ADVOCACY WIN: HUD Extends Timeline for Non-Scored NSPIRE Deficiencies Until October 2025

(Dec. 30, 2024) Following advocacy by LeadingAge, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) has extended the period of time during which new inspection standards under the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) will not be scored until at least Oct. 1, 2025.

REAC had previously established a one-year window for items to be noted (and corrected) but not scored on inspections, but LeadingAge requested that REAC extend the time period to allow more properties to benefit from the phase-in as the portfolio shifts to the new NSPIRE protocol. Notably, many properties are only inspected once every two or three years, and LeadingAge asked REAC to extend the non-scored timeframe to encompass all properties. Currently, REAC’s notice states that the extension will last until “at least” Oct. 1, 2025.

The non-scored status applies to new affirmative requirements including Fire Labeled Doors; Electrical – Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) or Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI); Guardrail; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); Interior Lighting; and Minimum Electrical and Lighting. This extension is applicable to Public Housing and Multifamily Housing programs.

The traditionally Non-Scored Defects (smoke alarms, calls for aid, carbon monoxide devices, and handrails) will continue in HUD’s long-standing practice of not being scored.

Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866