Federally Assisted Housing

Condition of Some Properties Receiving Section 8 Project-Based Assistance Is Below Housing Quality Standards Gao ID: T-RCED-94-273 July 26, 1994

Physical conditions in the Section 8 assisted properties GAO visited ranged from very good to very poor. The properties in good physical condition show that the Section 8 program can work. Conditions in some properties, however, clearly violated the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) housing quality standards. In the distressed properties, families lived in units with leaking toilets and sinks, exposed electrical wiring, holes in walls and ceilings, broken air conditioners and smoke detectors, damaged and missing kitchen cabinets, and roach and rat infestation. Moreover, the landlords for some of these distressed properties collected rents that were higher than those for well-maintained apartments nearby. Although HUD has various enforcement tools to ensure that properties comply with its housing quality standards, including barring or suspending landlords from further participation in Section 8 programs and terminating housing assistance contracts, HUD has used these tools sparingly and inconsistently.

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