HUD Housing Notice § 2026-06

                                U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
                                                   WASHINGTON, DC 20410-8000
OFFICE OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING




    Special Attention of:                                Notice H 2026-06
    All Multifamily Regional Center Directors            Issued: September 10, 2026
    All Multifamily Satellite Office Directors           Expires: This Notice remains in effect until
    All Multifamily Asset Management Division            amended, rescinded, or superseded
    Directors
    All Multifamily Operations Officers                  Supersedes (in part): Minimum Property
    All Multifamily Field Counsel                        Standards for Housing, 1994 edition
    All Contract Administrators                          (Handbook 4910.1)
    All Multifamily Project Owners


SUBJECT: Revisions to Chapter 1, Section 100–2.20 (Emergency Call Systems) of
Minimum Property Standards for Housing, 1994 Edition (Handbook 4910.1)


I.        Purpose
          This notice revises Chapter 1, Section 100–2.20 (Emergency Call Systems) of Minimum
          Property Standards for Housing, 1994 Edition (Handbook 4910.1) (the MPS Handbook)
          to make emergency call systems an optional technology in certain elderly multifamily
          housing projects.

II.       Applicability
          This notice applies to elderly multifamily housing projects with 20 or more units that are
          subject to HUD minimum property standards under 24 CFR part 200, subpart S, which is
          housing constructed under HUD mortgage insurance and elderly projects subject to 24
          CFR part 891.120.1 Minimum property standards do not apply to uninsured projects with
          Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contracts2, unless they are Section 202/8
          HAP Contracts.
          Owners of projects that are subject to emergency call system requirements separate and
          apart from this Notice in accordance with a HUD business agreement (i.e., a grant
          agreement, contract, etc.) may request an amendment to such an agreement to strike the
          requirement pursuant to the revised policy outlined in this notice.




1
  24 CFR part 891 applies to the Supportive Housing for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities programs.
However, this Notice only applies to the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program.
2
  Although the early Section 8 HAP regulations required compliance with MPS, they were amended in 1998 to
require compliance with the uniform physical condition standards promulgated in 24 CFR part 5, subpart G
(Physical Condition Standards and Inspection Requirements).
III.    Background
        HUD in the mid-1970s codified a set of minimum design and construction standards,3
        called Minimum Property Standards (MPS), for housing built under HUD mortgage
        insurance programs and the low-rent public housing program.4 The standards are
        intended to “provide a sound basis for determining the acceptability of housing built”5
        under these programs. HUD in the mid-1990s extended the MPS through rulemaking to
        all Section 202 projects.6
        The MPS Handbook requires that Owners of properties for the elderly that contain 20 or
        more living units must provide an emergency call system in “each bathroom and one bed
        location in each living unit.”7 The system is required in case residents require assistance
        in their unit as the result of an emergency such as a fall, fire, or medical crisis.

IV.     Issues with Emergency Call Systems
        Older emergency call systems are typically manual “pull-cord” technology, that, when
        pulled by a resident, alert a monitored call-center, front-desk, or emergency response
        service. Advances made in wireless and electronic technology now offer a broader set of
        call-system options. In a 2014 memorandum,8 the Office of Multifamily Housing (MFH)
        described how the functional requirements of an older emergency call system could be
        met using a variety of more-modern options, including electronic and wireless emergency
        alert systems.
        MFH is aware that Owners may lack the resources to repair or replace inoperable pull-
        cord systems. In addition to providing a false sense of security to residents, these defunct
        systems may be cited during HUD inspections if the system is blocked, does not function
        properly, or if a pull cord is higher than six inches off the floor.9 Even properties with
        fully functioning pull-cord systems or other modernized technologies may have trouble
        obtaining commercial insurance, as some insurers consider the systems to pose liability
        risks.10 Overall, these circumstances can pose significant financial and operational
        challenges to Owners of housing for the elderly.


V.      Policy Revision
        In response to the above-cited challenges, HUD revises Chapter 1 of the MPS Handbook
        to strike Section 100–2.20. While Owners may continue to furnish and maintain an
        operable emergency call system, HUD is requiring the removal of inoperable pull-cord or


3
  24 CFR part 200, subpart S.
4
  Public Housing under Section 9 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937.
5
  24 CFR § 200.929.
6
  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1996-03-22/pdf/96-6312.pdf.
7
  Paragraph 100–2.20 of HUD Handbook 4910.1.
8
  https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/emergency_call_system_memo.pdf.
9
  https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/NSPIRE-Standard-Call-for-Aid-System_20230620.pdf.
10
   See Emergency: Affordable Housing’s Pull Cord Problem and the Unintended Insurance Ramifications by Jeffrey
G, Robert at https://www.scottins.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Affordable-Housings-Pull-Cord-Problem-and-
the-Unintended-Insurance-Ramifications.pdf.
      other inoperable emergency call systems. Any Owner who chooses to remove an operable
      system must notify tenants in advance and consider comments received. In the absence of
      a functioning emergency-call system, HUD encourages Owners to conduct regular
      welfare checks, especially for those living alone or who have limited mobility.
VI.   Questions
      Send questions about this Notice to AssetManagementPolicy@hud.gov.




                                                 Joseph M. Gormley,
                                                  performing the delegable duties of the
                                                   Assistant Secretary for Housing – Federal
                                                   Housing Commissioner