The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) prioritizes the health and safety of our communities and wants to ensure the well-being of all our participants, landlords and the community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CMHA is suspending INITIAL Housing Quality Standard inspections (the inspection usually required before a unit can be placed under contract for Housing Assistance Payment). Beginning on Monday, May 11, Property Owners can make a self-certification of the conditions in the proposed unit in place of a physical inspection. The certification form will be included with the initial RFTA packet as well as through the Portal. Please note: Initial inspections on units where an Owner made a self-certification of the conditions must be conducted at a future date as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CMHA will continue to provide updates on the timing of inspections as soon as it is available.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that most private homes built prior to 1978 contain potentially dangerous levels of lead. To mitigate the risks to families with children, Owners of homes built prior to 1978 are required to do the following before their Self-Certification of conditions in the home will be accepted:
- Perform a visual assessment of all painted surfaces; and
- Repair all deteriorated paint surfaces, which may include encapsulating or enclosing areas that are damaged using appropriate interim control or abatement methods. The Owner’s self-certification is expressly accepted on the basis that Owner has made such an assessment and completed any necessary repairs before the family takes occupancy.
- ----- OR -----
- Demonstrate that the unit proposed for Tenancy is either lead-safe or lead-free through documentation provided by a contractor certified to perform the work or through certification by either the State of Ohio, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, or the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health. Documentation that a unit is lead-safe must be dated within sixty (60) days of the proposed move-in date
Landlords are encouraged to visit CMHA’s Landlord Portal at www.cmha.net/llportal or to call the Client Information Center at 216-431-1471, press 1, for the latest information.
Download the Self-Certification form (external site link)