Newsroom

October 26, 2016

FHA lowers condo occupancy threshold

The Federal Housing Administration announced Wednesday it is lowering the condominium owner-occupancy threshold requirement for guaranteed loans from 50 percent to 35 percent, effective immediately.

This will allow more condo buyers to qualify for FHA-insured loans, which will likely increase the number of lower-income and first-time buyers who take advantage of the program.

"While having too few owner-occupants can detract from the viability of a project, requiring too many can harm its marketability," the FHA said. "It is FHA's position that owner-occupants serve to stabilize the financial viability of the projects and are less likely to default on their obligations to homeowner associations than non-owner occupants."

In September, the FHA proposed relaxed restrictions for agency-backed condo loans to streamline the process and boost lending to first-time homebuyers. The comment deadline for the proposal was set for Nov. 28; however, legislation passed in July required the FHA to finalize a new occupancy threshold by the end of October.