Property Inspections
Prior to initial lease-up and annually each year thereafter, apartments scheduled to receive federal rental assistance payments (Section 8) will be inspected by the Worcester Housing Authority. To conduct its inspections, the WHA employs an outside contractor (McCright & Associates) to conduct all of its inspections.
Notification
Initial Inspections (New lease-ups):
Once the prospective tenant or property owner brings in the Request for Lease Approval, the owner will be called within 72 hours to be given an appointment for the inspection.
Annual Inspections:
Letters will be mailed out ten (10) days in advance to both tenants and owners with the scheduled date and time for inspection.
If an apartment fails inspection
Initial Inspections (New lease-ups):
Owner will receive a written repair letter via the mail and a reinspection of the unit will be scheduled only upon request from the owner. The new tenant is not allowed to move-in until the apartment passes inspection.
Annual Inspections:
If the unit fails the inspection, according to HUD, the repairs must be made within 30 days. A re-inspection is automatically scheduled in 35 days. Both tenant and owner will be sent a letter indicating the repairs needed to be made, with the next scheduled inspection time.
It is important for owners to make sure that either they or their tenant will be there for this appointment. If no one is there or if the inspection fails again, the unit falls into the next category called ‘Abatement’. Owners will be sent out a letter from McCright & Assoc. and also from WHA explaining that their Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) will be abated for this unit as of the first of the following month until the unit passes the inspection. The owner will be responsible for scheduling another inspection.
If the unit is in abatement status for more than 30 days, a termination letter is sent out to the landlord for a violation of the HAP Contract, and the tenant is issued a voucher to search for new housing. The tenant will be responsible for the entire contract rent after that date if they remain in the unit.
Top 12 Reasons Units Fail
Annual HQS Inspections
The 12 most common items that can cause a unit to “fail” an initial or annual housing quality standards (HQS) inspection are:
- Smoke detectors are missing or will not work when tested!
- If security bars are present, they must be installed to current local code requirements (contact building and compliance office for local code).
- GFCI outlets not tripping (kitchen or bathroom).
- Exposed electrical wiring (switches, outlets, breakers/fuse panels).
- Toilets are loose and not property mounted to the floor.
- Outlet or light switch cover-plates are cracked or missing.
- Broken or cracked windows.
- Leaking sink drains (kitchen and bath).
- Clogged drains (kitchen and bath).
- Toilets do not flush properly.
- Stair railings and/or porch railing are damaged or missing.
- Poor housekeeping.
Make sure there is no loose or peeling paint in your apartment or on the exterior walls.
A Reminder: By no means should these 12 items be considered to be all of the items reviewed during an HQS Inspection. Items such as leaking faucets, appliances not working properly, tripping hazards (interior/exterior), damaged stair treads, (interior/exterior), blocked fire exits and other general health and safety items are reviewed in the process.
For more information, visit our Leased Housing office located at 40 Belmont Street
or call us at 508-635-3148.