HUD to Restart Physical REAC Inspections
On August 7, HUD published a press release titled “Secretary Carson Announces HUD Will Safely Resume Physical Inspections.” In the release, Secretary Carson notes that “[p]hysical inspections are vital in ensuring the health and safety of the Americans who reside in properties enrolled in HUD’s programs.” He also states that he is ” . . . very pleased to announce . . . [that] they are resuming.”
NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman notes that “NAHRO has expressed its grave concerns regarding the timing and need for these REAC inspections at this juncture. While we appreciate HUD’s stated desire to ‘keep our residents and staff safe,’ we have reservations about this new protocol. We have been told that these inspections may primarily impact the multifamily portfolio, but nonetheless remain concerned about your ability to get access into units and safely prepare for HUD’s arrival. We are particularly concerned for the families who live in public housing and multifamily units who do not want federal inspectors in their units during a public health crisis.”
The press release notes that to keep residents and staff safe, HUD will implement a system of prioritization of inspections based on COVID-19 data and health risk scoring methodology with data taken from Johns Hopkins University and the methodology from the Harvard Global Health Institute. The Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) has developed a heat map that categorizes localities into four categories of risk along with an associated color:
- Low Risk – Green;
- Moderately Low Risk – Yellow;
- Moderately High Risk – Orange; and
- High Risk – Red.
According to the press release, “REAC will provide a listing on its website of low-risk counties 45 days prior to the start of physical inspections. At the end of the 45-day period, REAC will provide a 14-day notification to priority properties in that county to inform families that an inspection will take place.” The first outreach about inspections will start after Sept. 21, 2020. A list of safe counties for inspections will be posted on REAC’s website.
HUD’s press release can be found here.
REAC’s website can be found here.