/gov · PHA-Web comparison
Everything PHA-Web does — and what we add.
PHA-Web is the incumbent compliance tool for ~600 Public Housing Agencies. It does its core job (50058 submission, lease management, HQS inspections) well, but the technology is from a different era and the bookkeeping layer is bolted-on. We're building the modern alternative — same compliance scope, but with real continuous AI audit underneath and modern integrations on top.
Capabilities tracked
39
Shipped today
14
In development
14
Roadmapped
11
HUD Submissions
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUD-50058 prep + validation | Yes | In dev | PHA-Web's flagship. We're building a Validator-first product — block fatal errors before they hit IMS/PIC, with explainable rule citations. |
| HUD-50058 corrections workflow | Yes | In dev | Same surface. Our differentiator: AI suggests the correction from EIV + tenant ledger context. |
| VMS pre-submission file | Yes | In dev | Monthly HAP + admin fee VMS package. We auto-build from the HAP register; tie-out check against authorizations. |
| FASS-PH (FDS) financial submission | Partial | Shipped | PHA-Web preps the data; final submission still flows through HUD's portal. We generate the FDS lines deterministically from bank + book data. |
| LOCCS draw form (HUD-52681/52681B) | Yes | In dev | HAP + admin draw requests, reconciled to the next HAP register. Audit log of every draw + the journal entries behind it. |
| Capital Fund obligations + expenditure | Partial | Roadmap | Track obligation deadline + expenditure deadline per grant year; deadline alerts; calc obligation rate live. |
Tenant Ops (HCV)
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCV waiting list management | Yes | Roadmap | Mid-priority for v1. Most agencies use a standalone waitlist tool (HAPPY Software / Bostonpost) — we'll integrate first, build later. |
| HAP register (monthly payments) | Yes | In dev | The single source of truth that drives VMS, LOCCS, and FDS. We rebuild this monthly from authorizations + corrections. |
| HCV utilization + reserves forecast | Partial | In dev | Forecast voucher utilization 6–12 months out using historical churn + new-issuance rate. Most PHAs run blind on this. |
| Direct deposit / landlord ACH | Yes | Roadmap | Wire to the user's bank API; we don't custody funds. |
| Rent reasonableness + comp database | Yes | Roadmap | SEMAP indicator #5. We'll automate the comp pull from public sources. |
Tenant Ops (Public Housing)
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant AR / rent ledger | Yes | In dev | Subledger keyed to unit/tenant; auto-applies HAP payments + tenant payments. |
| Lease + recertification calendar | Yes | In dev | Recert deadlines, interim recert triggers, lease anniversary alerts. |
| Work order tracking + costs | Yes | Roadmap | Drives MASS work-order indicator. We integrate vendor invoices → AP → work order automatically. |
| Move-in / move-out inspections | Yes | Roadmap | Mobile-first inspector tool — photo + GPS + signature. NSPIRE-aligned defect codes. |
Inspections
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HQS inspection scheduling | Yes | Roadmap | HQS is being phased out for NSPIRE as of Oct 2024 (HCV) and Oct 2025 (full). |
| NSPIRE inspection prep + self-audit | Partial | In dev | Run your own NSPIRE-equivalent inspection before HUD's contractor shows up. Predict your physical score. |
| NSPIRE defect remediation tracker | Partial | In dev | All 89 defect codes, severity weighting, units affected, remediation deadline tracker. |
| Photo + GPS evidence capture | Yes | Roadmap | Mobile app for inspectors. Plays into HUD appeal process if score is contested. |
Compliance & Reporting
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEMAP live score forecasting | Partial | Shipped | All 14 SEMAP indicators tracked live with thresholds. Alert on indicators sliding below score line. |
| PHAS composite-score forecast | No | Shipped | Combine NSPIRE prediction + FASS-PH calc + MASS pillars + Capital Fund. Forecast Standard / High / Troubled status before submission. |
| HOTMA 2024 implementation toolkit | Yes | In dev | Asset cap rules, deduction changes, income recalc. We model HOTMA-affected tenants and project rent changes. |
| Audit-ready trial balance + FDS tie-out | Partial | Shipped | Continuous audit engine produces SHA-256-fingerprinted reports. Audited fin stmt → FDS reconciliation visible at any point. |
| Uniform Guidance / single-audit prep | No | Roadmap | Schedule of Federal Awards (SEFA) auto-generated from grants subledger. |
Financial / Bookkeeping
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GL + chart of accounts | Partial | Shipped | PHA-Web is a compliance tool with bookkeeping bolted on. We're a bookkeeping tool with compliance built-in. Different center of gravity. |
| Continuous bank reconciliation (Plaid) | No | Shipped | Real-time bank → book matching. No monthly close ritual. |
| AI transaction categorization | No | Shipped | Auto-categorizes most transactions in-stream, so they don't pile up for manual entry. |
| Anomaly detection (z-score, new vendor, dup) | No | Shipped | Continuous AI audit catches issues in-period vs at year-end. |
| P&L + Cash Flow + Balance Sheet | Partial | Shipped | Live, browser-print-to-PDF. Same source as the audit + FDS pipelines. |
| Fund accounting (federal grants) | Yes | In dev | Multi-fund GL with grant-restricted balances. Required for federal grantee reporting. |
Integrations
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank account connections (Plaid + OFX Direct) | No | Shipped | 12,000+ institutions via Plaid; direct OFX as fallback (no aggregator dependency). |
| EIV interface (income matching) | Yes | In dev | Pull EIV data, reconcile against tenant-reported income, flag discrepancies. |
| Microsoft 365 (Outlook send, Excel, SharePoint) | No | In dev | In-page report email + .xlsx export shipped; full Graph integration roadmapped. |
| QuickBooks Online / Sage Intacct sync | No | Shipped | QBO connector live. Sage Intacct, Yardi roadmapped. |
| Open API for third-party integrations | No | Roadmap | REST API with webhook events. PHA-Web is closed ecosystem. |
Platform
| Capability | PHA-Web | Ledger Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern web UI (mobile-responsive) | Partial | Shipped | PHA-Web is ASP.NET WebForms-era. We're Next.js + React 19. |
| Append-only audit log (every action) | Partial | Shipped | Tamper-evident audit trail with content hashes. Survives single-auditor scrutiny. |
| Open-source-style transparency | No | Shipped | Deterministic algorithms documented; SHA-256 fingerprints on every audit so re-runs are verifiable. |
| Single sign-on (SAML / OIDC) | Yes | Roadmap | Required for enterprise + larger PHAs. |
The migration path
Most PHAs don't rip-and-replace mission-critical software overnight. Our first 100 PHAs will run us alongside PHA-Web for 12–18 months: PHA-Web continues handling 50058 submission, we own the books + continuous audit + reports. Once we've proven the continuous-audit accuracy on their own data, the compliance modules cut over.
Where this list comes from
PHA-Web's feature set is documented across their public marketing, training materials, and HUD's own software-compatibility list. We've cross-referenced against HUD's 24 CFR 982 (HCV regulations), 24 CFR 5 (subsidy program admin), and the SEMAP / PHAS rule books to ensure we're measuring against the actual compliance requirement — not just PHA-Web's implementation of it.