ASHI Supports HUD New Safe/Healthy Homes Initiative, Lobbies for Robust Inspection Components

Key Concepts

• ASHI works with federal agencies to develop new inspection market independent of home sales for ASHI members.
• ASHI supports development of National Safe and Healthy Homes (NSHH) initiative with a robust inspections component.
• ASHI is widely appreciated as a subject-matter expert.   
• ASHI delegation met with HUD last spring and was invited to present at HUD conference in July.
• ASHI has created a firm foundation, building the case for a strong home inspection component of any national policy on safe and healthy homes.

(Washington, D.C.) — Agencies in the U.S. federal government — led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — are planning a major new home safety and health initiative that could entail substantial involvement by home inspectors.

If the initiative develops as ASHI hopes, it could create new opportunities for ASHI members to generate a substantial new stream of revenues from a new market: homeowners who have no immediate interest in selling their homes.

These are homeowners who plan to stay indefinitely. Their interest is to make sure their homes are safe and healthy for them and their children during their occupancy In fact, the target clientele/revenue stream for ASHI members would be utterly unaffected by the home sales market.

It would be a strong strategic advantage for ASHI members who seek to broaden their business portfolio and de-link their revenues from fluctuations in home sales.

This is an instance in which the federal interest and ASHI member interests can merge — and ASHI is doing everything it can in the public policy arena to promote that perception.

Thus, ASHI is calling on its reputation as an important, influential player in the legislative and regulatory processes that will give life to the new National Safe and Healthy Homes (NSHH) initiative.

ASHI supports development of the NSHH initiative and has offered advice and assistance to HUD and Capitol Hill on how to craft such a program.

Aside from the essential support for the initiative, ASHI’s key messages are:

1) Any such initiative must contain a robust inspections component. Inspections should be required to identify actual, existing unsafe, unhealthful conditions that should be repaired according to the policy. Further, post-remediation inspections should be required to ensure that the proper repairs have been made, fulfilling the public interest.

2) ASHI advocates that there be an existing army of highly qualified and experienced home inspectors who — with some training targeted for certain safety and health issues — could perform much of this work across the U.S.

ASHI has met with key policymakers on Capitol Hill and in HUD to make the case, offer advice and assistance, and demonstrate support.

ASHI is widely appreciated as a subject-matter expert that has much to add to the substantive, legislative, regulatory and political dimensions of the NSHH initiative.

Earlier this spring, an ASHI delegation comprised of ASHI members David Tamny, Mark Cramer and Blaine Illingworth joined me (ASHI lobbyist) for a meeting with HUD staff to discuss the role of home inspection and ASHI in the NSHH initiative.

The ASHI delegation offered its views as experts in the field. HUD staff recognize the value that ASHI and home inspection can bring to such an effort. The delegation consulted with some of the key steps necessary to implement a new policy, with special emphasis on inspection elements.

Further, ASHI strongly urged HUD to begin promoting the advanced HUD emphasis on health and safety of U.S homes early in the initiative.

In fact, some of the most dynamic success in promoting generalized adoption of the HUD values on health and safety might come from joint efforts with private-sector groups like ASHI, working in tandem and close in time with HUD’s announcements to the public.

ASHI suggested that HUD might wish to consider efforts to educate homeowners/consumers that HUD is indeed pursuing special emphasis in this subject area and will be advising homeowners to take steps to improve the healthfulness and safety of their homes.

ASHI offered the suggestion that it might be prudent and timely to begin conditioning the general public to consider health/safety issues and have such messages available on the HUD website roughly contemporaneous with the pilot program/availability of the refined software, with PSA releases to radio and television outlets to follow.

 At this writing, HUD continues to develop its strategy and resources Also, HUD is preparing the agency’s 2011 National Healthy Homes Conference to be held in Denver in mid-June.

ASHI has been approved as a presenter group for the HUD Denver conference, in the influential “Policy” section of the program.

David Tamny, immediate past-president for ASHI, will be making the ASHI presentation to the national audience at the HUD conference in Denver.

 In sum, ASHI has created a firm foundation, building the case for a strong home inspection component of any national policy on safe and healthy homes. ASHI intends to continue working in Washington, D.C., with HUD, EPA, DOE, CDC and members of Congress to grow this striking opportunity for the ASHI membership.

———————————————————–

ASHI Immediate Past-President to Speak at National Healthy Homes Conference

ASHI Certified home inspectors already identify many common safety and health hazards in the course of standard home inspections. With just a little added training, these home inspectors could become proficient in conducting the specialty safety/health assessments, with risk scores attached. If the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) moves forward with a rating system, certified home inspectors are in place to handle the job.

With this in mind, David Tamny, ASHI immediate past-president, spoke at the National Healthy Homes Conference (NHHC). He was introduced by ASHI lobbyist Randall Pence and used his allotted hour to present a 70-plus slide PowerPoint presentation explaining why ACIs are in a position to partner with HUD as it seeks to address the issues of health and safety hazards in millions of U.S. homes.

HUD, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted more than 3,000 national health and safety experts, including Tamny representing ASHI, in Denver from June 20-23 at the National Healthy Homes Conference (NHHC).  Under the theme Leading the Nation to Healthy Homes, Families and Communities, this is the most comprehensive forum ever held on the issue.   

———————————————————–