The definitions of this section shall apply to all activities conducted pursuant to this chapter. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, or unless the context requires otherwise, the definitions contained in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 50050) of Part 1 shall also apply to this chapter.

(a)  “Affordable rent” shall be established by the department to be consistent with the rent limitations imposed by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, as administered by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

(b)  “Assisted unit” means a unit that is affordable to a lower income household as a result of a loan provided pursuant to this chapter. In order to ensure consistency with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, occupancy of assisted units shall be limited to households whose income does not exceed the limits specified by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

(c)  “Maintain affordable rent levels” means rents may be increased by the sponsor on an annual basis in the amount that would be allowed if the project was subject to the requirements of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program established pursuant to Section 42 of the federal Internal Revenue Code.

(d)  “Rental housing development” means a structure or set of structures with common financing, ownership, and management, and which collectively contain five or more dwelling units, including efficiency units. No more than one of the dwelling units may be occupied as a primary residence by a person or household who is the owner of the structure or structures.

(e)  “Rehabilitation,” in addition to the meaning set forth in Section 50096, includes improvements and repairs made to a residential structure acquired for the purpose of preserving its affordability.

(f)  “Rent-up costs” means costs incurred while a unit is on the housing market but not rented to its first tenant.

(g)  “Sponsor” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 50669, and also includes a limited partnership in which the sponsor or an affiliate of the sponsor is a general partner.

(h)  “Transitional housing” and “transitional housing development” means buildings configured as rental housing developments, but operated under program requirements that call for the termination of assistance and recirculation of the assisted unit to another eligible program recipient at some predetermined future point in time, which shall be no less than six months.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 637, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2000.)