Developers seeking FHA condo approval have to put their projects through a complicated series of legal hoops. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has to sign off on condominiums. The homeowner association (HOA) that owns the condo must in turn approve the FHA-sponsored borrower that wants to purchase one of the units. The legal complications on both sides can make this process tedious and drawn-out. FHA-sponsored borrowers who want a condominium unit can search on the FHA’s approved list. By inputting specific information they can easily locate a condominium project in their area.
Two routes exist to obtain FHA condo approval. The developer can submit the project directly to the FHA under HUD Approval and Review Process (HRAP), or he can have the lender approve it under Direct Lender Endorsement Review and Approval Process (DELRAP). HRAP will take more time than DELRAP because the FHA has to process the paperwork, verify that the specified requirements have been met and finally, approve the project. The requirements include restrictions on investor ownership, mandatory minimums the project must meet and insurance coverage stipulations.
No more than 10 percent of the units may be owned by a single investor. Half of the units must be owner-occupied, and the same percentage must have already been sold. Adequate hazard and liability insurance coverage must be present on all units before the FHA will approve the project. The FHA is under a legal mandate from Congress to regulate approved condominium projects for FHA-sponsored borrowers. These legal restrictions and requirements are designed to sift through thousands upon thousands of condominium projects to find ones that meet the FHA’s standards. Borrowers do not have to worry about finding subpar projects when the projects have met the requirements for FHA condo approval.
Living under the rules and restrictions of a homeowner association (HOA) is comfortable for some but a nightmare for most. Trying to get