HUD Releases Memo Addressing Owner/Resident Communications
On July 8th, the Office of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight (OAMPO) within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a memo encouraging owners to provide residents with as much advance notice as possible, and in no case less than 24 hours (or as State/local law requires) notice, if a physical inspection is scheduled. It also makes clear that owners are required to make a final Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) score and physical inspection-related documents available to residents should they be requested.
For example, owners must provide each resident receiving project-based Section 8 assistance, and post on each floor, the Notice of Default (NOD) of the Housing Assistance contract and the Notice of Violation (NOV) of Regulatory Agreement if received. HUD also encourages tenants to report false certifications of completed repairs or exigent health and safety findings and urges owners to provide a copy of any written response to a resident who has made a complaint on those grounds.
Further guidance regarding REAC inspections may be found in LeadingAge's REAC Inspections Refresher and the LeadingAge Fact Sheet on REAC Physical Inspections. Please do not hesitate to contact Colleen Bloom and me with any questions regarding the above.
Contact: Sara Neitzel, sneitzel@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8835