A more efficient inspection system for Baltimore's most vulnerable
Property Inspect helped Baltimore create a new system of inspections that enabled the city to engage in a more rigorous, expansive property identification process — building a database of higher-quality properties and giving clients more choice.
In the fall of 2020, Baltimore City’s Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) needed more quality housing inventory and a better way to track and access available housing units for their Rapid Rehousing program. Previously, Baltimore had a very small Rapid Rehousing program that relied heavily on a single non-profit to engage clients, identify properties and rehouse them.
COVID and an influx of federal funding created an urgent need for capacity. Baltimore had placed over 500 individuals experiencing homelessness in local hotels to protect them from COVID. ESG-CV Rapid Rehousing funds provided an opportunity to rehouse many of them.
Limited supply, slow approvals and COVID barriers
- 01Limited, low-quality housing. ~80% of units failed the first HUD habitability inspection in the traditional Rapid Rehousing program.
- 02No centralised housing database. No existing inventory of available units in Baltimore City with subsidy-accepting landlords.
- 03A slow, bureaucratic process. Traditional inspection took at least a week — sometimes over a month — conducted in person, on paper, with approvals by fax or mail.
- 04COVID safety issues. Live, in-person inspections carried real risk for staff and tenants.
A digitised HUD-aligned platform with remote inspections
Access to higher-quality housing
Self-inspections expedited move-in — incentivising new property managers with higher-quality units to participate. Most properties passed inspection on the first attempt.
A searchable property database
CSV upload of housing inventory, with units tagged by availability, location and bedrooms — case managers find the right home for each client’s needs.
Online inspection tool with photo + video
Digitised HUD’s Habitability Checklist; supports remote and on-site inspection via phone or tablet — with rental-licence and lead-inspection uploads.
Instant information, fast approvals
A unit can be inspected the next day; supervisors are notified to review immediately — moving a process from one month to a few days.
Accountability and documentation
Tracking by service provider, person or unit; HUD approval paths automated, time-stamped and audit-trailed for every housing unit.
500 properties, 290 inspections, 98 homes — in under 6 months
New properties entered
Nearly 500 new properties added to the system since launch.
Inspections completed
Conducted in less than six months — at a rate Baltimore couldn’t have hit on paper.
People housed
98 homeless individuals moved into housing in the same period.
Support response
All inquiries responded to within 24 hours during onboarding.
The app was user friendly and straightforward.
Spreading beyond MOHS
Property Inspect customised its product to meet Baltimore’s needs and held multiple training sessions for all system users. The programme has been so successful that the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success and the United Way of Central Maryland will be using it for their eviction-prevention programmes.
