LeadingAge and LeadingAge DC hosted leadership and policy experts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) to discuss the agency’s new housing safety standards on July 27.

HUD recently finalized the new housing safety inspection process to improve oversight of living conditions for HUD-assisted households. The new rules go into effect for most LeadingAge housing provider members on October 1.

Hosted at the LeadingAge office in Washington, DC, the event offered housing providers a rare in-person opportunity to hear directly from HUD’s NSPIRE experts on key changes to the REAC inspection protocol before the rules go into effect.

LeadingAge members also had the chance to interact with HUD leadership and other housing providers during the training’s Q&A and event reception.

NSPIRE: A New Era for Affordable Housing Safety Inspections

The new housing inspection protocol, called the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate, or “NSPIRE,” impacts HUD-assisted housing communities across all of HUD’s rental assistance programs, including hundreds of thousands of older adults served through HUD’s Multifamily Housing programs.

LeadingAge has been involved with the roll out of the new housing inspection approach since the beginning, with LeadingAge’s member workgroup on HUD Oversight and Compliance weighing in with HUD at every opportunity to provide feedback and seek clarity on early versions of HUD’s NSPIRE proposals.

Examples of successful advocacy from LeadingAge include HUD’s adjustment of inspection approaches for fire safety and emergency call systems in affordable senior housing; HUD’s implementation of more sensible approaches to tenant involvement during the inspection; HUD’s shift to more feasible timeframes for deficiency correction; and more. Overall, LeadingAge supports a robust but feasible inspection protocol to ensure safety for residents and support for housing providers.

LeadingAge will continue to work with members as communities implement the new rules beginning this fall.

LeadingAge members can access the recording here, and join the member workgroup on HUD Oversight and Compliance here.