Two Weeks After Explosion, HUD Lays off Entire Building Inspection Staff

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) laid off its entire staff of building inspectors on October 10, reports Kriston Capps in Bloomberg CityLab, putting residents of subsidized housing at higher risk of dangerous conditions just weeks after a partial building collapse in the Bronx.

“Federal law requires all government-subsidized properties, including Mitchel Houses in the Bronx, to undergo inspections on an ongoing basis.” However, it’s likely that the building had not been inspected recently. “Some affordable housing properties haven’t had an inspection in more than five years, even though the maximum limit between inspections is three years, with more frequent check-ups for poor performers.” 

Capps notes that “In the wake of a fire or another calamity, federal inspectors would normally pull the files on the property and begin lining up emergency assessments for buildings of similar stock or age, to rule out a systemic deficiency.” However, the staff that would do this work will lose their jobs in early December. 

“Even before the reduction-in-force notices went out on Friday, public housing authorities that liaise with HUD’s inspections division expressed concerns about its staffing levels, according to Crystal Wojciechowski, deputy director of the nonprofit Public Housing Authority Directors Association, or PHADA.” Meanwhile, inspection scores, which should be public, are no longer available after a recent redesign of the HUD website.