HUD Publishes Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule

HUD published the Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule in the Federal Register today, December 14, 2016. This rule implements statutory requirements that housing counseling required under or provided in connection with all HUD programs will be provided by HUD-Certified Housing Counselors. Some of the requirements are in effect 30 days after the rule publication. Counselors have up to 36 months after the date that the HUD housing counselor certification examination becomes available, which will be published in a separate Federal Register Notice to comply with the Certification requirement.

The Federal Register, FAQs, and other resources pertaining to the rule are available on the HUD Exchange. HUD will continue to provide guidance and additional resources to Housing Counseling program current and future participants on specific aspects of the new requirements in the coming weeks. Check the Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule page frequently for updates.

Application to Other HUD Programs

The final rule implements the requirement that, after the final compliance date, all housing counseling required under or provided in connection with HUD programs, as defined in CFR § 5.111 (b), must be provided by HUD-certified housing counselors that must work for agencies approved to participate in HUD’s Housing Counseling program.

For more information about how the Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule affects other HUD programs, please view the Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule.

Questions

For participating housing counseling agencies participating in HUD’s Housing Counseling program, please consult the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and if questions remain, please contact housing.counseling@hud.gov or for network agencies, work through your oversight agency.

For those Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs, grantees, or Public Housing Agencies who are not participating in HUD’s Housing Counseling program, please review the General Questions for Other HUD Programs, program-specific FAQs, and List of Programs Covered by the Final Rule. This information is available on the Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule page. If questions remain after viewing this information, please contact housing.counseling@hud.gov or your HUD representative for more information.