HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS
Acceptability Criteria Variations
These
ACV were adopted by the Gastonia Housing Authority, Gastonia, NC from
local codes of the city of Gastonia. Any specific reference to local or
State code was removed since staff of the GHA Section 8 Inspections Department
are not trained to inspect to specific codes. Rather, general requirements
were adopted in these cases.
MyHousingSearch.com gratefully acknowledges this contribution by the Gastonia Housing Authority
and reminds property
providers that other Housing Authorities may have differing rules.
AS ALWAYS, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL
HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR SPECIFIC COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
General
- All
repairs and alteration made to any dwelling or dwelling unit must be
installed in the manner in which it was intended to be installed; and,
all work must exhibit quality workmanship.
- All
dwellings, dwelling units and rooming houses must display house numbers
as assigned and required by the local jurisdiction. They must be of
sufficient size and location to be readily visible from the street.
- No
utility service is provided to any dwelling that is in violation of
the minimum housing standards for the locality.
Plumbing
- All
plumbing (under house and inside walls) must be in a state of good repair
and in working order.
- Water
temperature of not more than 120 degrees and not less than 100 degrees
- Refrigerators
temperatures must be between 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ventilation
- Every
habitable room shall have a window facing directly to the outdoors,
(habitable room shall include: bedroom, living-room and kitchen)
- Minimum
window area shall be 8% of floor area. Windows within 5 feet of a wall
or partition is not considered facing directly outdoors and not counted
as required window openings.
- Every
habitable room must have at least one window, which can be easily opened.
- Every
bathroom and water closet shall comply with light and ventilation requirements
of a habitable room or be equipped with approved mechanical ventilation.
Electrical
- Every
habitable room must contain at least two floor or wall type convenience
receptacles. (If a switch controlled receptacle, it must in addition
to the required number of receptacles.)
- All
receptacles must be properly grounded. The following shall apply (ASSUMING
FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE CODES):
1.
Two-wire ungrounded systems with two-prong receptacles are acceptable;
2. Two-wire ungrounded systems with three-prong receptacles are
non-complying and unacceptable. Any three-prong receptacle on a two-wire
ungrounded system must be properly supplied through a GFCI.
- Every
bathroom must have a convenience wall type GFCI receptacle properly
installed.
- In
every bathroom, water-closet room, laundry room and furnace room at
least one supplied ceiling or wall type electric light fixture.
- Every
kitchen shall have one convenient receptacle located along a countertop
or table and if within 24" of water source it must be GFCI protected.
- Every
public hallway or stairway in multiple dwelling must be lighted at all
times.
- One
approved and listed smoke detector is required (120 V AC operated smoke
detector is highly recommended):
1.
On each floor and habitable basements. Must be installed in accordance
with manufacturers recommendations and listing and maintained in good
working condition.
2. In the hallway adjacent to sleeping quarters (If this is a
split bedroom design one goes outside of each bedroom, if common hallway
only one in the hallway will suffice.)
3. Inside of each bedroom (may be battery operated but AC operated
is highly recommended to increase effectiveness of system);
4. On each habitable floor;
5. If new circuit is required by the code enforcement official
each detector must be hardwired with battery back up and on a looped
circuit;
6. If no new circuit required a minimum of battery powered detector
to be placed in each area required above (hardwired detectors are strongly
recommended).
- All
fixtures, equipment, receptacles and wiring shall be maintained in a
state of good repair, safe and capable of being used and installed properly.
- The
minimum capacity of any service supply and the main disconnect switch
shall be capable of supporting the load and in no case shall the service
be less than 100 AMPS per dwelling unit.
Safe
and Sanitary Maintenance
- Exterior
surfaces resistant to deterioration and shall be treated with a protective
coating or covering and maintained in good repair to prevent deterioration.
- Every
foundation wall, exterior wall and exterior roof shall be substantially
weather tight, watertight and rodent-proof; capable of affording privacy.
- Every
dwelling unit shall have a minimum of R-19 insulation in the ceiling
(R-30 is strongly recommended).
- A
minimum clear opening of 14" X 24" inches of access into the
attic area. If any mechanical equipment is located in attic area attic
access must be 22" X 36".
- Every
interior floor, wall and ceiling shall be watertight, weather-tight
and rodent-proof; shall be kept in sound condition and good repair,
capable of supporting normal load.
- Every
tub or shower shall have a wall surface constructed and maintained so
as to be substantially impervious to water and shall be maintained in
a clean and sanitary condition.
- All
windows, exterior doors basements and hatchways must be substantially
watertight, weather-tight and rodent-proof and kept in good working
condition and in good repair.
