FAAR recently sent a letter to Virginia Housing, the agency that administers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program in our region, expressing concerns about the new NSPIRE property inspection guidelines that HUD has issued for any properties being rented through the program.  FAAR is concerned that the new inspection guidelines are onerous for property owners and could actually drive landlords away, reducing available inventory at a time when renters are already struggling to find affordable units.

FAAR represents nearly 200 active property managers who manage thousands of local homes, mostly single family and small multi-family properties, providing moderate and lower-rent options for many local citizens.  FAAR has partnered with the local administrator of the Housing Choice Voucher Program to expand landlord participation in the program and the local agency has worked very hard to recruit and retain quality landlords.  As with all parts of the real estate market, supply in the rental market is constrained, especially in the lower price points.

The new NSPIRE guidelines adopted by HUD are incredibly copious and far-reaching, prompting fears among FAAR property managers that landlords will be driven away from the program at a time when supply is already scant.  The new guidelines sweep all landlords into this complex inspection process, instead of targeting the bad actors.  FAAR encourages continued delay in final implementation in Virginia, consideration of allocating grant funds to help landlords undertake any construction projects required for NSPIRE approval, and a return to more flexibility for inspectors to work with landlords on property inspections.

Click the button below to read the full letter that FAAR has sent to Virginia Housing.

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