24 CFR § 206.45 - Eligible properties.
(a) Title. A mortgage must be on real estate held in fee simple; or on a leasehold that is under a lease with a duration lasting until the later of: 99 years, if such lease is renewable; or the actuarial life expectancy of the mortgagor plus a number of years specified by the Commissioner, which shall not be more than 99 years. The mortgagee shall obtain a title insurance policy satisfactory to the Commissioner. If the Commissioner determines that title insurance for reverse mortgages is not available for reasonable rates in a state, then the Commissioner may specify other acceptable forms of title evidence in lieu of title insurance.
(b) Type of property. The property shall include a dwelling designed principally as a residence for one family or such additional families as the Commissioner shall determine. A condominium unit designed for one-family occupancy shall also be an eligible property.
(c) Borrower and mortgagee requirement for maintaining flood insurance coverage—(1) In general.
(i) The requirements of this paragraph (c) apply if a mortgage is to cover property improvements that:
(A) Are located in an area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a floodplain area having special flood hazards;
(B) Are otherwise determined by the Commissioner to be subject to a flood hazard; or
(C) Are not otherwise covered by the flood insurance standard for condominium projects established under 24 CFR 203.43b(d)(6)(iii) or (i)(1).
(ii) No mortgage may be insured that covers property improvements located in an area that has been identified by FEMA as an area having special flood hazards, unless the community in which the area is situated is participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and flood insurance is obtained by the borrower. Such flood insurance shall be in the form of the standard policy issued under the NFIP or private flood insurance as defined in paragraph (c)(6) of this section. Such requirement for flood insurance shall be effective one year after the date of notification by FEMA to the chief executive officer of a flood prone community that such community has been identified as having special flood hazards.
(iii) For purposes of this section, property improvement means a dwelling and related structures/equipment essential to the value of the property and subject to flood damage.
(2) Flood insurance obligation. During such time as the mortgage is insured, the borrower and mortgagee shall be obligated, by a special condition to be included in the mortgage commitment, to obtain and to maintain flood insurance coverage under either the NFIP or equivalent private flood insurance coverage as defined in paragraph (c)(6) of this section on the property improvements. The mortgagee shall be named as the loss payee for flood insurance benefits. A mortgagee may determine that a private flood insurance policy meets the definition of private flood insurance in this section, without further review of the policy, if the compliance aid statement provided in 24 CFR 203.16a(c) is included within the policy or as an endorsement to the policy.
(3) Duration and amount of coverage. The flood insurance must be maintained during such time as the mortgage is insured in an amount at least equal to the lowest of the following:
(i) 100 percent replacement cost of the insurable value of the improvements, which consists of the development or project cost less estimated land cost; or
(ii) The maximum amount of the NFIP insurance available with respect to the particular type of the property; or
(iii) The outstanding principal balance of the loan.
(4) Private flood insurance defined. The term “private flood insurance” means an insurance policy that:
(i) Is issued by an insurance company that is:
(A) Licensed, admitted, or otherwise approved to engage in the business of insurance in the State or jurisdiction in which the insured building is located, by the insurance regulator of that State or jurisdiction; or
(B) In the case of a policy of difference in conditions, multiple peril, all risk, or other blanket coverage insuring nonresidential commercial property, is recognized, or not disapproved, as a surplus lines insurer by the insurance regulator of the State or jurisdiction where the property to be insured is located;
(ii) Provides flood insurance coverage that is at least as broad as the coverage provided under a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program for the same type of property, including when considering deductibles, exclusions, and conditions offered by the insurer. To be at least as broad as the coverage provided under a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program, the policy must, at a minimum:
(A) Define the term “flood” to include the events defined as a “flood” in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program;
(B) Contain the coverage specified in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program, including that relating to building property coverage; personal property coverage, if purchased by the insured mortgagor(s); other coverages; and increased cost of compliance coverage;
(C) Contain deductibles no higher than the specified maximum, and include similar non-applicability provisions, as under a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program, for any total policy coverage amount up to the maximum available under the NFIP at the time the policy is provided to the lender;
(D) Provide coverage for direct physical loss caused by a flood and may only exclude other causes of loss that are excluded in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program. Any exclusions other than those in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program may pertain only to coverage that is in addition to the amount and type of coverage that could be provided by a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program or have the effect of providing broader coverage to the policyholder; and
(E) Not contain conditions that narrow the coverage provided in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program;
(iii) Includes all of the following:
(A) A requirement for the insurer to give 45 days' written notice of cancellation or non-renewal of flood insurance coverage to:
(1) The insured;
(2) The mortgagee, if any; and
(3) Federal Housing Administration (FHA), in cases where the mortgagee has assigned the loan to FHA in exchange for claim payment;
(B) Information about the availability of flood insurance coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program;
(C) A mortgage interest clause similar to the clause contained in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program; and
(D) A provision requiring an insured to file suit not later than 1 year after the date of a written denial of all or part of a claim under the policy; and
(iv) Contains cancellation provisions that are as restrictive as the provisions contained in a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program.
(d) Lead-based paint poisoning prevention. If the appraiser of a dwelling constructed prior to 1978 finds defective paint surfaces, 24 CFR 200.810(d) shall apply unless the borrower certifies that no child who is less than six years of age resides or is expected to reside in the dwelling, except that any reference to “mortgagor” in 24 CFR 200.810(d) shall mean “borrower” for purposes of this paragraph.
(e) Restrictions on conveyance. The property must be freely marketable. Conveyance of the property may only be restricted as permitted under 24 CFR 203.41 or 24 CFR 234.66 and this part, except that a right of first refusal to purchase a unit in a condominium project is permitted if the right is held by the condominium association for the project.
(f) Location of property. The mortgaged property shall be located within the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The mortgaged property, if otherwise acceptable to the Commissioner, may be located in any location where the housing standards meet the requirements of the Commissioner.
(g) HECM for Purchase.
(1) A HECM for Purchase transaction is where title to the property is transferred to the HECM borrower and, at the time of closing, the HECM first and second liens, if applicable, will be the only liens against the property.
(2) Properties are eligible for FHA insurance under the HECM for Purchase program when construction is completed and the property is habitable, as evidenced by the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or its equivalent, by the local jurisdiction.