HUD to resume REAC inspections after months long pause

HUD announced on Friday that it will resume physical Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of its multifamily and public housing properties, after they were paused in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

REAC inspections are periodic check-ins of HUD properties that rate the condition of properties on a scale of 1 to 100. Properties with a 90-100 score are inspected only every three years, those with a 80-89 score are inspected every two years, and the worst performing properties with a score of 79 or below are inspected yearly.

"REAC inspections provides a critical service in HUD assisted properties to ensure residents are living in safe and decent housing. I believe we have found a solution to continue this important function while keeping staff, residents, and inspectors healthy," said Hunter Kurtz, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, in HUD's press release.

These inspections check for essential functions around the house like windows, lighting, and plumbing. They are important to determine which properties need the most attention for improvement, and also to recognize housing authorities that keep their properties in good condition. All housing authorities are given a combined REAC score based on the results of all of their properties.

REAC will prioritize inspections based on the health risk in each area, which is ranked in four categories from Low Risk to High Risk. The health risk is determined by COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University.

HUD says that inspectors will start with high-risk properties with historically low REAC scores that are in Low Risk areas. Inspectors will start outreach to properties no earlier than September 21, 2020.