ROW Relocation Assistance Manual: Fixed Moving Expense Payments

Section 4: Fixed Moving Expense Payments

Determination of Payment

Anchor: #i1000493Moving Expense Schedules A & B
A. UNFURNISHED UNITS - Occupant owns furniture.
No. of Rooms	One	Two	Three	Four	Five
Amount	$600	$800	$1,000	$1,200	$1,400
No. of Rooms	Six	Seven	Eight	Each Additional Room	-
Amount	$1,600	$1,750	$1,900	$150	-
B. FURNISHED UNITS - Occupant does not own furniture.
First Room			Each Additional Room
$400			$50

Eligible residential displacees (including seasonal residents and sleeping rooms) are entitled to a fixed payment instead of payment for actual moving expenses. Determine fixed payment as shown below.

Anchor: #i1001068

Use of Moving Expense Schedules

When displacees choose the fixed schedule payment option, TxDOT shall determine the number of eligible rooms with the head of household present, before starting a move.

Fixed schedule payments do not apply to part-time occupants or to moving personalty of a non-occupant owner.

Occupants who move from a mobile home may be paid for moving their personalty as presented in the Moving Expense Schedules, if they choose to do so. Occupants shall be paid on an actual cost basis for moving the mobile home from the displacement site. Occupants who move their personalty separately from the mobile home may choose to do so based on actual cost.

A displacee whose residential move is performed by a displacing agency at no cost to the displacee is entitled to a payment not to exceed $50. A displacee with minimal personalty, who occupies a dormitory style room, is entitled to a payment not to exceed $50.

Anchor: #i1001101

Counted Rooms

The phrase “counted room” is defined as space in a dwelling unit containing the typical quantity of household furniture, equipment, and/or personalty. It includes living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, family rooms, utility rooms, bedrooms, studies, basements, and garages. Other rooms or storage areas containing substantial personalty may be counted as additional rooms. Areas of storage containing mostly non-residential personalty must be excluded in the counted rooms. For these items, follow provisions under Allowable Moving Expenses - Non-residential or Personal Property Only Moves, whichever is applicable.

When personalty is displaced from several rooms or areas at the displacement site that individually would not qualify as counted rooms. Such property may be combined for establishing eligibility as counted rooms.

Reminder: When acquiring combination residential-business units do not include the business property in the residential room count. The residential property should not be moved as part of the business. Vacant rooms and areas from which no personalty is displaced are not considered eligible rooms for payment purposes.

Anchor: #i1001124

Multiple Occupancy of Same Dwelling

If two or more occupants (families or individuals) of the displacement dwelling move to different replacement dwellings, each occupant is entitled to a reasonable prorated share, as determined by TxDOT, of the moving expense payment that would have been made if the occupants had moved to the same replacement dwelling. However, if TxDOT determines that these occupants maintain separate households within the same displaced dwelling unit, they are entitled to separate moving expense payments.

Anchor: #i1001137

Owner-Occupant Multi-Family Units

In addition to payment for moving eligible occupants and personalty from a dwelling unit, the owner of a multi-family dwelling is eligible to receive a non-residential moving payment for his/her personalty located in other units of the multi-family dwelling.