Finding Text
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Program Name: Housing Voucher Cluster
Assistance Listing Number: 14.871/14.879
Federal Award Identification Number and Year: DC001VO - 2021
Award Period: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021
Type of Finding:
Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance
Material Noncompliance (Modified Opinion)
Criteria or specific requirement: For units under HAP contract that fail to meet HQS, the Authority must require the owner to correct any life threatening HQS deficiencies within 24 hours after the inspections and all other HQS deficiencies within 30 calendar days or within a specified Authority approved extension. If the owner does not correct the cited HQS deficiencies within the specified correction period, the Authority must stop (abate) HAPs beginning no later than the first of the month following the specified correction period or must terminate the HAP contract. The owner is not responsible for a breach of HQS as a result of the family’s failure to pay for utilities for which the family is responsible under the lease or for tenant damage. For family-caused defects, if the family does not correct the cited HQS deficiencies within the specified correction period, the Authority must take prompt and vigorous action to enforce the family obligations (24 CFR sections 982.158(d) and 982.404).
Condition/Context: Exceptions noted in 3 of 15 failed inspections. Reinspections were not performed within the required timeframe. This resulted in the Authority failing to properly abate the unit.
The sample was statistically valid.
Questioned Costs: Unable to determine.
Cause: The Authority did not reinspect or abate units timely.
Effect: The Authority is not in compliance with HQS enforcement requirements.
Repeat Finding: No.
Recommendation: We recommend the Authority implements controls to ensure that the Authority requires HQS deficiencies to be corrected within the timeframe set forth by 2 CFR section 982.404(a). We recommend the Authority implements controls to ensure abatement is timely for units that do not correct the cited HQS deficiencies within the required timeframe.
Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.