Owners of private Section 8 apartment buildings must meet federal standards that require housing to be safe, sanitary and in good repair.

But the complaint process has frustrated residents in the privately owned Section 8 Morehead Hills Apartments. From March to September, Wayne Justice said, he called the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, city housing officials and others about leaks, molds and other issues with little result.

After visiting the property Nov. 3, Christian Stearns, HUD's N.C. field office director, said he is working with California Commercial Investment Group, the management arm for the company that owns the building, to address issues at the property.

While HUD, which subsidizes the 75-unit complex for people 62 and older and the disabled, has a national assessment team that inspects properties periodically, it relies on North Carolina Quadel to do annual inspections and ensure that the building meets federal housing standards, Stearns said.

But Quadel, which monitors about 600 private Section 8 properties in the state, said its role centers on reviewing paperwork to ensure the owners are meeting rules, not inspecting properties.

"We are not trained inspectors," said Janice Mace, director of Quadel's state field operations.Mace said the company reviews HUD's most recent Real Estate Assessment Center inspection and ensures deficiencies have been addressed. On Oct. 7, 2008, Morehead Hills received a "very good" 93 out of 100 on that inspection, she said.

Property managers are usually notified before such inspections so HUD can enter a sample of apartments, Stearns said.

Stearns said HUD encourages tenants to inspect apartments before they move in and to note any problems on their lease.

In March, city housing officials inspected about 12 apartments and found violations that included holes or cracks in the walls and ceilings, spongy floors, windows not opening correctly, and closets and cabinets that needed to be replaced or repaired. The California management company, which has been extremely cooperative, quickly addressed most of the issues, except for the cabinets and the closet doors, said Michelle Sellers, a housing inspector for the city's Neighborhood Improvement Services.

Rick Hester, acting assistant director of NIS, said Morehead Hills residents haven't lodged any additional complaints.

"If we don't know about it, we can't do anything about it," Hester said