Third-party inspections are proving to be valuable in the redevelopment or new construction of LIHTC properties. A study from SK Collaborative that was published on the National Association of Home Builders website reviewed the third-party inspections of 10 renovated LIHTC properties in Georgia. Half of the properties reviewed by the study were seeking a green certification, which generally requires a third-party verification for certification mid-way through the construction process and again at completion. The properties were seeking certification through NGBS, Enterprise Green Communities and EarthCraft Multifamily.

Of the properties that elected to pursue a green certification, seven failures were found at the mid-construction inspection and six failures at the final inspection. The majority of these failures were due to overlooked building code mistakes during the city inspections. Many building codes overlap with International Residential Code, International Fire Code and International Energy Conservation Code. Other failures were due to incomplete ductwork or ductwork leakage, sedimentation and erosion control requirements.

The study found that third-party inspections are able to help to eliminate long-term issues. Compared to the projects in the study that were not seeking green certifications, green-certified projects had more inspection failures, specifically with basic energy code requirements like insulation and air sealing.