NSPIRE Is Effective for Multifamily Housing Portfolio
HUD hit a second milestone for the National Standards the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) as the new standards are now effective for the Multifamily Housing portfolio as of October 1. Properties inspected by REAC will receive a 28-day notification before an inspection.
The Multifamily portfolio effective date marks the second phase of NSPIRE as the public housing portfolio went live this past July as part of the Department’s comprehensive overhaul of its inspection standards in 25 years. NSPIRE emphasizes the health and safety of residents. It also improves HUD’s oversight by aligning and consolidating inspection regulations used to evaluate HUD housing across multiple programs.
Multifamily-insured properties are also subject to the NSPIRE standards and should not receive inspections under the Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) protocol going forward, per the rule’s effective date. Inspectors working for Servicing Mortgagees and/or State Housing Finance Agencies should receive NSPIRE training before conducting the inspection. More information is available at NSPIRE Resources. For future training updates, sign up for notifications from the main NSPIRE website.
HUD published the final NSPIRE rule on May 11, 2023, that made changes to inspections for the Public Housing and Multifamily Housing programs. That was followed by the NSPIRE companion publications of the final Standards Notice on June 22, the Administrative notice on June 30, and the final Scoring Notice on July 7.
Housing Choice Voucher Admin Notice and Checklist Out Now; Notice on Extension of HCV Programs Published
On September 29, HUD published Notice PIH 2023-28, the Administrative Notice for NSPIRE for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs. The notice details the administrative procedures of NSPIRE for HCV and PBV programs, as well as the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (Mod Rehab) program, and replaces Housing Quality Standards (HQS) as the inspection standards for these programs. Additionally, as recently announced in the Federal Register, HUD extended the compliance date for HCV and PBV programs until October 1, 2024.
HUD is making an optional checklist as an Excel and PDF document available here to PHAs that implement NSPIRE anytime on or after October 1, 2023. This extension is available to all PHAs. PHAs do not need to request HUD approval of continuing to use the prior Housing Quality Standards protocol until October 1, 2024, but should notify HUD of their NSPIRE implementation plans. Agencies that participated in the NSPIRE Demonstration can continue to use the NSPIRE app they already have to conduct inspections.
Public Housing Leadership Kicked Off NSPIRE Inspections
| HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) launched NSPIRE for the public housing portfolio August 17, 2023, in Boston, Mass. The event consisted of a press conference with remarks from HUD and Boston Housing Authority leadership and a local resident leader plus a “show-and-tell” led by Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) Deputy Assistant Secretary Ashley Sheriff. Media coverage included WBUR, WCVB-TV, NBC 10 Boston, and WBZ News Radio. |
Watch the Updated Score Calculator Video
The Updated NSPIRE Score Calculator based on the final NSPIRE scoring calculations is now available. This Excel-based tool helps PHAs and property owners estimate a potential NSPIRE score based on the types and locations of deficiencies identified during an NSPIRE inspection. This score only provides an estimate as many factors will impact the actual score generated by a property inspection. Learn how to use HUD’s Updated NSPIRE Score Calculator by watching this video.
HUD has developed resources that include a combination of PowerPoint presentations and instructional videos that are posted on the NSPIRE website. More content will be uploaded as it’s made available.
New & Improved NSPIRE Standards File Now Available
As shared last month, a new and improved version of the machine-readable file of the final NSPIRE standards is now available here. It features additional columns and other minor improvements. This file is aligned to the NSPIRE standards posted online. As additional versions are released, we will be updating and sharing them to assist software vendors and PHAs as they build their inspection applications.