HUD releases Charlesview inspection reports

We have heard a lot of vague statements over the years about the condition of the Charlesview Apartments. Now, thanks to HUD and a FOIA request, we have public information from the past several years from independent, certified inspectors. The format and definitions of the reports are described at http://www.disasterhousing.gov/offices/reac/products/pass/pass_isrpt.cfm.

When I am near a scanner I will upload the full reports, but in the meantime, here are the number of Health and Safety deductions made during each report (higher numbers indicate more problems).
March 2002 4.1
January 2004 17.0
March 2005 6.0
April 2008 24.2
August 2008 7.3

The April 2008 report gave Charlesview an overall score of 50 out of 100, and HUD wrote that "the inspection has been referred to the Departmental Enforcement Center for enforcement action... Properties scoring below 60 have physical deficiencies that do not meet the contractual obligations to HUD. Residents of such properties are not receiving the quality of housing to which they are entitled."

However, four months later Charlesview had been able to correct almost all of these problems. This contradicts the oft-repeated statements that the condition of Charlesview is so intolerable and the problems there are too difficult to fix.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:56 PM

    I don't know -- I think it suggests that Charlesview is held together with duct tape. It seems they can fix it in emergencies and after HUD pressure, but probably just temporarily.

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  2. Hi Anon,

    I think you might feel differently after I publish the details of the reports. The horror stories that we have heard - that the buildings are sinking, pipes bursting, rodent infestations - are not substantiated by these inspections. Also, there is nothing in these reports that suggest that Charlesview needs millions of dollars for massive capital repairs.

    Instead, the reports suggest that Charlesview suffers from poor management and that better management and more thorough basic maintenance could drastically improve their inspection scores.

    I'll add more detail in a new post.

    Harry

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