HUD to publish first comprehensive overhaul of Inspection Standards in more than 20 years
On June 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the pending publication of the Final Inspection Standards Notice for the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) in the Federal Register.
The notice details inspectable items at HUD-assisted and Multifamily-insured properties. This includes a classification of which conditions are considered life-threatening, severe, moderate, or low-risk by item and inspectable area. Additionally, the Notice commits HUD to review standards at least every three years.
“These strengthened standards show HUD places the health and safety of residents first and foremost,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “As we put their needs first, we are not only doing the right thing, we’re also innovating and becoming more responsive in our Department’s practices across the board.”
NSPIRE improves HUD’s oversight by aligning and consolidating inspection regulations used to evaluate HUD housing across multiple programs. NSPIRE strengthens HUD’s physical condition standards, formerly known as the Uniform Physical Condition Standard (UPCS) and the Housing Quality Standards (HQS).
The new three-year notice review cycle allows HUD to be more responsive to evolving industry standards and the changing needs of the public housing portfolio. This also creates the opportunity for the public to comment and propose changes at regular intervals.
The NSPIRE Standards were tested during the NSPIRE Demonstration and were opened for public comment on June 17, 2022. The final standards were published with changes considering feedback HUD received and additional testing in the field during the NSPIRE Demonstration. Major changes include:
Addressing life-threatening and severe deficiencies within 24 hours. All other deficiencies must be addressed within 60 days or a reasonable period.
Making the Smoke Alarm Standard consistent with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 72.
Requiring carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in compliance with the 2018 International Fire Code.
Including criteria for when guardrails and handrails are required. If guardrails aren’t installed, that could result in an HCV failure and you will have 24 hours to correct the issue.
If the call-for-aid system is blocked or the pull chord end is higher than six inches off the floor you will have 24 hours to correct this issue. This will also result in an HCV failure.
Is your head swimming trying to make sense of this? Don’t worry.
When Lumina Compliance does your Physical and Accessibility Inspection for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 we will make sure you have dotted your I’s and crossed your T’s.
Call Andy at (704) 702-2498 or email him at andy@luminacomp.com to learn more about Lumina Compliance’s Physical Inspections.
Lumina Compliance partners with affordable housing owners, market-rate owners, commercial real estate owners, and rural development managers, to name a few. We help with ADA/504/Fair Housing Compliance, Asset Management, File Review, and Capital Needs Assessments.
