# Senior Affordable Housing in Texas: 55+, 62+ and Costs > How 55+ and 62+ rules work, Section 202 vs tax credit senior units, who can live with you, and how to compare rent and services before you apply. URL: https://incomerestrictedapartments.com/guide/senior-affordable-vs-standard-income-restricted-units/ Phone: +1 (888) 411-4403 Plain answers backed by official sources # Senior housing options in Texas: age rules, programs, household members and cost See how 55+ and 62+ rules work and how subsidized senior housing differs from a tax credit unit with an age rule. Then compare costs before you apply. [How we check our information](/editorial-standards/). Before you apply, confirm application status and unit details with the property or agency. ## The short answer “Senior housing” isn’t one program. An age rule says who can live in the unit. A subsidy program says how your rent is set. A community can have one, both or neither. So ask two questions at every property: what age rule applies, and what program sets the rent? We look at which program applies at each community and whose age has to meet it. Management makes the final call on your household. ## How 55+ and 62+ rules work Federal fair housing rules let some housing limit who lives there by age. There are two common kinds, and they work differently. - 55+ housing: at least 80% of the occupied units need at least one resident who is 55 or older. See [24 CFR 100.305](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-B/chapter-I/part-100/subpart-E/section-100.305). The community has to publish policies too, showing it intends to house older persons. - 62+ housing: the housing is meant for, and occupied only by, people who are 62 or older. See [24 CFR 100.303](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-B/chapter-I/part-100/subpart-E/section-100.303). The rule has narrow exceptions, such as certain employees who manage or maintain the property. In 55+ housing, having one resident who’s 55 or older doesn’t settle everything. A percentage rule doesn’t automatically give a particular younger applicant a right to a unit. The community still decides how its written policy applies to your household. ## Subsidized senior housing vs a tax credit unit with an age rule [HUD’s senior housing program overview](https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners/multifamily-housing-for-seniors-and-persons-with-disabilities) covers specific kinds of rental assistance. HUD’s [Section 202 program](https://archives.hud.gov/progdesc/2eldrl14.cfm) pays for rental housing run by nonprofit sponsors. A household can live there if at least one member is 62 or older when the household moves in. The household has to meet the other rules too. HUD [describes Section 202 residents](https://archives.hud.gov/news/2021/pr21-156.cfm) as very low income, earning less than 50 percent of the area median income. With this kind of assistance, your share of the rent is usually based on your income. A private tax credit community with an age requirement works another way. It may have a fixed restricted rent set by the program’s limits, not by your income. It has its own application and its own waiting list, if it has one. [Learn what tax credit apartments do and don’t do.](/guide/what-are-lihtc-tax-credit-apartments/) So ask management to name the program. Don’t compare properties by their marketing labels. ## Tell us about everyone who’ll live with you List every person who will live in the unit. That includes a younger spouse, an adult family member, a child or a live-in aide. We ask each community how its written policy treats them. - In 62+ housing, the age rule covers every resident, apart from the narrow exceptions in the rule. - In 55+ housing, the community decides how its own policy treats a younger household member. - In Section 202 housing, the age rule looks at one household member when you first move in. - For a live-in aide, ask how the program and the property handle the request. If you need an accommodation for a disability, ask through the provider’s process. Don’t decide on your own that the age label rules it out. ## Compare the rent, the costs and the services An age restriction doesn’t mean a community provides nursing, personal care, transportation or meals. Ask what services they have, whether each one is optional and what each one costs. - Rent: is there a fixed restricted rent, or is your share of the rent based on income? - Utilities: which ones do you pay, and which charges cost extra? - Services: what’s included, what’s optional and what isn’t offered? - Cost to move in: what are the application fee, deposit and any required charges? - Timing: is it a unit available now, a waiting list or an agency referral? Keep your own spending budget separate from the income the program counts. [Use the budget guide for fixed incomes.](/guide/ssi-ssdi-renters-and-property-income-minimums/) For a tax credit unit, the [income limit comparison](/tools/ami-eligibility-estimator/) shows which published table you may fall under. It’s a first check, not an approval. Section 202 and other assisted housing use their own limits. ## Check the actual unit Look at the unit you’d rent, not the floor plan in an ad. Check the entrance, the route to the apartment, the bathroom, the doors and anything else you need every day. Ask about daily travel too, such as the bus stop, the pharmacy and the clinic. [HUD and DOJ’s guidance](https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/huddojstatement.pdf) explains reasonable accommodations. [Our accessible housing guide](/guide/accessible-disability-income-restricted-housing/) can help you plan the rest of the search. ## A general community may be worth a look too Put a general occupancy unit through the same checks. Whether a unit fits you depends on the unit, not the age of the other residents. A general community can have accessible units too. Ask about the actual features, ongoing costs and daily travel you need. ## What to confirm before you spend money - Ask management to name the program and the age rule in writing. - Ask what proof of age they need, and for whom. - Get the fee schedule and ask what the rent includes. - Ask how to apply, and whether it’s a unit available now or a waiting list. - If you apply to an assisted senior list and a privately run property, keep the applications separate. We look at each community’s criteria and occupancy rules before you apply. The fees and the application decision stay with the property. ## Where to go next - [Compare senior income restricted housing in our five Texas cities](/senior-income-restricted-housing/) - [Ask us for help with a community search](/find-housing/) - [Find city and statewide assistance contacts](/texas-housing-assistance/) ## Want help finding a community? Tell us where you want to live, your budget and what your household needs. We’ll help you sort out where to apply, and the property or agency makes the final call on approval. [Help Me Pick a Community](/find-housing/)