Fannie Mae's new DEED FOR LEASE program may prove to be another option for homeowners who are having trouble making payments and are facing foreclosure.
Homeowners who are upside down and cannot afford to make their mortgage payments may apply for a deed in lieu of foreclosure; and when the deed is recorded, their lender becomes their landlord and the former homeowner may remain in the property as a tenant for up to a year. The former homeowner is able to save the cost of a move, and stay in their current home providing greater stability for their families who are otherwise under severe stress. An added benefit is a reduction in the number of vacant homes in neighborhoods across the Valley, reducing neighborhood blight and crime.
The program is not for everyone, however. According to Fannie Mae, the following eligibility criteria must be met by the homeowner:
- The mortgage loan is a first lien mortgage loan secured by a one- to four-unit property. All property types are eligible. Second lien mortgage loans are not eligible.
- The mortgage loan is not guaranteed or insured by a federal agency (FHA, HUD, VA, or Rural Development).
- The borrower resides in the property as a primary residence or has leased the property to a tenant who uses the property as a primary residence.
- Second homes or vacation homes are not eligible.
- At least three payments have been made since origination or since the last modification.
- At the time of the referral to Fannie Mae for the D4L, the borrower is not 12 or more payments past due on the mortgage loan.
- The borrower is not involved in an active bankruptcy proceeding and is not a party to litigation involving the subject property or the mortgage loan.
- Marketable title is able to be conveyed (a title insurance policy is required). If there are subordinate liens secured against the subject property, lien releases can be obtained.
- The occupant of the property (i.e., the borrower or the borrower’s tenant) has verifiable income. Occupants with no source of income are not eligible.
For more details on qualifying, complete the form below.