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Recommendations Database

GAO’s recommendations database contains report recommendations that still need to be addressed. GAO’s priority recommendations are those that we believe warrant priority attention. We sent letters to the heads of key departments and agencies, urging them to continue focusing on these issues. Below you can search only priority recommendations, or search all recommendations.

Our recommendations help congressional and agency leaders prepare for appropriations and oversight activities, as well as help improve government operations. Moreover, when implemented, some of our priority recommendations can save large amounts of money, help Congress make decisions on major issues, and substantially improve or transform major government programs or agencies, among other benefits.

As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.

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Subject Term: "Multifamily housing"

3 publications with a total of 28 open recommendations
Download these results in CSV format or XLSX format.
Real Estate Assessment Center: HUD Should Improve Physical Inspection Process and Oversight of Inspectors
GAO-19-254, Mar 21, 2019
Director: Daniel Garcia-Diaz
Phone: (202) 512-8678

14 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should conduct a comprehensive review of the physical inspection process. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should resume calculating the sampling error associated with the physical inspection score for each property, identify what changes may be needed for HUD to use sampling error results, and consider those results when determining whether more frequent inspections or enforcement actions are needed. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should develop comprehensive and organized documentation of REAC's sampling methodology and develop a process to ensure that documentation is maintained going forward. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should track on a routine basis whether REAC is conducting inspections of multifamily housing properties in accordance with federal guidelines for scheduling and coordinate with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing to minimize the number of properties that can cancel or reschedule their physical inspections. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should design and implement an evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of the Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity pilot in ensuring timely and quality inspections for properties in hard-to-staff geographic areas. (Recommendation 5)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should expedite implementation of the recommendations from the Rapid Response and Resolution Team. (Recommendation 6)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should follow through on REAC's plan to create a process to verify candidate qualifications for contract inspectors—for example, by calling references and requesting documentation from candidates that supports their completion of 250 residential or commercial inspections. The plan should also consider whether certain types of inspections—such as Federal Emergency Management Agency inspections and U.S. Army Office of Housing inspections—satisfy REAC's requirements. (Recommendation 7)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should develop a process to evaluate the effectiveness of REAC's training program—for example, by reviewing the results of tests or soliciting participant feedback. (Recommendation 8)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should revise training for quality assurance inspectors to better reflect their job duties. Revised training should be documented, include expanded subject matter training, and address skills that may not be included in training for contract inspectors—for example, instructing contract inspector candidate trainings and coaching and providing feedback. (Recommendation 9)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should develop continuing education requirements for contract and quality assurance inspectors. (Recommendation 10)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should develop and implement a plan for meeting REAC's management targets for the timeliness and frequency of collaborative quality assurance reviews and quality control inspections. The plan should include consideration of resources of and demands on quality assurance inspectors, including the effect of natural disasters and other special assignments. (Recommendation 11)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should ensure that Quality Control's policies and procedures for overseeing quality assurance inspectors are implemented. (Recommendation 12)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center should review quality assurance inspector performance standards and revise them to better reflect the skills and supporting behaviors that quality assurance inspectors need to effectively contribute to REAC's mission. (Recommendation 13)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing should report to Congress on why the agency has not complied with the 2017 and 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Acts requirement to issue notices to properties when the REAC score is 60 or below, including seeking any statutory flexibilities or exceptions believed appropriate. (Recommendation 14)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Housing and Urban Development: Better Guidance and Performance Measures Would Help Strengthen Enforcement Efforts
GAO-19-38, Oct 30, 2018
Director: Daniel Garcia-Diaz
Phone: (202) 512-8678

8 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center and the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development should develop written guidance for CPD's field offices to use when determining whether to make a referral to the Departmental Enforcement Center. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center and the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing should develop written guidance for PIH's field offices to use when determining whether to make a referral to the Departmental Enforcement Center. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center and the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development should develop targets for the number of referrals that CPD should make to DEC that are based on program risk. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center and the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing should develop targets for the number of referrals that PIH should make to DEC that are based on program risk. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center should develop and implement performance measures that assess the outcomes, or desired results, of its enforcement activities. (Recommendation 5)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center should develop and implement performance measures of its timeliness in completing oversight reviews. (Recommendation 6)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center should track the implementation of the recommendations that it makes to program offices as a result of its oversight reviews. (Recommendation 7)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center should develop controls to ensure that analysts consistently and reliably record dates related to referral activity, corrective action taken, and other key information used to determine DEC's impact. (Recommendation 8)

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Rural Housing Service: Better Data Controls, Planning, and Additional Options Could Help Preserve Affordable Rental Units
GAO-18-285, May 17, 2018
Director: Daniel Garcia-Diaz
Phone: (202) 512-8678

6 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: For RHS properties whose mortgages have matured, Congress should consider granting RHS the authority to renew annual rental assistance payments to owners who wish to continue to receive them and provide vouchers to tenants living in rental assistance units in properties whose owners choose to no longer receive rental assistance.