- Doors
shall be provided leading to all bedrooms, toilet rooms and bathrooms
and all rooms adjoining a public space.
- All
exterior doors must have an apparatus for opening and closing the door
on both sides, a locking mechanism, and shall be kept in sound working
condition and in good repair.
-
Bathroom floors surface, kitchen floor surface and water closet compartment
floor surface shall be constructed and maintained so as to be substantially
impervious to water and so as to permit such floor to be easily kept
in a clean and sanitary manner.
- Every
supplied facility, piece of equipment or utility which is required must
be installed and constructed that it will function safely and effectively
and shall be maintained in sound working condition.
- Every
interior and exterior stairway, porch and any appurtenance must be safe
to use and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause.
- Every
yard shall be properly graded so as to obtain thorough drainage as to
prevent the accumulation of stagnant water and to allow positive drainage
around the foundation of the dwelling unit.
- Every
dwelling shall have acceptable means of egress.
-
Every yard and exterior property area shall be kept free of noxious
weeds or plant growth. (Grass must be maintained under 12 inches)
- All
construction debris must be placed in container and removed prior to
final approval of the dwelling unit.
Insects,
Rodents and Infestation
- Screens
shall be installed on all windows and openable areas that which open
to the outdoors, with the exception of dwellings that have an operating
central air conditioning system.
- All
screens must be framed and installed properly. (Cannot be stapled or
permanently affixed to the sash, exterior siding etc.)
- Every
basement or cellar window used or intended to be used for ventilation
or any other opening to the basement shall be supplied with screens
or other approved devices to prevent rodents from entering.
- To
prevent rodent infestation the property owner is require to exterminate
prior to a new occupant occupying the home. If infestation occurs after
this extermination it is the responsibility of the tenant to provide
extermination.(except in cases where two or more dwelling units are
attached and it remains the responsibility of the owner)
- Every
dwelling unit shall be supplied with adequate rubbish storage facilities.
- Every
dwelling unit shall have adequate garbage disposal facilities or storage
containers have a capacity of not more than 30 gallons per each container.
Structural
- Wall
partitions or supporting members, sills, joist, rafters or other structural
members shall not lean, list or buckle, and shall not be rotted, deteriorated
or damaged and shall not have holes or cracks which might admit rodents.
- Floors
or roofs shall have adequate supporting members and strength to be reasonable
safe for the purpose used.
- Roof
coverings shall be maintained in good sound condition.
- No
more than two (2) roof coverings, if more than two at current time of
inspection the roof covering will not have to be removed unless it is
deteriorated, then it must be stripped down to sheathing.
- Foundations,
foundation walls (load bearing or non-load bearing), piers or other
foundation supports shall not be deteriorated or damaged.
- Foundation
and crawl space must be free of trash and debris.
- The
roof, flashing, exterior walls, basement walls, floors and all doors
and windows exposed to the weather shall be constructed and maintained
so as to be weather-tight, watertight and rodent proof.
- There
shall be no chimneys or parts thereof which are defective, deteriorated
or in danger of falling, or in such condition or location as to constitute
a fire hazard.
- There
shall be no use of ground for floors or wood floors on ground.
- All
fuel storage tanks if used for heating purposes must be maintained in
a safe condition and shall not be rusted, deteriorated or in danger
of falling over. If the tank is not used for heating purposes it must
be removed from the premises.
- Steps,
stairs, landings, porches, or other parts and appurtenances shall be
maintained in a condition that will not fail or collapse, or pose a
danger to the occupants or the public. These appurtenances must be constructed
of treated lumber with galvanized fasteners.
- Handrails
and guardrails must be installed in a secure, approved and acceptable
manner. Handrails must be 30 to 34 inches high. Guardrails must be 36
inches high.
- Interior
floor, walls and ceiling must be kept in sound condition and good repair,
shall be safe to support the load that is required and shall be finished
with suitable material which by use of reasonable household methods
promote cleanliness and sanitation and shall be maintained in such a
manner to enable the occupants to maintain privacy between various spaces.
Cleanliness
- Every
owner of a multiple dwelling unit or complex shall be responsible for
maintaining in a clean and sanitary condition the shared or public area
of the premises.
- Every
occupant of a dwelling unit shall be responsible for cleanliness of
the occupied areas and facilities in which they occupy. (includes: floors,
walls, ceilings, windows, plumbing fixtures, cook stove, refrigerator,
cabinets and other furnishing)
- No
occupant shall obstruct in any manner any means of egress/ingress to
or from any portion of the premises.
The
Gastonia Housing Authority inspector will report any suspected code violations
to the appropriate Authority Having Jurisdiction, i.e., City of Gastonia
Code Enforcement Division.