The Future of Federal Housing Inspections

April 1, 2022

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) is creating a new national inspection protocol for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)–insured and Public Housing Agencies (PHA) multifamily properties. ASHI members can have the opportunity to provide feedback on the protocols that will impact FHA-insured and PHA multifamily housing for years to come.

HUD is responsible under Congressional mandate to inspect approximately 25,000 multifamily housing developments every one to three years.

Congress created the FHA in 1934. At the time, the housing industry was flat on its back. Nearly 2 million construction workers had lost their jobs, and only 1 in 10 households owned homes. FHA became a part of HUD’s Office of Housing in 1965. They provide mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders. FHA insures almost 12,000 mortgages for multifamily properties. HUD and FHA furnish technical and professional assistance in planning, developing, and managing the properties; this includes regular inspections from HUD.

This new multifamily housing inspection protocol, called NSPIRE (National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate), will prioritize inspections that assure the health and safety conditions for those living in multifamily properties.

In late 2019, REAC began a two-year demonstration program to better identify potential adjustments to inspection standards, protocols, and processes prior to a nationwide implementation. During the demonstration, volunteer properties around the US will participate in inspections.

ASHI members will have the opportunity to help provide feedback and refine these new National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) to help ensure families live in safe, secure, properly maintained, and comfortable homes while helping modernize and improve HUD’s physical inspection process.

“NSPIRE emphasizes safety and security and a deeper emphasis on the dwelling unit, the apartment the senior citizen or other family is living in day to day,” said Marvin Goldstein, president and CEO of Building Inspection Service (BISCO) and a charter member of ASHI. BISCO is providing all the inspectors to HUD for the NSPIRE Demonstration Program.

“ASHI members can make a major contribution to this new standard,” said Goldstein. “It is a highly unusual opportunity for any professional organization to have such major input to HUD. BISCO is really excited about giving ASHI-certified inspectors this opportunity. Feedback will be used as part of the ultimate standard derived by HUD and adopted for nationwide usage.”

ASHI-Certified Inspectors qualify for NSPIRE. If you are not an ACI, you must have done 250 inspections. BISCO will double-check a percentage of their validity. Other requirements include a doctor’s note stating you can physically travel and inspect and that your eyesight is sufficient for inspections. You will also need to pass a federal security clearance.

NSPIRE inspections will be in every US state. Inspectors must be willing to travel at least one week a month to cover the pilot inspections across the country. “With NSPIRE, there is no slow season,” Goldstein said. “NSPIRE is very good filler work when typical inspection seasons slow down, such as in the winter months.”

Qualifying ASHI inspectors will complete online training and field training certifications. Once the pilot program is finished, they will continue as local NSPIRE inspectors. “If after the pilot program, inspectors don’t want to travel, there will be local inspections available they can use for filler work with their regular inspection work,” Goldstein said. “If they want to continue to travel a week or more a month, opportunities will be available once the formal program kicks in. The pilot program is only around 4,300 inspections, but the annual inspection program of HUD is closer to 14,000 multifamily property inspections annually.”

The pilot program is scheduled to go until May 2023 and encompasses more than 4,300 inspections. “As part of ASHI, your participation in the NSPIRE program can really help fashion a better national protocol for the inspection of multifamily properties around the country,” Goldstein said. “Inspectors can use their NSPIRE experience as a reference whenever they provide professional testimony, and it will certainly look great as a qualification on their resume if they want to expand into the multifamily housing inspection market.”

Get Involved

Traveling inspectors in the HUD NSPIRE Demonstration Program can earn $3,000 a week.

Building Inspection Service (BISCO) is looking for ASHI inspectors willing to travel at least one week per month to perform multifamily property inspections. Inspections are part of BISCO’s contract to provide highly trained inspectors to help HUD refine the new NSPIRE (National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate).

Inspectors will provide suggested improvements and refinements to this new national inspection protocol.Inspectors able to travel widely for five-day weeks of inspections
can earn $3,000 per week.

BISCO:

  • Provides all training at no cost to you
  • Assists candidates in obtaining requisite HUD certifications and clearances
  • Will schedule inspections throughout the continental US
  • Schedules around your availability

For more information, call Building Inspection Service at 215-357-8055 or email Marv Goldstein at mgoldstein@inspectpro.com.

BISCO is a proud ASHI Affiliate member.

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.


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