2025 HOTMA and NSPIRE Update

Changes are coming to the rules, procedures and recertification forms that the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) uses to calculate the amount of rent that households pay through our various rental assistance programs. The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) is a set of regulations that became law in 2016 and is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It is anticipated that the new rules will be in effect as of July 1, 2025.

The HOTMA changes are designed to ensure that families are receiving the appropriate amount of assistance from the government based on their income, assets and expenses. These new rules are intended to make it easier for households to complete the process of recertifying their financial status by decreasing the amount of paperwork necessary to process reexaminations.

HOC will be hosting virtual town hall events to provide additional context and answer questions about these changes.

• May 21, 2025: 5:00–6:30 p.m.
• May 28, 2025: 5:00–6:30 p.m.

HOC residents have already received a letter informing them of the upcoming HOTMA changes. If you are in HOC’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, that letter may have also outlined changes to the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) program.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has revised the Housing Quality Inspection Standards (HQS) for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. All Public Housing Authorities (PHA) must begin using the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) protocols for all inspections by Oct. 1, 2025. HOC intends to implement the new standards in the Spring of 2025.

The focus of NSPIRE is on ensuring that residents of HUD housing live in safe, habitable dwellings and the items and components located inside and outside of HUD housing units are functionally adequate, operable and free of health and safety hazards.

HOC will be hosting virtual town hall information sessions to provide additional context and answer questions about the changes to HOTMA and NSPIRE.

• May 21, 2025: 5:00–6:30 p.m.
• May 28, 2025: 5:00–6:30 p.m.

HOC residents have already received a letter informing them of the upcoming NSPIRE changes. That letter also outlines changes to the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA).