§ 982.643 Homeownership option: Downpayment assistance grants.

(a) General. (1) A PHA may provide a single downpayment assistance grant for a participant that has received tenant-based or project-based rental assistance in the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

(2) The downpayment assistance grant must be applied toward the downpayment required in connection with the purchase of the home and/or reasonable and customary closing costs in connection with the purchase of the home.

(3) If the PHA permits the downpayment grant to be applied to closing costs, the PHA must define what fees and charges constitute reasonable and customary closing costs. However, if the purchase of a home is financed with FHA mortgage insurance, such financing is subject to FHA mortgage insurance requirements, including any requirements concerning closing costs (see § 982.632(b) of this part regarding the applicability of FHA requirements to voucher homeownership assistance and § 203.27 of this title regarding allowable fees, charges and discounts for FHA-insured mortgages).

(b) Maximum downpayment grant. A downpayment assistance grant may not exceed twelve times the difference between the payment standard and the total tenant payment.

(c) Payment of downpayment grant. The downpayment assistance grant shall be paid at the closing of the family's purchase of the home.

(d) Administrative fee. For each downpayment assistance grant made by the PHA, HUD will pay the PHA a one-time administrative fee in accordance with § 982.152(a)(1)(iii).

(e) Return to tenant-based assistance. A family that has received a downpayment assistance grant may apply for and receive tenant-based rental assistance, in accordance with program requirements and PHA policies. However, the PHA may not commence tenant-based rental assistance for occupancy of the new unit so long as any member of the family owns any title or other interest in the home purchased with homeownership assistance. Further, eighteen months must have passed since the family's receipt of the downpayment assistance grant.

(f) Implementation of downpayment assistance grants. A PHA may not offer downpayment assistance under this paragraph until HUD publishes a notice in the Federal Register.

[67 FR 64494, Oct. 18, 2002]