A Study of the HUD Minimum Property Standards for One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Technical Suitability of Products Programs, March 2003
Through various regulatory requirements within its insurance
programs, HUD has had a great influence on the design and
construction of much of the nations' housing stock. Through
its predecessor agency, the Federal Housing Administration
(FHA), the Department, as early as the 1930's, established
various construction standards to assure that the housing
it insured met minimum requirements for construction quality,
safety, and durability. Over time, the Minimum Property Standards
(MPS) gained influence far beyond its originally intended
role of reducing risks for FHA-insured properties. The MPS
has been included in numerous HUD programs and has been a
significant factor in the development of national model building
codes and their subsequent adoption by thousands of local
communities. A related HUD program on the Technical Suitability
of Products (TSP) provides acceptances for new products and
systems for FHA-insured housing.
Over the past twenty years, the Department, through a series
of regulatory reforms, has significantly reduced the role
and importance of the MPS and TSP programs, especially for
single-family housing. However, many outdated regulations
remain "on the books," as do various vestigial administrative
requirements. This study examines the history of both the
MPS and TSP programs, assesses their continued, albeit reduced,
impact on the single-family operations of the Department as
well as on the larger housing industry, and makes a series
of recommendations for legislative, regulatory, and administrative
reforms. The study does not address the need for, or continued
relevance of, the MPS and related programs in the multifamily
operations of the Department.
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