Your apartment needs to be inspected if:

• You are a participant in an HIV scattered-site program, or
• You received a rental assistance subsidy from a public housing authority.

They inspect the apartment to make sure that you have a safe, secure, and clean place to live.

Once you find an apartment that you want to live in, you need to fill out a request for lease approval. Once the housing agency receives this request, they will send out an inspector to look at the apartment.

• The ceiling, walls, and floor of each room are in good condition.
• There is at least one electrical outlet in each room.
• There is a working window in each room. In the bathroom there needs to be a window or exhaust fan.
• There are working locks on all doors and windows that can be reached from the outside.

If the inspector does not approve of the apartment, he will let the landlord and you know why. The landlord can make the needed repairs or changes and the apartment can be re-inspected.

• The porch or front stairs are falling down.
• There is no electrical outlet in the bedroom.
• The window in the bedroom is nailed shut.
• There is no sink in the kitchen.
• The house or apartment was built before 1978 and the paint is peeling off the walls.
• There is no handrail on the steps leading up the building.
• The roof leaks and there are water stains on the ceiling.
• The pipe under the bathroom sink leaks and the water comes out rusty.
• There are electrical wires hanging from the ceiling where there used to be a light.
• There’s a hole in the bedroom wall.

If the apartment passes inspection, the lease can be signed and you can move into your new home! If you have concerns about lead paint in your apartment, call the National Lead Center Hotline at 1-800-532-3394.