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This has been coming up more and more lately, so December’s Newsletter is all about a brand new deficiency…well new to everyone except those familiar with Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) properties: Minimum Electrical and Lighting Standard/Deficiency.
TAKE NOTE OF THE HIGHLIGHTED WORDS BECAUSE THEY ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!
HUD defines “habitable” rooms on BOTH pages of the Standard/Deficiency as:
Let me give you 2 different scenarios on why this has become a major issue.
Scenario 1: An inspector cites every bedroom of every unit for not having a permanent light fixture.
The inspector did not understand the deficiency – he missed the crucial “OR” in the deficiency criteria and never looked for or tested 2 outlets!!!
The property called me in a panic because installing that many light fixtures was going to cost in the six-figure range! I told them they do NOT have to install light fixtures….as long as there are at least (2) working outlets in each bedroom!
Now, let’s define “working outlet” before we go to scenario #2.
So what happens if the inspector can’t get access to the outlet?
Scenario 2: An inspector cannot test the 2nd outlet in both the bedroom and living room because of the resident’s heavy and/or fragile furniture block access. There are no permanently installed light fixtures in either room. Thus, the inspector cannot determine whether the outlets are working or safe and must cite the deficiency for both the Living Room and Bedroom!
You can clearly see how this is going to get complicated!
THE GOOD NEWS IS:
- Even if the deficiency is cited twice (Scenario 2) – it will score ONCE PER UNIT.
- This is a “Moderate” Health & Safety – on a 100-unit property it scores 0.22 per unit.
- This deficiency is an Affirmative Habitability Requirement and will not be scored until October 1, 2024.
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