HUD Publishes NSPIRE Implementation Guidance and Inspection Standards for HOME and HTF
By: Steven Molinari, Policy Analyst
April 14, 2026 — Today, HUD published a notice providing National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) implementation guidance for the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) and Housing Trust Fund (HTF) programs.
The notice requires grantees of HTF and HOME programs to be in compliance with these rules and regulations by April 14, 2027. This extends the HOME compliance timeline, which was previously October 1, 2026.
The notice includes specific guidance in various areas, which include:
- Local and state zoning codes;
- Life threatening deficiencies and specific deficiency lists;
- Lead-based paint;
- Accessibility;
- Energy efficiency;
- Disaster mitigation;
- Broadband;
- Carbon monoxide and smoke detection;
- Inspection procedures;
- Recordkeeping;
- Frequency of inspections;
For HOME and HTF rental inspections, grantees will be required to adhere to the inspection sample chart below:
| Number of HOME-assisted units in the HOME project | Number of units that must be selected in the random sample (i.e., minimum unit sample size) |
|---|---|
| 1-20 | 4 |
| 21-25 | 5 |
| 26-30 | 6 |
| 31-35 | 7 |
| 36-40 | 8 |
| 41-45 | 9 |
| 46-50 | 10 |
| 51-55 | 11 |
| 56-60 | 12 |
| 61-65 | 13 |
| 66-70 | 14 |
| 71-75 | 15 |
| 76-80 | 16 |
| 81-85 | 17 |
| 86-90 | 18 |
| 91-95 | 19 |
| 96-100 | 20 |
| 101-105 | 21 |
| 106-110 | 22 |
| 111-115 | 23 |
| 116-120 | 24 |
| 121-125 | 25 |
| 126-130 | 26 |
| 131-166 | 27 |
| 167-214 | 28 |
| 215-295 | 29 |
| 296-455 | 30 |
| 456-920 | 31 |
| 921+ | 32 |
The full notice can be found here.