Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs - Building Homes and Strengthening Communities

Compliance: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Physical Inspections

Compliance Monitoring Physical Inspections (go to section)

Compliance Monitoring Physical Inspections

Q. What is a UPCS inspection?
A. The Uniform Physical Condition Standard (UPCS) inspection protocol was developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) to ensure that housing is “decent, safe, sanitary and in good repair”. REAC conducts approximately 20,000 annual inspections of rental housing that is owned, insured or subsidized by HUD using the UPCS inspection protocol. Visit our listing of related Web sites regarding the inspection process. (Top)

Q. Why does the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs use UPCS?
A. The Internal Revenue Service requires housing agencies to use local health, safety, and building codes or the UPCS to assess the physical condition of Housing Tax Credit developments. In Texas, building codes can vary from city to city and many areas do not have code enforcement at all. To ensure a uniform inspection standard is used state wide, the Department has adopted the UPCS for all programs we administer. (Top)

Q. Who performs the inspections?
A. The Department's Compliance Monitoring Physical Inspections (CMPI) staff will be conducting most of the inspections scheduled. The CMPI staff will perform a range of inspections including UPCS onsite assessments, construction inspections and reviews, and verification of construction and rehabilitation standards of single family structures financed through the HOME program. CMPI staff also supervises and evaluates inspections of our contractors and field inspectors.

Inspectors from On-site Insight and The Inspection Group (Department Contractors) are HUD certified with broad experience in conducting UPCS inspections. Many inspectors live in Texas and all are under the supervision of the contractor's staff. Each contracted inspection firm was selected through a competitive bidding process.

Additionally, in certain circumstances, the Department's Compliance Monitor(s) performing an onsite file review will conduct the physical inspection for a development. (Top)

Q. Who are On-site Insight and The Inspection Group?
A. On-site Insight is a subsidiary of RECAP Real Estate Advisors, a multidisciplinary consulting firm specializing in asset management, physical inspections and capital needs assessments of multifamily, institutional and commercial real estate.

The Inspection Group was founded in 1998 with the objective of providing various building inspection related services. They have inspected over 100,000 units for more than 185 customers. All inspectors have been certified by HUD/REAC. The Inspection Group, Inc., has been putting to use its experience of performing thousands of HUD REAC protocol inspections nationwide, UPCS training, REAC report reviews and score appeals; advising in preparation for REAC inspections; installing new UPCS inspection systems, including software. (Top)

Q. How does the UPCS differ from individual city and/or HUD Housing Quality Standard inspections made at my development?
A. UPCS is generally more detailed and thorough than HQS and most city inspections. The UPCS is designed to be more objective than the HQS protocol. UPCS follows Federal requirements at 24CFR 5.703 and addresses a multitude of inspectable items in five major areas: Site, building exteriors, building systems, common areas and dwelling units, . The Dictionary of Deficiency Definitions (see website listing) is a 325 page listing of each inspectable item with a description of the factors that dictate the level of deficiency. HQS does not address the number of inspectable items that the UPCS include and is not as objective when identifying deficiencies. (Top)

Q. How does the inspector know what to look for?
A. Inspectors have been professionally trained to identify deficiencies based on the UPCS. Additionally, the UPCS inspection is software based. The inspector will generally have a laptop or hand held computer with the UPCS software. The software lists the various inspection items by the five inspectable areas in detail. The inspector notes deficiencies found and assigns a severity level to each deficiency noted during the inspection. (Top)

Q. When will the Physical Inspection be performed?
A. Usually within 60 days of the Department's on site review. In some cases, such as in rural areas, the delay may be longer. (Top)

Q. What should I expect when the physical inspection is scheduled?
A. The inspector should provide adequate notice to the on site manager and staff to allow them to send a notice to the tenants that their unit may be selected for inspection. When the inspector arrives he or she will have a list of the units to be inspected; the site manager will be asked to pull the keys for the units listed. It is recommended that keys for a few extra units be pulled in case a unit on the list cannot be entered. A development staff member is required to accompany the inspector at all times and must enter each dwelling unit with the inspector. The inspector will look at each building on the development and at each unit on the list. (Top)

Q. Can deficiencies be repaired while the inspector is on site?
A. Yes. The inspector will allow reasonable correction of Exigent and Fire Safety Hazards (commonly known as EH&S) during the inspection--for example, if a tenant has disabled a smoke detector, site staff may repair or replace the smoke detector while the inspector is in the unit if time allows. The deficiency will be recorded and noted as corrected. There is usually not sufficient time for more extensive corrections during an inspection. (Top)

Q. What deficiencies are commonly seen?
A . Exigent and Fire Safety deficiencies most commonly cited are missing covers or plates in electrical boxes that expose live wires and blocked egress (furniture blocking windows in bedrooms). Other issues reported are entrance door seals damaged, bathroom basin problems (usually stoppers or pop-ups not working or missing), missing splash blocks at gutter downspouts, and damaged or torn refrigerator door gaskets. (Top)

Q. How is the inspection score for the Development, as reported on the cover of the Physical Assessment Report, calculated?
A. A combination of many factors is used by the software to calculate the final score. A complete discussion is on the HUD website listed in the useful websites. (Top)

Q. If I have deficiencies reported on the Exigent and Fire Safety Hazards Observed form, what is the next step?
A. The inspector will complete a Notification of Exigent and Fire Safety Hazards Observed form at the conclusion of the inspection with a copy presented to the owner's onsite representative. Development staff must correct the deficiency in 24 hours and notify the Department of the correction within 72 hours (3 work days) of notice. A Certification of Correction Form will be left on site to report corrections and is included in the Forms section of the PMC Web site. Submission of the Certification of Correction may be by fax or email and should be addressed to the Department's inspector or as directed on the Certification of Correction Form. (Top)

Q. How do I receive the inspection report and what should I do?
A. A letter to the owner contact listed in the Compliance Monitoring and Tracking System (CMTS) will be mailed with a copy of the report. A copy of the letter and the List of Deficiencies section of the report is mailed to the onsite staff and to the management company listed in CMTS. The letter will state whether or not the physical inspection resulted in any findings, the ending date of the corrective action period, and information on how to report corrections. Remember, all deficiencies must be corrected. (Top)

Q. For a tax credit development, if all deficiencies reported are corrected, will a finding still be reported to the IRS on Form 8823?
A. At the conclusion of the corrective action period, the Department will issue Forms 8823 for each building with a deficiency. The IRS requires all deficiencies to be reported, whether or not corrected (see the IRS 8823 Guide). The finding on the IRS Form 8823 is: “Violation(s) of the UPCS or local inspection standards”. If all deficiencies reported for a particular building are reported corrected during the corrective action period, the Form 8823 will be marked “out of compliance” and “noncompliance corrected”. If not all deficiencies are corrected the Form 8823 will be submitted as “out of compliance”. When documentation of corrections is received for buildings reported out of compliance, additional Forms 8823 will be sent to the IRS reporting the correction(s). (Top)

Q. What does the IRS do when noncompliance is reported?
A. The Department has no information as to how the IRS will treat the report of noncompliance once received. (Top)

Q. My property participates in the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program and has fuel-burning appliances or attached garages. Is my property subject to HUD Notice H 2022-01, which requires carbon monoxide alarms or detectors? If subject to this Notice, does my property have to cover the cost of these devices?
A. Yes. If a dwelling unit is receiving Section 811 Project Rental Assistance and has fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage, the owner must cover the cost of purchasing and installing carbon monoxide alarms or detectors in accordance with the HUD Notice. Owners should review and comply with the HUD Notice in its entirety. (Top)