What is an NSPIRE V Inspection?

An NSPIRE V Inspection is based on HUD’s National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE), a system designed to ensure housing is safe and fit to live in. It focuses on identifying health and safety issues within a property, with priority given to conditions inside individual units, followed by the building and surrounding areas.

Within Property Inspect, NSPIRE V inspections are structured to reflect:

HUD-defined locations and inspection areas
Predefined deficiency criteria
A consistent, standardized, and repeatable inspection format

Prefer a guided setup? Use the interactive walkthrough below ⬇️

How NSPIRE Works in Property Inspect

In Property Inspect, NSPIRE inspections follow a set structure that mirrors the way inspections are expected to be carried out under HUD guidance.

Rather than building a report freely, the inspection is organized for you:

You move through locations and areas
You select from predefined deficiencies
You capture information in a consistent format throughout

This helps ensure that inspections are completed in a way that aligns with the expected structure, while still allowing you to document what you observe on-site.

Key Concepts and Terminology

Understanding a few core terms will make it much easier to navigate an NSPIRE inspection:

Locations

These are the main parts of the property being assessed
(for example: Unit, Building Exterior, Site)

Areas

Each location is broken down into areas that group related inspection points
(for example: Bathroom, Kitchen, Electrical System)

Deficiencies

Deficiencies are the issues identified during an inspection, based on HUD’s criteria.

Within the inspection:

Deficiencies are predefined
You select the most appropriate option based on what you see
Each one follows a set structure for consistency

Inspection Flow

NSPIRE inspections follow a structured flow:

Move through each location
Work within its areas
Record deficiencies where they apply

About the NSPIRE-V Inspection Report

The report presents all NSPIRE standards listed alphabetically. Each standard is shown as its own section.

For each section, the inspector will:

1. Read the deficiency criteria

Each section outlines the specific criteria that needs to be assessed.

2. Indicate whether a deficiency is present using the toggle

The available options are:

Yes (observable deficiency)
No
Not applicable
The field can also be left blank

3. Select the applicable location

Each deficiency must be recorded against the correct permitted area
(for example: outside only, unit only, or unit/inside/outside depending on the deficiency)

4. Add a room or area

Select from the available list or enter free-form text
Multiple areas can be added
(for example: Bathroom 1 and Bathroom 2)

5. Add an optional comment

This can be used to provide additional context where needed

ℹ️ Inspectors can also:

Take photos or videos
Flag an action against any deficiency item

NSPIRE-V Output Report

Before completing your first NSPIRE-V report, it is recommended that you review and configure your report settings.

Navigate to Settings → Reports and select the NSPIRE-V report from the dropdown.

The NSPIRE specific settings control what information is included in your report output:

Criteria will automatically be included in the report output.
Health and safety columns
Enables the health and safety and correction time frame fields to auto-populate when completing the report. This is recommended for most use cases.
Home Choice Voucher columns
Adds HCV severity and HCV correction time frame as a second set of columns. Enable this if your property uses home choice vouchers.
Auto-flag actions
Automatically creates an action for each identified deficiency. (This produces an exception report that can be assigned to contractors by type, and is recommended if you plan to use Property Inspect for remediation tracking.)

Scheduling an inspection

NSPIRE-V inspections are conducted at the unit level, always start from a unit record within Property Inspect.

1. Navigate to a unit

Go to Properties and click on a property.

Use the filter on the left-hand side to navigate to the building, then select the specific unit.

From the unit page, click New Inspection.
Select NSPIRE-V as the inspection type from the dropdown.

Note that multiple inspection types are available - ensure you select NSPIRE-V specifically.

2. Schedule the inspection

Select the report type, the template will load automatically.

Set the conduct date and time, then assign it to an inspector.
Click Save and Continue.

ℹ️ No need to manually select a template; it populates based on the report type chosen.

3. Conduct the inspection

The report can be completed via a mobile device in the field, or completed directly in the application.

Inspections are available in the Property Inspect App. The inspector can fetch the inspection in a Wi-Fi zone and complete it offline, on-site.

When the inspector arrives on site and opens the report:

The start date and time will be recorded for analytical purposes.
If geo-tracking is enabled, the geo-location will be saved.
A cover photo of the property can be taken before selecting Edit Report to formally begin.

A Wi-Fi connection is required again when syncing the completed inspection from the app back to the online editor.

4. Mark report complete and review

Once the inspection is synced from the app to the online editor, the report can be reviewed before being marked complete and distributed. The final output report will include the relevant information based on your report settings. This may be the severity and correction time, HCV severity and HCV correction time, or both sets of columns.

Items where no deficiency was marked will appear blank in the report. If the hide items not listed as defects setting is enabled, only deficiencies that were identified will be shown, condensing the report for easier review.

If actions were auto-flagged, these will appear either before or after the full NSPIRE report output depending on your settings, and can be grouped by responsibility or action category.