Compliance & Maintenance Trainings: Learning HOTMA & NSPIRE

Introducing HOTMA & NSPIRE

Compliance has been busy since the start of the year with several trainings to cover HOTMA for Section 8 and LIHTC, Housing Navigator, and Local Programs (IDP and 40B) Yardi implementation. 

HOTMA is the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act which was signed into law in 2016. According to the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs, "HOTMA was intended to streamline processes and reduce burdens on housing providers." This act amends the definitions of family and earned income which affects public housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs. The regulations of this act came into effect at the start of 2024, so the Compliance Department has conducted several trainings to ensure all JMC employees understand the changes that this act has made for the multifamily sphere. 

Maintenance Operations is also kicking off trainings in 2024 to teach our JMC employees about the new inspection model, National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). This is an extensive property inspection to rate the condition of the community. The new standards prioritize the health and safety of residents above all else. 

A new requirement mandates conducting an annual 100% inspection and transmitting the results to HUD if deemed necessary. There are a few key changes from REAC to NSPIRE. For example, apartments will have no caps, multiple deficiencies can be sited, outlets within six feet of a water source must be GFCI protected, and smoke and Co2 detectors are required now. 

TRIVIA: In Irish folklore, what is the traditional profession of a leprechaun?

2/28 Trivia Answer: To align the calendar year with the solar year because it takes 365.25 days for the earth to move around the sun, so we add one day to February every four years.