[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51780-51781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24947]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4442-N-12]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment; 
Housing Condition Assessment (Pilot Study)

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The 
Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments Due Date: November 23, 1999.


[[Page 51781]]


ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Office 
of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 8226, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William E. Freeborne, Program Analyst, 
Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 8134, Washington, DC 20410-
6000, telephone (202) 708-4370 ext. 5725. (This is not a toll-free 
number). A copy of the proposed forms and other available documents to 
be submitted to OMB may be obtained from Mr. Freeborne.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). This notice 
is soliciting comments from members of the public concerning proposed 
collection information to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond; including through the use of appropriate automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Title of Proposal: Housing Condition Assessment (Pilot Study).
    Description of the Need for Information and Proposed Use: Housing 
is the most basic and important part of the infrastructure in the 
United States and worldwide. Its direct and indirect impact on the 
economy and public welfare is far reaching. While increasing 
homeownership opportunities has benefits, it presents certain 
challenges to the future of housing in the United States. For example, 
housing production and resource utilization is stretched to meet the 
housing demand of a diverse and growing population. To continue to meet 
this demand, conventional methods need to be improved while innovative 
materials and methods need to rise to meet the challenge in a 
responsible, but competitive manner. This challenge can only be 
effectively met by better understanding the performance of the existing 
housing stock and developing improved technologies, including both 
design and construction practices that lead to better and more 
affordable homes for all Americans.
    This study will help fill critical knowledge gaps to develop more 
durable products for single-family home construction. The work will 
help to establish a baseline of housing performance from which defects 
can be rationally identified and future improvements and innovations 
can be cost-effectively directed. The objectives are as follows:
    (1) Pilot test and define the data collection methodology for 
potential use as a national housing condition assessment instrument.
    (2) Establish a baseline of housing condition (durability), based 
on the pilot test data.
    (3) Evaluate the housing condition assessment data to identify 
trends related to durability performance.
    The housing performance assessment protocol will be implemented on 
a pilot scale. The focus will be on documenting conditions including 
products, homeowner maintenance, history of any damage, etc. The study 
will obtain a random selection (representative sample) of about 200 
homes for site inspections and occupant/owner interviews in a pilot 
study region (Anne Arundel County, MD). Homes will be single-family 
detached, selected from property tax records according to the following 
age brackets: 5 to 10 years old and 25-30 years old. A data collection 
form will be created with detailed information to be collected from the 
sampled homes by field inspectors operating under contract to HUD.
    Assessment teams will contact owners or occupants prior to site 
visits to conduct a phone interview and to arrange for an on-site 
assessment. The data will be recorded on field survey forms and then 
transcribed to a computer database. Homes not receiving voluntary 
homeowner participation will be subject only to a visual survey from 
the street.
    Agency Form Numbers, if Applicable: None.
    Members of Affected Public: A randomly selected group of 200 
homeowners will be affected by the information collection.
    Estimation of the Total Number of Hours Needed to Prepare the 
Information Collection Including Number of Respondents, Frequency of 
Response, and Hours of Response: Information will be collected by a 
telephone and a voluntary personal interview with a maximum of 200 
randomly selected homeowners in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Each survey 
will take approximately 30 minutes or less to complete. This means a 
total of 200 hours of response time for the information collection.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Pending submission 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance.

    Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: September 10, 1999.
Lawrence L. Thompson,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 99-24947 Filed 9-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-M