Any housing unit selected by an HCV family must meet an acceptable level of health and safety, as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), before CHA can approve it for occupancy. Performance requirements and acceptability criteria are applied to each room as well as to the building exterior, heating and plumbing, and general health and safety of the unit.
There are four (4) types of inspections conducted by CHA for the HCV Program. Each one has a distinct purpose and stage in the leasing process. However, all follow the same set of standards to ensure that any unit occupied by an HCV participant family is decent, safe, sanitary, and in good repair.
Initial Inspections: Completed prior to the HCV participant family moving into the unit, an initial inspection is scheduled after a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) packet is correctly submitted to CHA and the property owner has passed an eligibility screening. All unit deficiencies during an initial inspection are the property owner’s responsibility and they’ll have 14 days to make any repairs and schedule a second inspection. If the unit fails a second time, the RTA will be denied, and the family will need to find another unit.
Regular Inspections: A regular inspection is conducted at least biennially (once every two years) to determine that the unit is still in compliance with CHA’s inspection standards as well as ensure continued quality living conditions for the participant family. Any deficiencies during a regular inspection will be noted as the responsibility of either the property owner or the participant and will need to be remedied within a specified time frame in order to avoid any adverse action (i.e., abatement of HAP to the property owner, issuance of an Intent to Terminate (ITT) notice to the participant).
Note: Regular inspections are required on an annual basis for units occupied by children under the age of six (6) and those owned by a property owner on the Do Not Lease List.
Complaint Inspections: A complaint inspection can be requested at any time by the participant or property owner. However, whichever party submits the request must be present for the scheduled date and time of the inspection. If any of the reported items are life-threatening deficiencies (formerly emergency fail items) as defined in the CHA HCV Program Administrative Plan, the inspector will conduct the complaint inspection within 24 hours. Otherwise, the inspection will be conducted within 15 days. Examples of a life-threatening deficiency include blocked entrances or exits, gas or fuel leaks, utilities not in service or backed up sewer system in the unit.
Quality Control Inspections: To ensure that the inspection standards are being uniformly applied and interpreted by all inspectors, quality control inspections are conducted on random samples of units that have recently passed inspection. Typically, these inspections occur within 30 calendar days of the date the last inspection was conducted.
Re-Inspections
If a unit fails a regular, complaint or quality control inspection, CHA will automatically schedule the unit for re-inspection in 30 days (unless there are life-threatening deficiencies, which require re-inspection within 24 hours). However, if there are still unresolved fail items that are the responsibility of the property owner after the first re-inspection, a $75 fee must be paid here before a second re-inspection can be scheduled.
Below is a list of the 10 most common fail items:
- Inoperable light fixtures and improperly wired electrical outlets (i.e., reverse polarity, open ground, hot neutral reverse)
- Deteriorated and unstable paint on surfaces (i.e., peeling, cracking, chipping) in units built prior to 1978 where children under the age of six reside or will reside
- Missing, inoperable or incorrectly mounted smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Broken or inoperable windows (i.e., cracked glass panes, broken locks, drafty frames)
- Exposed electrical wires/connections (i.e., light fixtures missing globes, electrical junction boxes missing cover plates or knockout plugs, breaker boxes with open sockets)
- Broken/faulty door locks and drafty doors
- Cutting hazards, including protruding sharp nails pipes/metals objects with jagged edges, deteriorated sheet metal, cracked glass blocks on windows
- Gaps/holes around heating system flue pipes and gas utility not in service
- Evidence of rodent and/or bug infestation
- Holes and large gaps (more than a quarter inch) on walls/ceilings/floors of living space areas
Note: Property owners can self-certify for minor fail items cited during a regular, complaint or quality control inspection. Click here for the current list of eligible items.
For more information on CHA inspections and the effects of non-compliance, see the latest edition of CHA’s HQS Inspection Guidebook. To contact the Inspections Department directly, email hcvpinspections@thecha.org.