Maintenance

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You may think that because you take good care of your site, conduct regular inspections, and promptly fix problems, you’re prepared for your site’s upcoming HUD inspection. But it’s important to give your site a last-minute once-over to make sure you catch any problems before the inspector arrives. Some of the easiest-to-avoid inspection problems can cost you big points or get you hit with a health-and-safety “ticket,” says Paul Crosby, director of maintenance with Gene B. Glick Company, Inc.

Keeping your residents cool and comfortable in the summer will do much to keep your residents happy, reduce resident complaints, and avoid HUD scrutiny. If your site's air-conditioning system breaks down this summer, some residents may even try to deduct money from their rent for the time the air-conditioning system was broken.

In last month's issue, the Insider explained how to identify when the brick façade on your building needs repointing work. Repointing work is the chiseling out of old, worn mortar between bricks and having it replaced with fresh mortar.

With ice, rain, snow, and low temperatures, winter is clearly the season that hits a brick façade the hardest. Problems already present in the façade are sure to grow as moisture in cracks and cavities expands in freezing temperatures. To the site manager, this means that summer is the best time to gather contractor bids and to catch up on needed masonry repairs before late fall, when demand for repointing work is highest, and before the onset of winter.

On Aug. 16, HUD issued Notice H2011-20 on the subject of bedbugs in project-based assisted housing programs. Bedbug infestations have become a serious problem in housing throughout the country, and the notice provides information and references to best practices regarding the prevention and control of bedbug infestations. It also provides guidance on the rights and responsibilities of owners and managers and residents with regard to bedbug infestations.

Having a well-maintained laundry room at one's site is a definite plus for owners and households. Owners can benefit from ancillary income, and households don't have to find off-site laundromats, where they may have to spend hours waiting for machines. But a laundry room can quickly turn into a management headache if machines break down, service calls are ignored, and residents start complaining.

On July 29, HUD posted Notice PIH 2011-44 entitled “Guidance on EPA's Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule, and the EPA-HUD Lead Disclosure Rule.” The notice provides guidance to public housing authorities (PHAs) and Housing Choice Voucher site owners on complying with the various lead paint regulations that apply to federally assisted housing.

One sure way you can beat the heat this summer is to be certain that your air conditioning system and individual units are ready to go before the temperatures rise.

The REAC scoring system has long baffled site owners and managers. With its algorithms, weights, criticalities, and levels of severity, you might think you need a degree in advanced mathematics to understand it. Not so, says REAC inspections consultant Michael Gantt.

“All of the calculations are done with simple arithmetic,” Gantt explains. “The problem is that hundreds of variables come into play.”

Unit kitchens can be a hot spot for deficiencies when inspection time rolls around. REAC inspectors check for an array of problems in the kitchen, both large and small, from missing or damaged countertops to leaking faucets to inoperable range hood exhaust fans. But you can minimize deficiencies and improve inspection scores if you prepare ahead of time.