for free for the first year (thereafter, a nominal fee of $15 for digital badge administration will be charged to properties that are not Corporate Partner properties). Corporate Partner COQ properties may always use the COQ Property Smart Badge for free.
National COQ Registry
The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is pleased to provide a database of Communities of Quality® (COQ) properties. This is a great tool to use when trying to locate a nationally recognized Communities of Quality property. You are able to search the COQ database by city, state, property name, or management company.
The Communities of Quality Awards honor the achievements of affordable housing providers who make an unprecedented contribution to developing outstanding properties for families of modest means. The awards are co-sponsored by HD Supply™ Multifamily Solutions, a leading supplier of maintenance and renovation products to the multihousing industry, and Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, a leading provider of consulting and development services to public housing authorities and HUD’s Section 8 PBCA for Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia and Connecticut.
The COQ awards recognize outstanding property-management companies that demonstrate the highest possible quality of safe, affordable housing for lower-income families at particular sites. For complete program details, please visit the Communities of Quality Awards page; a key document is listed below for your convenience.
COQ Corporate Partners
Management companies that have at least 50 percent of their property portfolio accepted into the COQ National Recognition program qualify for the Communities of Quality® Corporate Partner Designation. The portfolio calculation can be based on either number of units or number of properties managed in the company’s affordable portfolio and is self-reported. This designation was created specifically to honor management companies that successfully maintain a significant portion of their properties to the high standards of the COQ National Recognition program. Click here for full details.
NEW! Once You’ve Become a COQ Corporate Partner – Promote it with a Unique Digital Smart Badge!
The Corporate Partner Digital Smart Badge may only be used by management companies designated by NAHMA as COQ Corporate Partners, and is available to these companies for free. The COQ Property Digital Smart Badge may be used on the webpage of any Nationally Recognized COQ Property, and is available for free for the first year (thereafter, a nominal fee of $15 for digital badge administration will be charged to properties that are not Corporate Partner properties). Corporate Partner COQ properties may always use the COQ Property Smart Badge for free.
NAHMA Communities of Quality® (COQ) Process Flowchart
® Communities of Quality is Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Disclaimer: Properties that meet the COQ National Recognition criteria may hold themselves forth to the public as such. However, NAHMA and the AHMAs do not assume and hereby disclaim any and all liability to any person or entity for any claims, damages, liability or other loss including, without limitation, any liability for injury or other damage resulting from any use of or reliance on the information provided through the COQ National Recognition and Awards Program. NAHMA and the AHMAs do not make any express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever, or in any way, regarding the properties listed as COQ National Recognition or Award Winners.
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