We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing require the Real Estate Assessment Center in coordination with the Office of Field Operations to determine the cost to eliminate or control the lead-based paint and lead based paint hazards in public housing and the timeframe to complete such work based on the existing funding levels and strategies that could accelerate the timeframe.
Publication Report
2023-CH-0001 | October 11, 2022
HUD Lacked Adequate Oversight of Lead-Based Paint Hazard Remediation in Public Housing
HUD established procedures in the Lead Safe Housing Rule in 1999 to eliminate lead-based paint hazards, as far as practicable, in public housing. However, it did not have a plan to manage lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in public… moreRelated Recommendations
Public and Indian Housing
We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing require the Real Estate Assessment Center in coordination with the Office of Field Operations to develop and implement a plan to manage lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in public housing.
- Status2023-CH-0001-001-BOpenClosedPriorityPriority
We believe these open recommendations, if implemented, will have the greatest impact on helping HUD achieve its mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
Require the REAC in coordination with OFO to determine the number of developments and associated units that contain lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards.
Status
As of January 30, 2026, according to HUD, all development and enhancement of the NSPIRE software system is still on hold pending administrative guidance on HUD funded software system improvements. Additionally, the required software changes recommended under this finding depend on the final Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) rule, but most regulatory work has been paused for review per Executive Order from the Administration. HUD anticipates changes to the PHAS rule will be finalized in 2026; however, updates to the NSPIRE system requires funding. Pending the required resources and funding approval, HUD cannot move forward at this time. According to HUD, it has planned for and proposed the needed improvements to meet this recommendation and will provide updates when available. The final action target date was revised to October 1, 2026.
Analysis
To fully address this recommendation, HUD must provide evidence demonstrating that it has implemented control activities that ensure public housing properties are inspected within the required timeframes.
Implementation of this recommendation will result in HUD accurately tracking the dates on which public housing properties should be inspected and that they are timely completed.
Due to the uncertainty of when software changes to NSPIRE can take place to enforce the timing of inspections, REAC cannot enforce the requirements of inspection timing.
We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing require the Real Estate Assessment Center in coordination with the Office of Field Operations to implement adequate procedures and controls to ensure that public housing agencies appropriately identify and control lead-based paint and eliminate lead-based paint hazards in public housing.
We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing require the Real Estate Assessment Center in coordination with the Office of Field Operations to determine whether the public housing agencies identified as having lead-based paint hazards in their housing developments maintain and implement a plan for managing lead-based paint. For any public housing agency that does not have a plan for the management of lead-based paint in its public housing developments, as appropriate, HUD should inform the public housing agency that it should develop and implement its own plan.
- Status2023-CH-0001-001-FOpenClosed
We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing require the Real Estate Assessment Center in coordination with the Office of Field Operations to assess the lead-based paint hazard reduction activities performed at the 19 developments associated with 18 public housing agencies reviewed that did not implement interim controls and ongoing maintenance and reevaluation activities or adequately document that previously identified lead-based paint had been abated or treated with interim controls and subjected to ongoing maintenance and reevaluation activities. If those reduction activities did not fully abate the lead-based paint, HUD should ensure that the public housing agencies implement interim controls and ongoing maintenance and reevaluation programs and maintain required documentation.