What is an emergency or 24-hour fail?

An emergency or 24-hour fail occurs when specific items or conditions identified during a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection are deemed hazardous to health and safety by HUD regulations. If these items are found, the inspector must return within 24 hours to verify that the emergency fail items have been addressed.

Here are the items or conditions that will result in a 24-hour failed inspection:

• Lack of security for the unit
• Ceiling in imminent danger of falling
• Major plumbing leaks or flooding
• Gas leak or fumes
• Electrical problems that could cause shock or fire
• Lack of heat
• Utilities turned off (marked as participant or owner responsibility)
• No hot water
• Obstacle preventing tenant entrance or exit
• No functioning toilet in the unit
• No working smoke or carbon monoxide detector
• Any other life-threatening issue cited by relevant local agencies
• Missing smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector

If a 24-hour fail item is identified, the inspector will attempt to contact the owner or agent while at the unit to inform them of the issue and the need for immediate correction. The inspector will return the next day to ensure that the fail items have been fixed. If the items are not corrected by the second inspection, the unit will be abated starting from the first of the month following the second failed inspection.

These procedures are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of tenants. For more detailed information, you can refer to the specific regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), particularly 24 CFR § 982.404.