All Section 8 tenants are required to provide access to HPD inspectors to allow them to perform the required inspection. Tenants must also allow the property owner access to the apartment to make repairs. A tenant that repeatedly fails to provide access may be terminated from the program.

If a unit fails an HQS inspection, the tenant and owner will be notified of what specific HQS Failures were found, and whether the failures are the responsibility of the owner or the tenant to correct. The owner is not responsible for tenant-caused breaches of HQS. If a tenant fails to correct an HQS violation, they risk losing their subsidy.

Tenants must maintain HQS and HPD will hold them responsible for damage or violations that cause a unit to fail inspection. HQS Failures that are the tenant’s responsibility to correct will require a re-inspection. HPD will notify the tenant in writing of the failure that is their responsibility to correct and the re-inspection date.

HPD generally holds tenants responsible for the following HQS violations:

• Nonfunctioning smoke detectors (battery-operated, battery dead)
• Nonfunctioning smoke detectors (electric, tenant pays electrical utilities)
• Missing smoke detectors (smoke detector was present on initial or last annual inspection)
• No electricity (tenant pays electrical utilities)
• No gas (tenant pays gas utilities)
• Double cylinder lock on exit door
• Illegal gates on fire escape windows
• Debris that blocks access to exit doors or fire escape windows
• Kitchen grease that constitutes a fire hazard
• Damage caused by tenant or tenant's guest
• Nonfunctioning carbon monoxide detector (battery-operated, battery dead)
• Nonfunctioning carbon monoxide detector (electric, tenant pays electrical utilities)

Tenant Request for Re-Inspection

If your landlord fails to make repairs, you can request a re-inspection by phone.

Property Owner can prevent failed inspections by providing access to all public areas of the building on the inspection date. Any failures in the public areas – including no access to inspect the building’s heating system– will result in a failure and/or violation and cause any subsidized apartment inspected on or after that day to fail the HQS Inspection until the failure and/or violation is validly certified or closed.

If a unit fails a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection, the tenant and owner will be notified of what specific HQS Failures were found, and whether the failures are the responsibility of the owner or the tenant to correct. The owner is not responsible for tenant-caused breaches of HQS. If a tenant fails to correct an HQS violation, they risk losing their subsidy.

Correcting an Owner Caused Failure

Owners may self-certify the correction of Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Failures. Timelines for clearing up HQS Failures and/or violations of the New York City Housing Maintenance Code (HMC) or the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) may be different. In order to satisfy all requirements, the condition must be corrected by the earliest correction date appearing on the notice, and certified as corrected by the earliest certification date appearing on the notice.

If an owner fails to correct HQS violations within the required timeframe, HPD will suspend the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) until the HQS failures are corrected. HQS failures may result in the termination, suspension or reduction of HAP, or the termination of the HAP contract.

All Notices of Violation(s)/HQS Failure(s) that result from the inspection will be sent to the managing agent indicated on the most recent valid HPD Property Registration. It is your responsibility to be validly registered under NYC law.

Owners can register:

Online

Register a building using HPD's Property Registration Online System (PROS).

By Email

Send a message to register@hpd.nyc.gov.

By Phone

HPD, at its discretion, may determine certain HQS defects to be emergencies. The owner must repair these defects within 24 hours.

Depending on their severity, conditions may be cited as emergency HQS failures requiring a 24-hour correction period including:

• Gas leaks
• Smoking/sparking electrical outlets or wiring
• Building in imminent danger of collapse

When an apartment fails a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection, HPD will send a preliminary notification email to the registered property owner. It is the property owner’s responsibility to be validly registered under NYC law.

Owners can register or confirm registration online, by email, or by phone.

Online

Register or confirm registration using HPD's Property Registration Online System (PROS).

By Email

Send an email to register@hpd.nyc.gov.

By Phone