What CMHA Inspectors Look For

A Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) inspection is pass/fail. One dead smoke alarm fails the unit, and a fail puts your Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) on a clock.

This guide covers how CMHA inspections work now, the items that get written up, and how to prepare so the inspector finds nothing.

Which standard CMHA uses

HUD is replacing the old Housing Quality Standards (HQS) with NSPIRE, the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate. HUD has extended the voucher program deadline for NSPIRE to February 1, 2027. Until then, housing authorities can use either standard.

CMHA did not wait. Its inspection contractor, CGI Federal, began NSPIRE-based inspections on June 2, 2025. CMHA's letter on the change says inspection types, timing and HAP enforcement stay the same, and every inspection stays pass/fail. CMHA's own pages still refer to HQS in places, so read your inspection notice for the standard and deadlines that apply to you.

Types of CMHA inspections

Initial. Triggered by the Request for Tenancy Approval packet (submitted to rfta@cmha.net). The unit has to pass before assistance starts.

Annual. CMHA schedules these within 12 months of the last inspection. It has said it is looking at moving to biennial inspections.

Emergency. For a serious health or safety problem. Fix within 24 hours.

Special. Complaints from tenants, owners or others, plus quality control checks.

How NSPIRE grades deficiencies

HUD's NSPIRE voucher checklist puts every item in one of four levels:

Federal rules match this: 24 hours for life-threatening deficiencies, 30 calendar days for everything else, unless the housing authority approves an extension.

Common fail items and how they are graded

Smoke alarms (life-threatening). CMHA's requirement since December 29, 2024:

One on each level of the unit

One inside each bedroom or sleeping area

One within 21 feet of the door to each bedroom

One in any living area separated from the bedrooms by a door

Battery alarms must be 10-year sealed, tamper-resistant units. Hardwired alarms also qualify.

Old 9-volt alarms fail now, even if they beep.

Carbon monoxide alarms (life-threatening). Required when the unit has any gas appliance (stove, furnace, water heater), an attached garage, or a wood-burning fireplace. Put one on each floor, including finished basements. CMHA treats a missing CO alarm as an emergency fail with 24 hours to correct.

GFCI protection (severe). Any outlet within six feet of a water source with no GFCI protection fails. So does a GFCI whose test or reset button does not work. Check kitchens, baths, laundry sinks and outdoor outlets.

Damaged outlets and missing cover plates (life-threatening). A damaged outlet or switch is life-threatening under NSPIRE. A missing cover plate gets cited as an exposed electrical conductor, also life-threatening, if it exposes wiring or leaves a gap over 1/2 inch. A three-prong outlet that tests as not grounded is severe. Carry spare cover plates. They are the cheapest fix on the list.

Handrails and guardrails. A missing, loose or inadequate handrail is moderate. A missing guardrail is life-threatening.

Peeling paint and lead. For homes built before 1978 where a child under 6 lives or will live, CMHA requires a certified lead contractor to fix peeling or damaged paint, followed by a passed lead clearance test. The deadline is 30 days after an annual inspection or 14 days after a move-in inspection. Under NSPIRE, deteriorated paint above HUD's de minimis levels is severe. Those levels are 20 sq ft on the exterior, 2 sq ft in any one interior room, or 10% of a small component like a sill or trim piece. Separately, the City of Cleveland requires a Lead Safe Certificate for rental units built before 1978. Passing CMHA does not replace it.

Windows. A window that will not open or stay open is moderate. One that cannot be locked is moderate. One that will not close is severe. Look for painted-shut sashes, broken sash cords and missing locks. CMHA lists unsecured windows among its emergency examples. CMHA also requires screens and storm windows on operable windows unless the building has a full HVAC system.

Water heaters. A leaking or blocked temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valve is severe. So is discharge piping that is damaged, capped, sloped upward or made of unsuitable material. A missing discharge pipe, or one ending more than 6 inches or less than 2 inches above the waste receptor flood level, is moderate. A blocked or misaligned flue is life-threatening, and so is a missing gas shutoff valve. Anything flammable within 3 feet of a fuel-burning water heater or furnace is also life-threatening.

Trip hazards (moderate). Lifted flooring, torn carpet, broken thresholds and heaved walkways.

Pests. Evidence of roaches, mice, bedbugs or rats in the unit is moderate. An extensive infestation is severe.

