ServicesCounty DR-504AFH Filing
DR-504AFH County Filing for Davie Properties
Your Live Local Act eligibility becomes a real tax exemption only through the county DR-504AFH. Before anyone signs, we line up your rent roll, unit counts and FHFC certification, so the property appraiser gets an application that is consistent from start to finish.
What the DR-504AFH does, and when to file it
The DR-504AFH is the form a property owner files with the county property appraiser to claim the Live Local Act exemption on qualifying multifamily units. For a property in Davie, that office is the Broward County Property Appraiser. The form asks which units are held at affordable income and rent levels, and it must be paired with the certification issued by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
When these applications stall, the cause is usually small and upstream. A unit count that differs from the certification. A rent posted above the cap for a single month. An ownership entity that changed during a refinance. We look for that first, because a filing that agrees with itself is far easier for the county to approve.
If your FHFC certification is not yet issued, start with our FHFC Certification Filing service. The county filing comes after.
What our DR-504AFH filing includes
- 01
Certification cross-check
We compare your FHFC certification line by line with the parcel number, ownership entity and unit mix you intend to claim. Any mismatch is resolved before the county form is drafted.
- 02
Unit-by-unit income tiers
The statute separates units serving residents at the lower threshold, 80 percent of the area median income, from units that reach as high as 120 percent of it, and the exemption is applied differently to each group. We place every claimed unit in its proper group, so nothing is left off and nothing is claimed beyond what it supports.
- 03
Rent cap review
We check the rents actually charged against the limits the statute sets. A single unit priced above its cap can put that unit's exemption in question, so we find it now, not after the appraiser does.
- 04
Complete filing package
We prepare the DR-504AFH and assemble the supporting schedules in a clear, consistent order. You review the finished package and sign it with a full understanding of what it states.
- 05
Follow-up with the appraiser's office
If the county asks questions or requests additional records, we prepare the response with you and keep the answers consistent with the original filing.
Questions about County DR-504AFH Filing?
Call(954) 280-7558When a DR-504AFH filing is due
You have certification but no county filing
FHFC certification by itself does not lower your tax bill. The exemption takes effect only after the county receives and approves the DR-504AFH.
An earlier application was sent back
A denial or a request for more records usually signals one particular gap. We read the notice carefully and track it to its real cause before refiling.
The owner or entity is different now
A sale, a refinance into a new LLC or combined parcels can leave the certification and the county records listing different owners.
Rent roll and certification don't match
When your manager's unit counts differ from the certification, the appraiser will see it. It is better to sort it out quietly ahead of time.
No exemption appears on your tax notice
If the lower assessment you expected never showed up, the filing may be missing, incomplete or attached to the wrong parcel.
How a filing comes together
- 1
A short call
You call us and we run a free eligibility check: unit count, income tiers, certification status and the date you need to file by. You will know where you stand by the end of the conversation.
- 2
Document review
We meet by video or at our office and go through your certification, rent roll, leases and ownership records. Anything that does not line up is noted and explained in plain terms.
- 3
Reconcile and prepare
We resolve each discrepancy with you or your property manager, then draft the DR-504AFH and its schedules. You receive the full package to read before signing.
- 4
File and follow through
The signed application goes to the property appraiser, and we stay on it until the county responds. Once approved, we can carry the same records forward into Annual Recertification.
What drives the fee for a DR-504AFH filing
We do not charge a flat rate per form; the fee follows how much reconciling your records require. A clean rent roll paired with a recent certification goes quickly. During the call we can offer a free savings estimate along with the eligibility check, so you can compare the exemption's value with the work before you commit.
- How many units and parcels
- Each added unit brings more income tiers and rents to check. When a project covers several parcels, every parcel has to be tied to the right certification.
- State of your records
- Up-to-date leases and income records keep the review brief. Missing pieces send us back to the original documents, which takes longer.
- Past denials or ownership changes
- Refiling after a denial, or fixing records after an entity change, calls for more digging than a first filing.
- How close the deadline is
- An early start leaves time to fix issues properly. A tight schedule near the filing date packs the same work into fewer days.
Frequent DR-504AFH questions
What is the deadline for the DR-504AFH?
The county usually expects it by March 1 of the tax year being claimed, and eligibility is based on the property's status on January 1. We aim to file well before the deadline instead of counting on late-filing relief.
Must the FHFC certification come before the county filing?
Yes. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation certification goes with the county application, and the two must match. If you are still waiting on it, our FHFC Certification Filing service takes care of that step first.
Do we only file this once?
No. Every year the exemption is renewed with a fresh certification and county filing. Our Annual Recertification service handles that cycle, so this year's records carry over cleanly.
What if the appraiser turns the application down?
We go through the denial notice, identify the exact reason and explain it in plain terms. It is often a mismatch that can be fixed. Then we discuss your options and timing before the appeal window closes.
How do you verify resident incomes for the units we claim?
We look over the income records you already keep for each claimed unit. If any are thin or outdated, our Resident Income Verification service rebuilds them before the county filing is submitted.
Find out what your property qualifies for
A short phone call is enough to see whether your units, rents and certification support a DR-504AFH filing. We will tell you plainly what we find and what it would take to file correctly.