NSPIRE establishes the three inspectable areas of a REAC inspection into three easily identified locations: Unit, Inside, and Outside. This increases the usability of the standards and streamlines the inspection process. To ensure that all residents live in safe, habitable homes, the items and components located inside the building, outside the building, and within the units of HUD housing must be functionally adequate, operable, and free of health and safety hazards. This streamlined approach allows inspectors to cite deficiencies based on where they are standing and eliminates potential subjectivity or ambiguity about a deficiency’s location.

UNIT: A “Unit” of HUD housing refers to the interior components of an individual dwelling, where the resident lives.

INSIDE: “Inside” refers to the common areas and building systems within the building interior and are not inside a unit. This could include interior laundry facilities, workout rooms, and so on.

OUTSIDE: “Outside” refers to the building site, building exterior components, and any building systems located outside of the building or unit. This includes things like playgrounds, sidewalks, and air-conditioning units.

The front matter of each standard lists the areas or items within each inspectable location that the standard applies to. For example, the Handrail Standard lists stairs, hallways, and ramps as inspectable items in the Unit.

A deficiency may have different potential impacts on resident health and safety depending on where it is found. This will be clearly described in each standard’s rationale. For example, an inoperable toilet in a unit may have a different rationale and health and safety classification than one in a common area.

View the NSPIRE standards to see the different locations within the inspectable areas for each standard.

Related Links

• NSPIRE Terms and Definitions
• NSPIRE Standards