Implement a system to track field office inspection review activities and create a repository for the support documentation collected to verify the correction of life-threatening deficiencies.
Corrective Action Taken
HUD’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) had created a quality assurance tracker as well as a life-threatening deficiency tracker, which contained data specific to the inspections selected by OFO HQs, for quality assurance reviews. The documentation (photographs, work orders, etc.) of the life-threatening deficiency correction was maintained in HUD’s NSPIRE Salesforce system.
Implementation of the recommendation resulted in HUD creating a system to track HUD field offices’ verifications of PHAs’ corrections of life-threatening deficiencies.
Publication Report
2023-CH-0004 | May 30, 2023
HUD Can Improve Its Oversight of the Physical Condition of Public Housing Developments
We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of the physical condition of public housing developments. Our audit objective was to assess HUD’s oversight of the physical condition of public housing developments;… moreRelated Recommendations
Public and Indian Housing
- Status2023-CH-0004-001-AOpenClosedClosed on March 26, 2024PriorityPriority
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.
Develop and implement a nationwide inspection review protocol, which includes but is not limited to (1) whether field office staff should mark verification of PHA corrections of life-threatening deficiencies in PASS or any future tracking systems, (2) acceptable documentation for offsite verifications, and (3) whether field office staff should discuss or verify corrections of non-life-threatening deficiencies.
Corrective Action Taken
HUD's Office of Field Operations (OFO) created a protocol describing how it would perform quality control reviews of field office oversight of PHAs’ corrections of life-threatening deficiencies. The implementation of this recommendation resulted in HUD creating a protocol that established consistency in the way HUD field office staff monitored public housing agencies’ corrections of life-threatening deficiencies.
- Status2023-CH-0004-001-BOpenClosedClosed on April 02, 2024PriorityPriority
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.
Develop and implement training for field offices that addresses reviewing or following up with PHAs about the correction of life-threatening and non-life-threatening deficiencies and how (1) to review physical inspection reports to effectively ensure that PHAs correct physical deficiencies, (2) PHAs should address or correct each type of deficiency observed in the REAC physical inspection report, and (3) to use PASS or any future tracking system.
Corrective Action Taken
HUD developed and provided training to the field offices on their roles and responsibilities for following up with PHAs on the correction of life-threatening and non-life-threatening deficiencies observed during REAC inspections, the NSPIRE system and standards, protocols, and timelines for deficiency correction and verification. Implementation of the recommendation will help HUD to ensure that field office staff are clear on their roles and responsibilities to communicate with PHAs on how deficiencies should be addressed and verify that PHAs’ inspection deficiencies have been corrected.
We recommend that the Deputy Assistant Secretary for REAC determine whether PHAs are required to perform annual inspections on 100 percent of their public housing units annually and issue clarifying guidance to all PHAs.
If REAC determines that 100 percent annual self-inspections are required, establish specific guidance to address the number of units and frequency of PHA self-inspections. If not required, REAC should evaluate whether HUD’s rationale for inspecting a statistical sample rather than 100 percent of public housing units remains appropriate.
- Status2023-CH-0004-002-COpenClosedPriorityPriority
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.
Develop and implement a nationwide protocol for field offices, describing how PHA self-inspections should be reviewed, based on REAC's determination of the number and frequency of PHA self-inspections.
Status
HUD closed this recommendation in August 2024, an action which HUD OIG disagrees with. HUD provided guidance for field office staff to send to PHAs with NSPIRE inspections that scored below 60 points. However, HUD did not provide a protocol detailing how it would receive and review PHAs’ self-inspections for compliance with HUD requirements. Therefore, HUD has not fully addressed the gap in controls identified in the audit that hinders HUD’s oversight over PHA self-inspections.
Analysis
To fully resolve this recommendation, HUD needs to provide a policy or procedure that provides guidance to the field offices on how public housing self-inspections should be reviewed for compliance with its requirements.
Implementation of this recommendation will result in public housing units that are decent, safe, and sanitary because it mandates oversight to ensure PHAs are addressing identified deficiencies.