housing must meet the rehabilitation property standards requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. The participating jurisdiction must document this compliance based upon an inspection that is conducted no earlier than 90 days before the commitment of HOME assistance. If the property does not meet these standards, HOME funds cannot be used to acquire the property unless it is rehabilitated to meet the standards of paragraph (b) of this section.
(3) Existing housing that is acquired for homeownership using homeownership assistance must be decent, safe, sanitary, and in good repair. The participating jurisdiction must establish standards to determine that the housing is decent, safe, sanitary, and in good repair. At minimum, the standards must provide that the housing meets all applicable State and local housing quality standards and code requirements, and the housing does not contain the specific deficiencies established by HUD based on the applicable standards in 24 CFR 5.703 and published in the Federal Register for HOME-assisted projects and units. The housing must also meet or exceed the carbon monoxide and smoke detection standards contained in the participating jurisdiction's rehabilitation standards pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section. If the use of hardwired smoke detectors places an undue financial burden on the homebuyer or is infeasible, a participating jurisdiction may provide a written exception to the homebuyer consistent with the requirements contained in paragraph (b) of this section.
(i) The participating jurisdiction must inspect the housing and document compliance with this paragraph (c)(3) based upon an inspection that is conducted no earlier than 90 days before the commitment of HOME assistance. If the housing does not meet these