Press Release  State Audit of Concord Housing Authority Saves Tenants $7,100

Boston — State Auditor Suzanne Bump today released an audit of the Concord Housing Authority which found several management deficiencies.

The audit found the authority overcharged 24 tenants of its Peter Bulkeley Terrace building collectively by $7,100. The overcharges were the result of the authority using an incorrect percentage of the tenants’ monthly income to determine their monthly rent. After state auditors brought the overcharges to their attention, the authority issued credits totaling the full amount to affected tenants. The Peter Bulkeley Terrace building is an apartment community for seniors and the disabled.

The report also identified the incomplete inventories of the authority’s furniture and equipment, missing documentation related to tenant selection, and a $1 million dollar debt related to a loan from the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency improperly disclosed to the state as a grant.

In addition, some improvements were also noted in today’s audit. To address issues identified in a previous report, the authority made structural fixes and shortened its turnaround time for vacant units at the Peter Bulkeley Terrace building.

The Concord Housing Authority currently manages and oversees 28 units for low-income families, 76 units for elderly tenants, and 8 units for mentally handicapped tenants.

The Office of the State Auditor conducts technical and performance audits of state government’s programs, departments, agencies, authorities, contracts, and vendors. With its reports, the OSA issues recommendations to improve accountability, efficiency, and transparency.

The Concord Housing Authority audit is available here.

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