Heat. Under NSPIRE, heat that does not work or a unit below 64°F between October 1 and March 31 is life-threatening. CMHA lists no heat from October 15 to April 15 as an emergency.

Dryers. CMHA requires dryers to vent outside. Under NSPIRE, a detached or missing transition duct, a duct made of unsuitable material, or restricted exhaust airflow is life-threatening.

CMHA acceptability items that trip up new landlords:

Storm doors on exterior entrance doors, unless exempt

Downspouts

Working locks on exterior doors, with interior thumb-turn deadbolts

Bathroom privacy, ventilation, working fixtures, and hot and cold running water

The pre-inspection walk

Do this a week or more before the inspection, so there is time to fix what you find.

☐ Test every smoke and CO alarm. Check the manufacture date and confirm 10-year sealed or hardwired.

☐ Count alarms against the CMHA placement rules above.

☐ Press test and reset on every GFCI. Check every outlet within six feet of water.

☐ Check every outlet and switch for cracks and cover plates. Plug in a tester.

☐ Open, close and lock every window. Confirm screens and storms.

☐ Check TPR discharge pipe material, slope and termination height. Clear 3 feet around the water heater and furnace.

☐ Shake every handrail.

☐ Walk every floor for trip hazards.

☐ Look for peeling paint inside and out on pre-1978 homes.

☐ Check under sinks and in cabinets for droppings.

☐ Run heat, hot water, every burner and the oven.

☐ Confirm the dryer vent runs outside.

☐ Test every exterior lock and deadbolt.

Reinspection, abatement and the HAP clock

Emergency fails. CMHA reinspects up to three times. If the problem is not fixed by the second inspection, HAP stops. If it is not fixed by the third, the HAP contract may be terminated.

Abatement. If violations are not fixed on time, CMHA may stop HAP payments. The tenant still owes their portion. CMHA does not back-pay for the stopped period. If violations stay open more than 30 days, CMHA may terminate the HAP contract.

Federal rules behind this:

You cannot evict the family because HAP was withheld or abated.

A housing authority may accept photos or other reliable evidence instead of a return visit to verify a repair.

It may charge you a reasonable fee if a reinspection finds you did not fix a deficiency you said was fixed, or the repair time ran out. You cannot pass that fee to the tenant.

The family is responsible for damage beyond normal wear and tear, for utilities they are supposed to pay, and for appliances they are supposed to supply. Photograph tenant damage so it is assigned correctly.

Ask CMHA how it handles photo verification and reinspection fees for your unit. Do not assume.

For remote coordinators

Put the inspection letter in the work order and set the due date earlier than CMHA's deadline.

Dispatch life-threatening items the same day. The 24-hour clock does not care about time zones.

Require photos of every corrected item, matched to the line on the fail sheet.

CMHA inspections: 216.478.9680 or 216.271.2116.

Get the unit ready before the inspector arrives

48 Hour Property Maintenance does pre-inspection walks and fail-sheet repairs on CMHA units across Cuyahoga County, with a photo for every corrected item. Send one work order. If the response is not better, move on.

Sources

CMHA, Landlord Inspections (smoke and CO requirements, inspection types, emergency reinspections, abatement, lead deadlines). https://www.cmha.net/housing/landlords/inspections.php

CMHA/CGI Federal letter on NSPIRE inspections beginning June 2, 2025. https://cmhaexternalv2.azurewebsites.net/media/documents/2025/CMHA%20NSPIRE%20letter_01.pdf

HUD, NSPIRE HCV/PBV Inspection Checklist. https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/NSPIRE-HCV-Checklist.pdf

HUD, NSPIRE Standard: Electrical, Conductor, Outlet, and Switch. https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/NSPIRE-Standard-Electrical-Conductor-Outlet-and-Switch_20230811.pdf

Federal Register, NSPIRE compliance date extended to February 1, 2027 for voucher programs (Sept. 30, 2025). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/30/2025-19070

24 CFR 982.404 (owner cure periods, abatement, HAP termination). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/24/982.404

24 CFR 982.405 (inspection timing, reinspection fees, photo verification). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/24/982.405

HUD, Lead-Based Paint regulations for HCV, de minimis levels. https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/lbph-08.pdf

City of Cleveland, Lead Safe Certification. https://www.clevelandohio.gov/residents/codes-ordinances/residents-first/lead-safe-certification