ServicesExemption Applications
Davie Live Local Act Exemption Applications
Multifamily rental owners hire us to prepare their Live Local Act property tax exemption applications. We first pin down which units qualify and the reason for each, so the filing agrees with your rent roll and holds up under the property appraiser's review.
An application that starts with the right answer
The Live Local Act lets qualifying multifamily properties reduce or remove property taxes on units rented at set income and rent levels. The savings can be meaningful, but the exemption is only as good as the paperwork behind it. Unit counts, income limits, rent caps and certification steps all have to line up.
Most denied or reduced exemptions trace back to one early mistake: a unit counted that did not meet the rent limit, a stale income figure, or a missing certification. We look for those issues first. Once we know the true picture of your property, the filing itself becomes straightforward.
This page covers the exemption application as a whole. If you already know you need a single step, our pages on FHFC Certification Filing and County DR-504AFH Filing go into each one in more detail.
What the application work includes
Rent and income check for each unit
We read your rent roll line by line, setting each unit's rent and the resident's income beside the limits that apply. You see which units qualify, which miss and the reason behind every result.
Savings estimate
Using the qualifying units, we prepare a free savings estimate so you can judge whether the exemption is worth pursuing before any filing work begins.
Certification coordination
The exemption depends on certification from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. We assemble the supporting records and keep the certification request aligned with what will later go to the county.
County form preparation
We complete the DR-504AFH and its attachments for the Broward County Property Appraiser, matching every figure to the records used for the state approval.
A clear record of what was filed
You receive copies of everything filed, with notes explaining how each number was reached. That file makes Annual Recertification far easier next year.
Signs it is time to look at an exemption
- Rents already sit near the limits
- If many of your units rent at moderate levels, some may already qualify without any change to how you operate.
- A prior application was denied or reduced
- A denial usually has a specific cause. We find it and tell you plainly whether a corrected filing is likely to succeed.
- Your tax bill rose sharply
- A higher assessment is often the moment owners first ask whether the Live Local Act applies to them.
- Income records are incomplete
- If resident income files are old or inconsistent, the application will struggle. Our Resident Income Verification work can bring them current first.
- You are unsure who handles which step
- State certification and the county filing are separate. When ownership, management and accounting each assume someone else is covering it, deadlines slip.
How we work through an application
- 1
An unhurried first call
We talk through the property, its units and your current rents. You leave the call knowing whether a full review is worthwhile.
- 2
Document review at our office
You share the rent roll, leases and income records, and we review them at our office or with you by video. Every unit gets the same careful check.
- 3
Findings before filing
We walk you through what we found, including any units that do not qualify and why. Nothing is filed until you agree with the picture.
- 4
Certification and county filing
We prepare the certification materials and the county form, then file them in the right order and keep you informed at each stage.
- 5
Follow-up with the appraiser
If the property appraiser asks questions, we help you answer them with the records we already organized.
What goes into the price of an application
No two properties look alike, so we quote after the free eligibility check, not ahead of it. The price follows the hours needed to settle the eligibility question correctly and finish the filing. You get the cost in writing before any work begins.
- How many units you have
- Each added unit brings its own rent and income records, and we check them individually.
- The state of your files
- Current, well-organized records go fast. Gaps or stale income paperwork mean extra time spent verifying.
- Earlier filings
- Fixing an application that was denied means working out what went wrong, which is different work from a first filing.
- How close the deadline is
- Beginning well before the county filing window gives the review room to be thorough. A late start squeezes the same work into less time.
Questions owners ask about exemption applications
- Does every unit in my building need to qualify?
- No. The exemption is generally applied to the units that meet the income and rent requirements, along with the property-level thresholds in the statute. Our review shows exactly which units count, so you can see the effect on your taxes before deciding.
- What is the difference between FHFC certification and the county form?
- The Florida Housing Finance Corporation confirms that the units meet the program requirements. The DR-504AFH is the county-level request for the exemption itself, and it goes to the property appraiser's office. You need both, and the numbers in one have to agree with the other.
- Can you tell me if my property qualifies before I commit?
- Yes. The free eligibility check is a real look at your property, not a sales call. If the numbers do not support an exemption, we will say so.
- Do I need to apply again every year?
- The exemption has to be maintained each year with updated information. Our Annual Recertification service handles that, and the records from your first application make it simpler.
- Do you work with owners outside Davie?
- Yes. Owners in Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Fort Lauderdale and other nearby cities work with us in the same way Davie owners do. Document reviews and findings meetings run over video calls and the phone, so the distance to our office rarely matters.
Find out where your property stands
One brief call tells us whether the Live Local Act exemption suits your property. We review the facts before anything else and give you an honest answer.