source:
  type: guide
  id: hud-4000-1-iii-p-occupancy-certification
  authority: FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Part III — p. Occupancy
    Certification (11/30/2023)
  description: FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Part III — p. Occupancy
    Certification (11/30/2023).
  coverage_tier: operative
obligations:
- id: hud-4000-1-iii-p-occupancy-certification-full
  canonical_id: hud-4000-1-iii-p-occupancy-certification-full
  section: FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Part III — p. Occupancy
    Certification (11/30/2023)
  type: do
  tags:
  - regulator-direct
  - fha
  - hud-handbook
  - corpus-expansion
  - tier-operative
  primary_source:
    tier: 1
    authority: FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Part III — p. Occupancy
      Certification (11/30/2023)
    source_class: hud-handbook
    source_url: https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners/single-family-handbook-4000-1
    snapshot_id: 8c03836f77f317e1
    fetched_at: '2026-05-23T00:28:40Z'
    content_hash: sha256:411430f29b13f9b54a2ebb0e6f6e7087ecd2b90d0da22eb0c8c792eaa2d7d0df
    paragraph_quote: 'p. Occupancy Certification (11/30/2023) i. Standard (A) Annual
      Occupancy Certification The Mortgagee must obtain an annual certification from
      the Borrower and any Eligible NBS that the HECM Property remains the Borrower’s
      and any Eligible NBS’s Principal Residence. The Mortgagee may obtain the certification
      either by hard copy, electronically, or verbally. The certification must include
      the following warning above the signature line when obtained in writing: I/We,
      the undersigned, certify under penalty of perjury that the information provided
      above is true and correct. WARNING: Anyone who knowingly submits a false claim
      or makes a false statement is subject to criminal and/or civil penalties, including
      confinement for up to five years, fines, and civil and administrative penalties.
      (18 U.S.C. §§ 287, 1001, 1010, 1012, 1014; 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729, 3802). When the
      certification is obtained verbally, the Mortgagee must first read the warning
      provided below before obtaining confirmation of the following from the Borrower
      and any Eligible NBS: We are required to tell you that anyone who knowingly
      submits a false claim or makes a false statement is subject to criminal and/or
      civil penalties under federal statutes, including the False Claims Act and Fraud
      Enforcement and Recovery Act. Such criminal and/or civil penalties include confinement
      for up to five years, fines, and civil and administrative penalties. Do you
      certify under penalty of perjury that the information you provided is true and
      accurate? If so, say ‘yes’. III. SERVICING AND LOSS MITIGATION B. Title II Insured
      Housing Programs Reverse Mortgages 1. Servicing of FHA-Insured HECMs Handbook
      4000.1 1472 Last Revised: 11/26/2025 If the Mortgagee receives the Borrower’s
      or Eligible NBS’s occupancy certification verbally, the Mortgagee’s employee
      must sign and date the verification and note the name and the phone number of
      each Borrower or Eligible NBS with whom occupancy was verified. Mortgagees must
      retain an audio recording of the verification in the Mortgagee’s servicing systems
      and provide the recording to FHA upon request. Temporary Absences The Mortgagee
      must advise the Borrower to notify the Mortgagee of absences from the Property
      in excess of two months to avoid determinations that the Borrower’s Principal
      Residence has changed. The Mortgagee must proceed in accordance with Due and
      Payable guidance in the event the Borrower fails to comply with the HECM provisions.
      (B) Identifying Non-Borrowing Spouses For HECMs with FHA case numbers assigned
      before August 4, 2014, Mortgagees must request information from Borrowers to
      attempt to identify NBSs. This request must be sent to Borrowers with the annual
      occupancy certification and include the following: • Is the Borrower currently
      married? • Is the Borrower’s spouse a Borrower on the HECM loan? • If the Borrower
      is currently married and the spouse is not a Borrower on the HECM loan, please
      provide the following: • NBS’s name; • NBS’s Social Security Number (SSN) or
      Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); • NBS’s date of birth; and • date of the
      couple’s marriage. (C) Eligible Non-Borrowing Spouse Annual Certification Borrowers
      that identified themselves as being married with an Eligible NBS at origination
      must submit an additional certification on an annual basis certifying that the
      NBS continues to meet the Qualifying Attributes. This certification may be completed
      verbally consistent with the requirements for the Borrower’s or Eligible NBS’s
      Annual Occupancy Certification. Upon the death of the last surviving Borrower,
      the Mortgagee must comply with the requirements for a Deferral Period. In the
      event of a divorce between a HECM Borrower and the NBS, Mortgagees are required
      to obtain a copy of the final divorce decree. Such NBS is no longer eligible
      for a Deferral Period and the Mortgagee is no longer required to have such Borrower
      or the former spouse satisfy the NBS certification requirements. III. SERVICING
      AND LOSS MITIGATION B. Title II Insured Housing Programs Reverse Mortgages 1.
      Servicing of FHA-Insured HECMs Handbook 4000.1 1473 Last Revised: 11/26/2025
      ii. Required Documentation The Mortgagee must retain in the Servicing File copies
      of all: • annual certifications; and • documentation of Borrowers’ absences
      from the Property.'
  judgment: false
