Why this step matters more than the paperwork
No payment begins until the unit passes. A failed inspection means a re-inspection, and a re-inspection means waiting for the next available slot. The cost of failing is rarely the repair — it is the weeks of vacancy while the queue moves.
Which means the entire game is passing the first time.
HQS and NSPIRE
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) is the long-standing inspection framework. HUD has been transitioning the program to NSPIRE (National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate), which reorganizes the approach around what actually affects health and safety, and weights defects inside the unit — where residents live — more heavily.
The practical direction of travel for owners is that life-safety items and functional defects inside the dwelling carry the most weight. Cosmetic issues matter least; things that can hurt somebody matter most.
What actually gets cited
In our experience the recurring failures are mundane and entirely preventable:
- Smoke alarms — missing, expired, wrong location, or no carbon monoxide alarm where a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage requires one.
- Missing or cracked outlet and switch cover plates.
- GFCI protection absent or non-functioning in kitchens, baths, garages and exterior locations.
- Windows that will not open, will not stay open, or will not lock.
- Handrails missing where there are four or more risers; loose or damaged steps.
- Water heater without a proper temperature and pressure relief discharge line.
- Peeling paint, particularly on pre-1978 housing where lead-safe rules apply.
- Plumbing leaks under sinks — the slow weeping kind nobody looks for.
- No heat source that actually works. This gets missed in July.
- Doors that do not latch and lock properly; broken exterior locks.
How we prepare a unit
We walk the property against the inspection criteria before the inspector is scheduled, fix what would be cited, and photograph it. If something does get cited we handle the repair and get the re-inspection booked rather than sending you a list.
You hear the result. You do not manage the process.