Certification & Training

Certified Specialist of Inspection – Uniform Physical Condition Standards (CSI-UPCS)

NAHRO’s Certified Specialist of Inspection – Uniform Physical Condition Standards (CSI-UPCS) designation demonstrates that an individual has the knowledge, skills and ability necessary for

  • Understanding inspector’s roles and responsibilities.
  • Inspecting public housing sites and dwelling units.
  • Determining how proper inspection work skills can increase a housing agency’s capacity to meet its mission to provide safe housing.
  • Identifing the relationship between UPCS, PASS, and PHAS and how they changed with the implementation of the Asset Management Model.
  • Applying UPCS procedures.
  • Completing inspection forms.
  • Evaluating and improving their agency’s current inspection procedures, including indentifying
    • strengths
    • weaknesses
    • growth potential
    • goals
    • problem solving

How do I get the NAHRO Certified Specialist of Inspection – Uniform Physical Condition Standards (CSI-UPCS)?

NAHRO has two paths to becoming Certified! Please refer to the chart below to determine the path that works best for you. 

Certification Requirements

Education & ExperienceHigh School Diploma or Equivalent AND 6 months of experience 
OR Associates degree and above (without the 6 months of experience) 
Specialist Training Completion of NAHRO’s Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) Training 
Ethics TrainingCompletion of NAHRO’s Ethics for Housing Professionals
OR Ethics for Management Training 
ExamPassing score on NAHRO’s Uniform Physical Standards (UPCS) Certification Exam 
Application Submission of Certification Application 

Requirement to waive the management training and sit for the exam: 

To waive the specialist training requirement, participants must have five (5) or more years of experience working in the maintenance or inspection of public housing units at a government or nationally recognized agency (e.g., Property Manager, Inspector, Maintenance Supervisor) and demonstrated knowledge in all the following:  

  • Conducting annual inspection overviews (physical inspection timetable, contractors, preparing for the inspection and the inspection itself) 
  • Inspection skills and their overall impact on the agency mission 
  • Familiarity with the standard Inspection form and protocol 
  • Completion of 25 inspections (commercial real estate or residential), including but not limited to site, building exteriors, interiors, building systems, and inside individual dwellings 
  • The methodologies necessary to improve HA/AMP physical PHAS score 

NOTE: Individuals waiving the specialist training still have the following requirements: 

Education & ExperienceHigh School Diploma or Equivalent
Ethics Training Completion of NAHRO’s Ethics for Housing Professionals
OR Ethics for Management Training 
Exam Passing score on NAHRO’s Uniform Physical Standards (UPCS) Certification Exam 
Application  Submission of Certification Application 

If you are unsure if you are eligible to waive the specialist training requirement, please email professionaldevelopment@nahro.org or call 202-589-7211 

All applicants must understand the importance of, and agree to adhere to, NAHRO’s Professional Code of Conduct. 

certification APPLICATION

Recertification: 

0.5 NAHRO CEUs (5 training hours) required every 3 years from date of certification

RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION

For further information regarding NAHRO Certification, contact:

professionaldevelopment@nahro.org

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LISTING OF PERSONS NAHRO CERTIFIED