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Changes are coming soon to the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) rules used to calculate HOC residents’ rent and to the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE).
Changes to both of these programs are required of HOC by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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).
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.
On May 29, 2025, HUD published Housing Notice 2025-03 [Extension of Mandatory Compliance Date: Sections 102 and 104 of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (“HOTMA”)]. This notice extended the date by which owners must fully comply with HOTMA from July 1, 2025 (Housing Notice 2024-09) to January 1, 2026.
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. HOC will continue to provide updates regarding the implementation of HOTMA regulations.
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 (PHAs) must use the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) protocols for all inspections by February 1, 2027.
HOC will transition to HUD’s NSPIRE effective October 1, 2025. Beginning on that date, all initial, annual, special/complaint, and quality control inspections will be conducted using NSPIRE standards and forms. Any inspection conducted on or after October 1, 2025 will follow NSPIRE, regardless of when it was requested or originally scheduled. Implementation of the NSPIRE final rule ensures that residents of HUD housing live in safe, habitable dwellings.
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 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).
Landlords have received a letter and two virtual town halls to review these changes. Please review the town hall video featured at the top of the page and/or the slides from the recent town hall.