Federally Assisted Housing: Condition of Some Properties Receiving
Section 8 Project-Based Assistance Is Below Housing Quality Standards
(Testimony, 07/26/94, GAO/T-RCED-94-273).

Physical conditions in the Section 8 assisted properties GAO visited
ranged from very good to very poor. The properties in good physical
condition show that the Section 8 program can work. Conditions in some
properties, however, clearly violated the Department of Housing and
Urban Development's (HUD) housing quality standards. In the distressed
properties, families lived in units with leaking toilets and sinks,
exposed electrical wiring, holes in walls and ceilings, broken air
conditioners and smoke detectors, damaged and missing kitchen cabinets,
and roach and rat infestation. Moreover, the landlords for some of these
distressed properties collected rents that were higher than those for
well-maintained apartments nearby. Although HUD has various enforcement
tools to ensure that properties comply with its housing quality
standards, including barring or suspending landlords from further
participation in Section 8 programs and terminating housing assistance
contracts, HUD has used these tools sparingly and inconsistently.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-94-273
     TITLE:  Federally Assisted Housing: Condition of Some Properties 
             Receiving Section 8 Project-Based Assistance Is Below
             Housing Quality Standards
      DATE:  07/26/94
   SUBJECT:  Housing programs
             Low income housing
             Federal aid for housing
             Rental housing
             Disadvantaged persons
             Safety standards
             Management information systems
             Building codes
             Quality assurance
             Maintenance standards
IDENTIFIER:  HUD Section 8 Housing Assistance Program
             Chicago (IL)
             Las Vegas (NV)
             Los Angeles (CA)
             New York (NY)
             Pompano Beach (FL)
             Tyler (TX)
             District of Columbia
             
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