FHA Loan eligibility requirements vary by county. In order to find the loan limit in your area, please go to :
https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm

Underwriting THE Mortgage

1-1 WHAT FHA INSURES. FHA insures mortgages on properties that consist of detached or semi-detached dwellings, townhouses or row houses, and individual units within FHA-approved Condominium projects. Except as otherwise stated in this Handbook, FHA's single-family programs are limited to owner-occupied Principal residences only. FHA will not insure mortgages on commercial enterprises, boarding houses, hotels and motels, tourist houses, private clubs, bed and breakfast establishments, and fraternity or sorority houses.

SECTION 1: OCCUPANCY STATUS

1-2 PRINCIPAL RESIDENCES. A principal residence is a property that will be occupied by the Borrower for the majority of the calendar year. At least one borrower must occupy the property and sign the Security instrument and the mortgage Note for the property to be considered owner-occupied. Our security instruments require a borrower to establish bona fide occupancy in the home as the borrower's principal residence within 60 days after signing the security instrument with continued occupancy for at least one year.

To prevent circumvention of the restrictions on FHA-insured mortgages to investors, we generally will not insure more than one mortgage for any borrower.  Any person individually or jointly owning a home covered by a mortgage insured by FHA in which ownership is maintained may not purchase another principal residence with FHA mortgage Insurance except under the situations described below.  Properties previously acquired as investment properties are not subject to these restrictions.

We will not insure a mortgage if we conclude that the transaction was designed to use FHA Mortgage Insurance as a vehicle for obtaining investment properties, even if the property to be encumbered will be the only one owned using FHA mortgage insurance.  We do not object to homebuyers using FHA mortgage insurance more than once if compatible with the homebuyer’s needs and resources as follows: 

A. Relocations.  If the borrower is relocating and re-establishing residency in another area not within reasonable commuting distance from the current principal residence, the borrower may obtain another mortgage using FHA insured financing and is not required to sell the existing property covered by a FHA-Insured Mortgage.  The relocation need not be employer mandated to qualify for this exception.  Further, if the borrower returns to an area where he or she owns a property with an FHA-insured mortgage, it is not required that the borrower re-establish primary residency in that property in order to be eligible for another FHA insured mortgage.

B. Increase in Family Size.  The borrower may be permitted to obtain another home with an FHA-insured mortgage if the number of legal dependents increases to the Point that the present house no longer meets the family's needs.  The borrower must provide satisfactory evidence of the increase in dependents and the property’s failure to meet the family's needs.

The borrower also must pay down the outstanding mortgage balance on the present property to a 75 percent or lower loan-to-value (LTV) ratio.  A current residential Appraisal must be used to determine LTV compliance.  Tax assessments, market analyses by real Estate brokers, etc., are not acceptable as proof of LTV compliance.

C. Vacating a Jointly Owned Property. If the borrower is vacating a residence that will remain occupied by a co-borrower, the borrower is permitted to obtain another FHA-insured mortgage.  Acceptable situations include instances of divorce, after which the vacating ex-spouse will purchase a new home, or one of the co-borrowers will vacate the existing property.

D.Non-Occupying Co-Borrower. A non-occupying co-borrower on property being purchased with an FHA-insured mortgage as a principal residence by other family members may have a joint Interest in that property as well as in a principal residence of their own with a FHA-insured mortgage.  (See paragraph 1-8 B for additional information).

Under no circumstances may investors use the exceptions described above to circumvent FHA’s ban on loans to private investors and acquire rental properties through purportedly purchasing “principal residences.”  Considerations in determining the eligibility of a borrower for one of these exceptions are the length of time the previous property was owned by the borrower and the circumstances that compel the borrower to purchase another residence with an FHA-insured mortgage.  In all other cases, the purchasing borrower either must pay off the FHA-insured mortgage on the previous residence or terminate ownership of that property before acquiring another FHA-insured mortgage.

1-3 SECONDARY RESIDENCES.  A secondary residence is a property the borrower occupies in addition to his or her principal residence.  Secondary residences are only permitted when the appropriate Home Ownership Center (HOC) agrees that an undue hardship exists, meaning that affordable rental housing that meets the needs of the family is not available for Lease in the area or within reasonable commuting distance to work, and the maximum Loan amount is 85 percent of the lesser of the Appraised Value or sales price.  Direct Endorsement (DE) lenders are not authorized to grant hardship exceptions.  Any request for a hardship exception must be submitted by the Lender in writing to the appropriate HOC.  HOC jurisdictions are listed in Appendix I.  A borrower may have only one secondary residence at any time.  All the following conditions must be met for secondary residences: 

A. The secondary residence must not be a vacation home or otherwise used primarily for recreational purposes; and

B.The borrower must obtain the secondary residence because of seasonal employment, employment relocation, or other circumstances not related to recreational use of the residence; and There must be a demonstrated lack of affordable rental housing meeting the needs of the borrower in the area or within a reasonable commuting distance of the borrower's employment.  Documentation to support this must include:

1.A satisfactory explanation from the borrower of the need for a secondary residence and the lack of available rental housing in the area that meets the need.

2. Written evidence from local Real Estate professionals who verify a lack of acceptable rental housing in the area.

1-4 INVESTMENT PROPERTIES.  An Investment Property is a property that is not occupied by the borrower as a principal residence or as a secondary residence.  With permission from the appropriate HOC, private investors, including nonprofit organizations not meeting the criteria described in paragraph 1-5 A, may obtain FHA-insured mortgages for the following reasons:

A. Purchasing HUD Real Estate Owned (REO) properties.  Owner occupancy is not required when the jurisdictional HOC sells the property and permits the purchaser to obtain FHA-insured financing on the investment property.

B. Streamline Refinancing without appraisals.  See paragraph 1-12 for additional qualifying information.

C.Underwriting Considerations:

1. Individual investors who Credit qualify may assume mortgages made on investment properties. This applies to the transactions described in paragraphs 1-4 A and B, as well as to investment properties purchased before the 1989 ban on investors that have been subsequently streamline refinanced.

2. Qualifying Ratios, the treatment of projected rental income, etc., are described in Chapter 2, paragraph 2-7 M.

3. ARMs and graduated payment mortgages (GPMs) are not permitted on investment properties.

4. Except for streamline refinances in which the mortgage was originally insured in the name of a business, FHA will not insure loans made solely in the name of a business entity (such as a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship) or trust.  One or more individuals, along with the business entity or trust, must be analyzed for creditworthiness.  The individual(s) and the business entity or trust must appear on the mortgage note.  The business entity, trust, or individual(s) may appear on the property Deed or Title.  All parties appearing on the property deed or title must also appear on the security instrument (i.e., mortgage, Deed of Trust, security deed). 

FHA Streamline

Streamline refinances are designed to lower the monthly principal and interest payments on a current FHA-insured  mortgage and must involve no cash back to the borrower, except for minor adjustments at closing not to exceed $250.  Streamline refinances can be made with or without an  appraisal. On streamline refinances with an appraisal, Form  HUD 92564-VC is required, but the Homebuyer Summary is  not required. FHA does not require repairs to be completed  (except for lead-based paint repairs) on streamline refinances  with appraisals; however, the lender may require completion  of repairs as a condition of the loan.

HUD's Credit Alert Interactive Voice Response System  (CAIVRS) need not be checked, but HUD’s Limited Denial of  Participation (LDP) and General Services Administration (GSA) exclusion lists are still required checks for all borrowers.

FHA does not require a Credit Report (except for the credit-qualifying streamline refinances described below) or a termite inspection on this type of loan, but the lender may require either one or both as part of its credit policy.