The goal of the Housing Choice Voucher program is to provide “decent, safe and sanitary” housing at an affordable cost to low-income families. To accomplish this, program regulations set basic Housing Quality Standards (HQS), which all units must meet before assistance can be paid on behalf of a family and at least annually throughout the term of the assisted tenancy. HQS defines “standard housing” and establishes the minimum criteria necessary for the health and safety of program participants.
HQS regulations provide performance requirements and acceptability criteria to meet each performance requirement. HQS includes requirements for all housing types, including single and multi-family dwelling units, as well as specific requirements for special housing types such as, Project-Base Housing, Single Room Occupancy (SROs) and Moderate Rehabilitation Housing (Mod-Rehab).
HQS Inspections can raise the most questions. There are four types:
We have resources to assist both landlords and tenants of the program to understand what is required for the housing inspections.
More information about Housing Quality Standards Inspections