HUD Publishes Notice in Federal Register Delaying Implementation of NSPIRE-V Inspection Protocol

By: Tushar Gurjal, Senior Policy Manager

On July 3, HUD released a pre-publication copy of a notice in the Federal Register titled “Economic Growth Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act: Implementation of National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE); Extension of NSPIRE Compliance Date for HCV, PBV and Section 8 Moderate Rehab and CPD Programs.” This change was previously mentioned in an email sent to PHA executive directors. This notice extends the compliance date for the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) for the following programs:

• Housing Choice Voucher program,
• the Project-Based Voucher program,
• the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program,
• the HOME Investment Partnerships program,
• the Housing Trust Fund,
• the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program,
• Emergency Solutions Grants, and
• Continuum of Care programs.

The new compliance deadline for these programs is October 1, 2025. Nonetheless, the Department encourages PHAs, participating jurisdictions, and grantees to implement the NSPIRE protocol at their earliest convenience. This delay will provide PHAs “with additional time to train staff and communicate with landlords” and allow HUD to prepare additional technical resources. Housing agencies have told HUD that they are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and are also simultaneously implementing multiple regulations related to the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA). Additionally, neither HUD nor private vendors have completed their inspection products for housing agencies.

Housing agencies that implement NSPIRE prior to the new compliance date of October 1, 2025 must notify HUD on the date on which they plan to transition to NSPIRE. This may be done by emailing NSPIREV_AlternateInspection@hud.gov and copying the agency’s local field office. The NSPIRE standards for carbon monoxide devices and smoke alarms still apply as they are statutory requirements previously put in place by appropriations bills. The standard for smoke alarms will be updated before the statutory compliance date of December 29, 2024.

The Department is also delaying the implementation of other Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs to align their implementation timelines. The Department intends to publish standards specific to each of the several CPD programs before the compliance date.

The full pre-publication notice can be found here.