Housing Quality Standards Inspections

Overview

Before NHA can make payments on behalf of a tenant family, the unit must meet HUD's minimum Housing Quality Standards (HQS).  These standards have been implemented by HUD nationwide to ensure that all assisted units meet minimum health and safety standards.  NHA will inspect the unit for HQS initially and at least annually.

In order to ensure that the unit meets HQS, review the requirements and correct any HQS violations before the inspection.  At the time of the inspection, the unit should be ready to move in.  This will prevent delays in the housing assistance payments.

Required Repairs

If the unit fails the initial inspection or annual inspection, an inspection report with the failed items indicated will be mailed.  First housing assistance payments can not be made until the unit passes an inspection.  Repairs for the annual inspection must be made within 30 days or 24 hours for life threatening emergencies.  For annual inspections, if repairs are not made by the stated deadline, housing assistance payments will stop.

 

Most Common HQS Failed Items

Non functional smoke detectors

Missing or cracked  electrical outlet cover plates

Railings not present where required

Peeling exterior and interior paint. Lead Paint

 

Trip hazards caused by improperly installed floor coverings (carpets/vinyl)

 

Cracked or broken window panes

Inoperable burner on stoves

or inoperable range hoods

Missing burner control knobs

 

HQS Checklist

The following is a listing of items inspected to meet Housing Quality Standards

Bathroom

bullet

The bathroom must be located in a separate room and have a flush toilet.

bullet

The unit must have a fixed basin with a sink trap and hot and cold running water.

bullet

The unit must have a shower or bathtub with hot and cold running water.

bullet

The toilet facilities must utilize an approvable public or private disposal system, which may include a locally approvable septic system.

Kitchen

bullet

The unit must have a cooking stove or range and refrigerator of appropriate size for the unit (i.e., family) all in proper operating condition.  Stoves, ovens, and ranges must have all control knobs and handles.  Gas stove burners must light by pilot jets without the use of incendiary devices (i.e., matches, lighter, etc.).

bullet

The unit must have a kitchen sink in proper operating condition with a sink trap and hot and cold running water which drains into an approvable public or private wastewater system.

bullet

The unit must provide space for the storage, preparation, and serving of food.

bullet

There must be facilities and services for the sanitary disposal of food waste and refuse, including temporary storage facilities where necessary (i.e., garbage containers).

Space and Security

bullet

The unit must have a minimum of a living room, kitchen area, and bathroom.

bullet

The unit must contain at least one sleeping or living/sleeping room for every two (2) people.

bullet

The unit's windows which are accessible from the outside, such as basement, first-floor, and fire escape windows, must be lockable (e.g., window units with sash pins or sash locks, and combination windows with latches).  Vertically opening windows must stay up and open without the use of props.  Windows designed to open, should be operable.

bullet

Bedroom windows must be able to open and close freely.

bullet

The unit's exterior doors (i.e., those that allow access to or from the unit) must be lockable, and compliant with current Texas Property Code requirements regarding security devices for residential tenancies.

Thermal Environment

(Heating and Cooling System)

bullet

The unit must contain a safe heating system (and safe cooling system, where present) which is in proper operating condition and can provide adequate heat (and cooling, if applicable), either directly or indirectly, to each room used for living in order to assure a healthy living environment appropriate to the climate.

bullet

In the absence of a cooling system secure screens must be present on all outside windows.

bullet

The unit must not contain any unvented room heaters, which burn gas, oil, or kerosene.  A working radiator would be acceptable.

Illumination and Electricity

bullet

There must be at least one window in the living room and in each sleeping room.

bullet

The kitchen area and the bathroom must have a permanent ceiling or wall type light fixture in working condition.  The kitchen area must also have at least one electrical outlet in operating condition.

bullet

The living room and each bedroom must have at least two electrical outlets in operating condition.  Permanently installed overhead or wall-mounted light fixtures may count as one of the required electrical outlets.

bullet

All other rooms used for living require a means of natural or artificial illumination such as a light fixture, a wall outlet to serve a lamp, a window in the room, or adequate light from an adjacent room.

bullet

Each electrical outlet must be permanently installed in the baseboard, wall, or floor.

bullet

Table or floor lamps, ceiling lamps plugged into a socket, or an extension cord plugged into another plug cannot be counted as an outlet for HQS purposes.

bullet

Electrical hazards of any kind, either inside or outside the unit would receive a fail rating.

Structures and Materials

bullet

Interior ceilings, walls and floors must not have any serious defects such as severe bulging or leaning, large holes, loose surface materials, severe buckling, missing parts, or other serious damage.

bullet

The floors must also not have any major movement under walking stress, or tripping hazards presented by the permanent floor coverings.  Carpets must be tacked down.

bullet

The roof must be structurally sound and weather tight.

bullet

The exterior wall structure and surfaces must not have any serious defects such as serious leaning, buckling, sagging, large holes, unfastened and falling components, or defects that would result in air infiltration or vermin infestation.

bullet

The condition and equipment or interior and exterior stairways, halls, porches, walkways, etc. must not present a danger of tripping and falling.  Examples include, but are not limited to, broken or missing steps and loose boards.

bullet

Elevators must be working, safe, and compliant with locally enforced codes.

bullet

Manufactured homes must be securely anchored by tie down devices, which distribute and transfer the loads imposed by the unit to appropriate ground anchors so as to resist wind overturning and sliding.