Agency: Congress
Status: Open

Comments: In September 2019, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen introduced S. 2567 that proposed decoupling Section 521 rental assistance from the Section 515 mortgage, allowing rental assistance to continue after the mortgage is paid in full. The bill also would expand the use of the Section 542 Rural Development Voucher program to include all tenants in properties with loans that had matured, rather than just tenants in properties with prepaid mortgages. Sen. Shaheen's bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. As of September 2020, no additional action had been taken.
Recommendation: The RHS Administrator should establish additional controls to check the accuracy of all loan information entered into RHS information technology systems, to help ensure complete, accurate, and reliable data for estimating rural rental housing property exit dates. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Agriculture: Rural Housing Service
Status: Open

Comments: USDA said it would prioritize the development of options for the RHS Information Technology System , including dashboards and other protocols, to provide more analytical assessments and accurate data with respect to mortgage maturity dates and property-level information. It also said it would strengthen its partnership with Rural Development's Information Technology staff and develop more effective communication tools with RHS field personnel to highlight the importance of maintaining reliable data. USDA estimated it would complete these steps by September 30, 2019. However, as of May 2020, USDA officials had not provided us documentation of their efforts.
Recommendation: The RHS Administrator should establish a process to help ensure regular and frequent updates for the preservation tool and its underlying data. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Agriculture: Rural Housing Service
Status: Open

Comments: USDA said it would embed quality assurance in the preservation tool to ensure that the underlying data are accurately sourced, maintained, and analyzed. USDA also said it would ensure involvement from RHS National Office staff and RHS field office staff in this process to maximize the resources allocated to ensuring that the tool's data are integral and timely. Finally, USDA said RHS National Office personnel in the Deputy Administrator's office will be assigned quality control responsibility for the accurate maintenance of the tool. USDA estimated it would complete these steps by September 30, 2019. However, as of May 2020, USDA officials had not provided us documentation of their efforts.
Recommendation: The RHS Administrator should establish performance goals and measures for its rural rental housing preservation and rehabilitation efforts and report out these outcomes. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Agriculture: Rural Housing Service
Status: Open

Comments: USDA said it would incorporate preservation goals, objectives, and measures into its on-going updates and edits to handbook guidance. As an initial step, on June 4, 2018, the agency incorporated the guidance provided in the Unnumbered Letter titled "Dynamic Servicing Strategies for the Multi-family Housing Direct Loan Portfolio." The revisions also renamed Chapter 6 of the handbook to "Portfolio and Property Assessment." USDA said on-going guidance updates will prioritize preservation as the goal of servicing strategies and require program staff to exhaust all potential remedies to achieve this goal prior to proceeding to terminate assistance or otherwise not preserve the affordable housing property. USDA officials expected these and other steps to be completed by September 30, 2019. However, in May 2020, USDA officials said publication of the guidance had been delayed, and guidance was not expected to issue until early fiscal year 2022.
Recommendation: The RHS Administrator should monitor the results of rural rental housing preservation efforts and assess the degree to which those efforts yielded intended outcomes. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Department of Agriculture: Rural Housing Service
Status: Open

Comments: USDA said that in conjunction with its establishment of preservation goals and objectives, it would utilize a performance tracking system and establish management routines to discuss and strategize how to achieve these goals. In November 2019, USDA officials said they had assessed the Section 515 Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization demonstration program and planned to finalize a plan that would enhance program delivery efficiency and consistency within 8 months (July 2020). However, as of May 2020, USDA officials had not provided documentation showing performance tracking or routine monitoring efforts. The officials said they planned to complete an evaluation of rural housing preservation goals or objectives by the third quarter of fiscal year 2022.
Recommendation: The RHS Administrator should identify, analyze, and respond to risks to achieving its preservation goals, including resource and staffing limitations. (Recommendation 5)

Agency: Department of Agriculture: Rural Housing Service
Status: Open

Comments: USDA said it would utilize a performance tracking system and establish management routines to discuss and strategize how to achieve its goals. According to USDA, this will include an assessment of challenges and risks that may affect the achievement of performance and preservation objectives. However, as of May 2020, USDA had not provided us documentation of its efforts to identify, analyze and respond to risks to achieving its preservation goals.