HUD Will Resume REAC Physical Inspections

HUD recently announced the resumption of Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of HUD Multifamily and Public Housing properties and units under strict safety protocols during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. REAC inspections are the assessment tool that ensures HUD-assisted properties meet federal standards of health, safety, and accessibility. REAC inspections were paused due to the coronavirus outbreak in March of 2020.

According to a notice on REAC’s homepage, in a forthcoming memo, REAC will provide business partners of its intent to resume physical inspections on or about Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, with the required 14-day notification period to begin on or about Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.

To keep the residents and staff of HUD sites safe during the inspection process, REAC will prioritize inspections in states and localities based on the latest COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University and health-risk scoring methodology from the Harvard Global Health Institute. REAC has developed a heat map that categorizes states and localities into four risk categories:

• Low Risk – Green
• Moderately Low Risk – Yellow
• Moderately High Risk – Orange
• High Risk – Red

REAC will provide a listing on its website of low-risk counties 45 days before the start of physical inspections. At the end of the 45-day period, REAC will provide a 14-day notification to priority properties in that county to inform families that an inspection will take place. The first outreach from inspectors to properties will start no earlier than Sept. 21, 2020.

A comprehensive list of safe inspection locations, as well as an overview of the methodology used to determine them can be found at www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/reac. Inspectors will prioritize sites with historically low REAC scores (high-risk properties) in Low Risk (Green) localities. These locations will change over time, and HUD will adjust its inspection plans as needed.