The goal of these inspections is to make sure your property is “decent, safe, and sanitary” for the tenants who will be living there. The inspections are conducted every one to three years, depending on the type of housing. When using housing choice vouchers, units are also inspected before you move in.
Who Conducts Section 8 Inspections?
These inspections will be conducted by one of the following:
A staff member of the Public Housing AuthorityAn outside inspector the PHA has hired
When conducting the inspection, the inspector will be assessing the unit to determine if it complies with HUD’s Housing Quality Standards. These standards are set forth to make sure the property is safe for the Section 8 tenant. The Housing Quality Standards include 13 areas that the inspector must examine. These areas are known as performance requirements. They include:
Sanitary facilitiesFood preparation and refuse disposalSpace and securityThermal environmentIllumination and electricityStructure and materialsInterior air qualityWater supplyLead-based paintAccessSite and neighborhoodSanitary conditionsSmoke detectors
When Do Section 8 Inspections Happen?
The Public Housing Authority will usually conduct housing inspections at the following times:
Before a tenant with a housing choice voucher moves into a unit, to make sure that the unit complies with HUD’s Housing Quality StandardsOnce a year after a tenant with a housing choice voucher has moved into a unitWhen a tenant complains about a health or safety condition at the propertyWhen a landlord complains about a health or safety condition at the propertyAt any other time they deem necessary
The PHA will usually send you a notice in advance of the inspection, which states the date and time when the inspection will take place.
What Happens When the Inspection Is Done?
When determining if an item meets HUD’s health and safety standards, the inspector has three options. They can:
Pass it: No further action needs to be taken on this item.Fail it: This item needs to be remedied to comply with HUD’s Housing Quality Standards.Mark it as inconclusive: An inspector can mark an item as inconclusive. It can be done for a couple of reasons, but it means that the inspector needs more information from the property owner. Once this information is given, the inspector will then pass or fail this item. For example, an inspector could mark the safety of a boiler as inconclusive because he or she could not access the boiler because it was in a locked room. Once the inspector is granted access to this room, he or she can determine if it meets health and safety requirements.
What Happens If You Fail
Even if you only fail one item on the Section 8 inspection checklist, you will fail the inspection. After the inspection, you will be given a list of all items that have failed and why. You will be given the opportunity to remedy the violations by a specific date. Once you have fixed the item or items, you can then contact the inspector, who will come to re-inspect the unit. He or she will determine if you have fixed the item appropriately by passing you, fail the item again if problems persist, or mark it as inconclusive if further action is needed.
Why Section 8 Inspections Are Important
Section 8 housing inspections set a common standard for the quality of homes available to low-income families. Ensuring your property meets the requirements keeps you eligible to participate in the program, lets you receive timely subsidized rent payments from the government, and makes it easier to secure a new tenant when the previous one moves on. Want to read more content like this? Sign up for The Balance’s newsletter for daily insights, analysis, and financial tips, all delivered straight to your inbox every morning!
