ServicesCounty DR-504AFH Filing
County DR-504AFH Filing in Boca Raton
The DR-504AFH is the county form that turns a Live Local certification into an actual tax break. We fill it out, match it to your rent roll and certification, file it with the property appraiser, and send you copies of every page and step.
What this filing is and when you need it
Under the Live Local Act, an eligible multifamily property can get a partial or full property tax exemption on its affordable units. Approval from Florida Housing Finance Corporation is only half the job. The exemption is claimed on the DR-504AFH, which goes to the county property appraiser. For a Boca Raton property, that means the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.
The form asks for the parcel, the units that qualify, the income band each unit serves, and the rent charged. Those numbers have to agree with your FHFC certification and your own records. When they do not line up, the appraiser can deny the claim or ask for more, and the deadline does not move.
We keep it simple. We tell you what we found in your records, what we changed, and what we filed. You get a copy or screenshot at each step, so you never have to guess where your application stands.
What we handle on the DR-504AFH
Record review
We go through your rent roll, lease terms and income files before we touch the form. If a unit does not qualify, we tell you plainly and leave it off.
Unit-by-unit schedule
We list each qualifying unit with its income band and rent. Units at the lower band and units at the higher band are treated differently, so we keep them separate and clear.
Matching the FHFC certification
The county looks for your FHFC certification with the return. We check that the parcel, unit count and owner name match across both, because small mismatches cause most delays.
Filing with the county
We file the completed DR-504AFH and its attachments with the property appraiser before the deadline. You get a copy of the full packet as filed, plus the county's confirmation.
Follow-up on questions
If the appraiser's office asks for more detail, we answer it and show you what they asked and what we sent back.
Signs it is time to get this filed
- You have FHFC certification but no exemption
- Certification alone does not lower the bill. If your tax notice still shows full value on the affordable units, the county return may never have been filed.
- The filing window is running out
- The county usually needs the return in hand by March 1 of the tax year you are claiming. Miss that date and the savings on those units can slide to the following year.
- Your unit mix changed
- New leases, rent increases and move-outs can push a unit in or out of eligibility. We build the return from the leases and rents actually in place for the year you are claiming, not from last year's list.
- A claim came back denied
- A denial usually points to a missing attachment or numbers that do not agree. We find the gap, show you what went wrong, and help you correct it.
- No one owns the paperwork
- If the filing has passed between a manager, an accountant and the owner, it is easy for it to fall through. One person handling it start to finish fixes that.
How the work goes
- 1
A quick phone call
Tell us about the building and how far along you are with FHFC. You get a free savings estimate and a frank view of whether the filing is worth doing.
- 2
Collecting the documents
You receive a simple list of what we need: the rent roll, the certification letter, parcel details and income records. We review them with you over phone or video, or at our office.
- 3
Checking and drafting
Each unit is tested against the rules, and then we draft the DR-504AFH. A marked-up copy shows you what we found and how every line was completed.
- 4
You sign, we file
After you review and sign, we file it with the county and send you the packet just as it went in, plus the confirmation.
What affects the cost
There is no single price for this filing because no two properties are the same. We look at the work involved and explain it before we start. You get your quote by phone, broken out so you can see what each part covers.
- Number of units
- More qualifying units means more lines to check against income and rent records.
- State of your records
- Clean, current rent rolls and income files move fast. Missing leases or old income checks take more time to sort out.
- Whether certification is done
- If you still need FHFC certification, that is separate work. We can handle it too under FHFC Certification Filing.
- Timing
- Starting well before the deadline leaves room to fix problems. A filing started late may need more hours in a short window.
Common questions about the DR-504AFH
- Do I need FHFC approval before filing?
- Yes. The property appraiser expects the FHFC certification letter to be attached to the county return. If it hasn't arrived yet, we handle that step first and then turn to the DR-504AFH.
- Is this a yearly filing?
- Yes. Each year the exemption is claimed again based on the units and rents in place at the time. Our Annual Recertification service covers that cycle, so the same records move forward.
- What if only some of my units qualify?
- The return lists only the units that qualify. We include those and explain why the rest were left out, so you know exactly what the exemption covers.
- How do I see what was filed?
- You receive copies of the drafts, the signed packet and the county's confirmation. If the appraiser raises a question, you see both the question and how we answered.
- Do you work on properties beyond Boca Raton?
- We do. Our clients include owners in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach and Coral Springs, among other towns. For Broward properties we file with that county's property appraiser in the same way.
See how much the exemption could save
Describe the building and the state of your paperwork. You will get a direct answer on whether filing the DR-504AFH this year makes sense.