The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides rent assistance to low-income households through a variety of subsidy programs. The basic goal of these programs is to provide low-income households with access to affordable and adequate housing. To make housing more affordable, HUD programs only require participating households to pay 30 percent of their income towards rent; HUD then covers the difference between that contribution and the full rent amount. To ensure units supported by HUD subsidies are physically adequate, federal statutory requirements mandate that all HUD-assisted housing units meet livability standards and undergo regular inspection
