Exigent Health & Safety (EH&S) Findings
The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has or will conduct a baseline physical inspection for every Section 8 property with a HUD-administered HAP contract. Once this baseline physical inspection is completed, HUD will determine the frequency of future inspections. Kentucky Housing staff will follow-up on the projects receiving unacceptable performance and compliance indicators in this area upon notification of such inspection results.
Inspectors will record observable conditions of a targeted area, including exigent health and safety (EH&S) deficiencies. The health and safety component is integral to the physical inspection and is a red flag to Kentucky Housing and HUD if deficiencies are observed.
Observable deficiencies are categorized as minor, major or severe. Severe deficiencies require comments on the conditions observed.
If exigent health and safety deficiencies are noted during the inspection, the inspector gives the owner a “citation” identifying EH&S conditions requiring immediate repair which the owner must correct within 72 hours. Within 72 hours of the inspection, Kentucky Housing is notified that a physical inspection has been completed, including whether any EH&S require corrective action.
The owner must certify to Kentucky Housing, on owner’s letterhead, that all EH&S items have been corrected. If the owner fails to correct or mitigate the EH&S conditions, subsequent monitoring and follow up is conducted. Kentucky Housing makes every attempt to obtain compliance. The owner’s failure to respond may result in regulatory and/or contractual default. In such an event, Kentucky Housing recommends to HUD to seek other remedies or either terminate the contract. If the owner fails to correct EH&S conditions, Kentucky Housing and the HUD office may consider Section 8 abatement of individual units.