[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 63606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27189]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4280-N-06]


Uniform Physical Condition Standards and Physical Inspection 
Requirements; Notice of Availability of Physical Inspection Software 
and Guidebook and Notice of Compliance Date With Physical Inspection 
Procedures

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing 
Commissioner, and Office of the Director of the Real Estate Assessment 
Center, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On September 1, 1998, HUD published its final rule on Uniform 
Physical Conditions Standards and Uniform Physical Inspection 
Requirements for Certain HUD Housing. In that rule, HUD stated that 
when HUD issued the physical inspection software and guidebook, the 
availability would be announced by Federal Register notice. The rule 
also provided that the availability notice would provide the covered 
entities with 30 days notice to prepare to conduct physical inspections 
in accordance with the requirements of 24 CFR part 5, subpart G. This 
notice announces the availability of the software and guidebook, and 
provides the 30-day notice required by the rule.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about housing 
entities covered by this notice, contact Kenneth Hannon, Office of 
Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh St, 
SW., Room 6160, Washington, DC 20410, (202) 708-0547, ext. 2599. For 
further information about other matters covered by this notice, contact 
Wanda Funk, Real Estate Assessment Center, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 1280 Maryland Avenue, SW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 
20024; telephone Customer Service Center at 1-888-245-4860 (this is a 
toll-free number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access that number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339. Additional information is available from the 
REAC Internet Site, http://www.hud.gov/reac.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Uniform Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS)

    On September 1, 1998 (63 FR 46566), HUD published its final rule on 
Uniform Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS) and Uniform Physical 
Inspection Requirements for Certain HUD Housing. The standards provided 
in the September 1, 1998 final rule, and codified at 24 CFR part 5, 
subpart G, are intended to ensure that housing insured and/or assisted 
under certain HUD programs is decent, safe, sanitary and in good 
repair. The September 1, 1998, final rule also generally established 
new physical inspection procedures that allow HUD to determine that the 
housing is in conformity with the standards.
    In the preamble to the September 1, 1998, final UPCS rule (64 FR 
46566) and in Sec. 5.705(b) of the regulation itself, HUD advised that 
entities responsible for conducting inspections to determine compliance 
with the UPCS would not be required to conduct inspections in 
accordance with the UPSC until HUD issued the inspection software and 
accompanying guidebook. HUD advised that when these two items have been 
issued, HUD would publish a notice in the Federal Register to inform 
the public of the availability of the software and guidebook. HUD also 
advised that the notice, when issued, would provide 30 days within 
which those entities must prepare to conduct the physical inspections 
in accordance with the requirements of 24 CFR part 5, subpart G.

UPCS--Administrative Process for Assessment of Insured and Assisted 
Properties

    On November 26, 1999 (64 FR 66530), HUD published a proposed rule 
titled Uniform Physical Condition Standards and Physical Inspection 
Requirements for Certain HUD Housing; Administrative Process for 
Assessment of Insured and Assisted Properties. This proposed rule 
establishes for multifamily housing (non-public housing as more fully 
described) certain administrative processes by which HUD will notify 
owners of HUD's assessment of the physical condition of their 
multifamily housing; the owners, under certain circumstances, will be 
provided an opportunity to seek technical or other review of HUD's 
physical condition assessment of multifamily housing properties; and 
HUD may take action in certain cases when a property is found not to be 
in compliance with the UPCS.
    HUD anticipates the final rule implementing the proposed rule will 
be published in the Federal Register within the next several weeks. The 
final rule will be effective 30 days after the date of publication in 
the Federal Register.

Thirty Day Notice

    This notice constitutes the notice referred in the September 1, 
1998, final UPSC rule, now codified in 24 CFR 5.705(b). Physical 
inspection software for public use and the accompanying guidebook may 
be obtained, at no cost, by contacting: Technical Assistance Center, 
Real Estate Assessment Center, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 1280 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20024; 
telephone 1-888-245-4860 (this is a toll-free number). Both items also 
may be downloaded, at no cost, from the REAC Internet Site, at http://www.hud.gov/reac/products/pass/pass-demo.html. In addition, training in 
the uniform physical condition standards and inspection protocol is 
available from the trainers on the approved training list on the REAC 
Internet Site, at http://www.hud.gov/reac/products/pass/pass_srclist.html.
    All covered entities that are required to conduct physical 
inspections of properties to determine compliance with the UPCS 
regulations, must begin using HUD's physical inspection procedures by 
November 24, 2000.

    Dated: October 16, 2000.
William C. Apgar,
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner.
Donald J. LaVoy,
Director, Real Estate Assessment Center.
[FR Doc. 00-27189 Filed 10-23-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P