Heather Aislynn Johns

Heather Johns is a seasoned real estate and finance attorney focused on HUD-insured multifamily and health care transactions. Drawing on more than four decades of experience in title insurance — including 16 years as a senior attorney at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — she is known for resolving complex title, regulatory, and financing challenges in high-stakes transactions.

During her tenure at HUD, Heather served as the agency’s primary legal authority on title insurance and survey matters, collaborating closely with lender’s counsel, field offices, and program leadership to address title impediments, develop solutions for novel transactional structures, and guide deals to closing. She advised on thousands of closings nationwide, building a national reputation for navigating layered financing involving tax credits, tax increment financing, and other community development tools. She also helped shape agency policy on closing procedures, consulted on new transaction types, and led legal training initiatives across the country.

Heather is experienced in FHA-insured transaction types, including sections 232, 221(d)(4), 207/223(f), 223(a)(7), and 241(a) of the National Housing Act. She also has significant experience with HUD-assisted transactions, including section 202/811 capital advances and Rental Assistance Demonstration program transactions, including traditional conversions, post-conversion matters, and RAD for section 202 project rental assistance contracts (PRAC).

Before joining HUD, Heather spent two decades in the title industry in senior roles involving underwriting, claims, litigation, and education. Her practical understanding of title risk continues to inform her practice, offering clients strategic guidance through complex regulatory and transactional landscapes.

Heather now advises clients across the country on structuring, troubleshooting, and closing HUD-insured deals. With a rare combination of legal insight, agency fluency, and technical depth, she helps ensure transactions close smoothly — with the best possible outcomes for both clients and the communities they serve.