Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspection

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​Rental units subsidized by the Housing Choice Voucher Program must meet Housing Quality Standards (HQS). To ensure that minimum standards are being met, the MHA is required to inspect each unit prior to occupancy and at least every 24 months thereafter. The following will briefly highlight the important aspects of the inspection process.

Initial Inspections:
A unit ready for occupancy must be inspected before the family can move in. An initial inspection must be conducted before any family moves in, regardless of the date of the previous inspection. This inspection is conducted with the landlord or the landlord’s agent, not with the family. The MHA will not make assistance payments until the unit passes inspection. If necessary paperwork is in order, the assistance payments will begin the day the family is scheduled to move-in, or in the case of an in-place family, on or after the date the unit passes inspection. Under no circumstances is a family to move in without receiving MHA authorization. The inspector cannot give authorization. The MHA will determine and authorize the move-in date. A family moving in without appropriate authorization will be responsible for making the total rent payments. The landlord will have no recourse against the MHA for payment of rent for any period of time not covered by the HAP Contract.

Before scheduling an initial inspection, please conduct your own inspection. Take notes on needed repairs and proceed with corrective action. The Rent Ready Criteria test provides a generalized checklist used to determine the rent ready conditions for a unit. By having the unit in rent ready condition, you will find that the initial inspection will run much more smoothly, and the vacancy period for the unit will be reduced considerably. 

Bi-Annual Inspections:
Every 24 months an inspection of the assisted unit must be conducted. This inspection is conducted to insure compliance with HQS.  This inspection is conducted with the family. Allowing the unit to be inspected is a family’s obligation. If the family does not comply, the family will be terminated from the program. The landlord and the tenant are notified in advance in writing of the scheduled inspection. This inspection will normally take place approximately 60 to 90 days before the annual inspection date. Landlords are required to correct all deficiencies listed on the HQS Inspection report within the time specified by the MHA. No extensions will be granted unless the landlord can substantiate a reason for the extension and the MHA can determine that the required repairs warrant a time extension due to the nature of the repairs.

In addition, the deficiencies to be corrected by the repairs must not pose a serious threat to the health and safety of the tenant family. If the landlord fails to complete the repairs and have the unit re-inspected and passed by the deficiency date, the MHA will abate assistance payments as of the first day of the month following that date. Once the abatement starts, the landlord will be given 60 calendar days to schedule a re-inspection before the HAP contract is terminated. The MHA will mail a copy of the HQS Inspection deficiencies to the landlord and the family noting the failed or inconclusive items.

Special Inspection:
Special inspections may be conducted at any time during the term of the HAP contract. These inspections, which may require a site visit, are made in response to a reported complaint or violation by either the landlord or tenant.

Quality Control (QC) Inspection:
The MHA has a public responsibility to ensure that units receiving assistance are safe, sanitary and decent, as determined by the HQS. HUD requires the MHA to monitor its housing quality through quality control inspections. To meet these objectives, the MHA randomly samples a percentage of approved units for inspection. Therefore, it is quite possible for any unit to be inspected again within sixty (60) days of the last inspection. An HQS inspection letter may be generated by this inspection. The QC inspection serves to improve program performance. The improvement of program performance is accomplished by evaluating the HQS Inspector’s performance determining the effectiveness of owners and families of HQS requirements and determining which areas of the HQS program must be improved or may require additional training.

Housing Quality Standards Inspection Report:
If the inspector finds any deficiencies with HQS, regardless of the types of inspection, the landlord will always be provided a HQS Deficiency Letter. This letter will list the deficiencies and designate a deadline for their correction. It will also list items that are inconclusive. Inconclusive items are items for which the inspector needs additional information in order to determine whether they will pass or fail. Another term sometimes found on this report is “Pass with Comment” (PWC). This term will alert the landlord to a problem that does not fail now but may be a potential problem in the future. It is the landlord’s responsibility to contact the inspection staff once the necessary repairs have been completed. If you have any questions regarding the noted deficiencies or the time allowed having them corrected, please contact the inspector. The inspector will be happy to discuss the items with you

Reminder: As soon as the necessary repairs are complete – as in all inspection situations – it is very important that you contact the inspector and let him/her know that the unit is ready. And again, if you ever have a question about the content of an HQS Inspection letter, please call the inspector as soon as possible – and please do so before the deadline. In the long run, you will discover that keeping in touch with the inspection staff will save you time and money.