1,401,176 HECM reverse mortgages insured by FHA since 1989.
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Reverse mortgage question
A HECM is for your primary residence only, so your servicer has to confirm each year that you still live in the home. The occupancy certification is how they do it. Fill it out, sign it, and send it back by the deadline. If you don't, the servicer will usually follow up, and an unanswered certification can eventually lead to the loan being called due, so don't set it aside.
This one comes up every year, usually right after the envelope arrives. It isn't a red flag, and it isn't a violation of your privacy. It's simply how the program works.
A HECM reverse mortgage is only for your primary residence. That rule doesn't end at closing. So each year, your servicer, the company that manages your loan, has to confirm you still live in the home. The occupancy certification is a short form that does exactly that.
You'll get one every year for as long as you have the loan. Complete it, sign it, and return it by the date on the form.
Life happens, and forms get lost under a stack of mail. If the servicer doesn't hear back, they'll usually follow up with you.
If they still can't confirm you live there, the servicer may treat the home as no longer your principal residence. That can start the process of calling the loan due and payable. Nobody wants that over a missing form.
So if you're ever unsure whether you returned it, call your servicer. The phone number is on your monthly statement.
If you have an eligible non-borrowing spouse, you'll also be asked each year to confirm that they still qualify, and after the borrower dies, the spouse confirms it themselves. HUD lets servicers accept that confirmation verbally. See How does an eligible non-borrowing spouse qualify for the deferral period?
Traveling, visiting family for the winter, or a hospital stay doesn't automatically change anything. The home just has to stay your primary residence. But being away for more than 12 months in a row for health reasons, like in a nursing home, can make the loan come due. If that's on the horizon, call your servicer and talk with your family about a plan. See How a Reverse Mortgage Works.
If a fire, flood, or other disaster forces you out of your home, tell your servicer as soon as you can. Servicers can often pause or extend deadlines in a declared disaster area. See What Reverse Mortgage Borrowers Need to Know After a Natural Disaster.
The certification is one of a few things that keep your loan in good standing. You also must continue to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance, maintain the home, and meet the other loan terms. A quick yearly check:
If you have a ZYNG loan and aren't sure what you're looking at, call us at 530-888-6000 and we'll help you figure it out, or point you to your servicer.
ZYNG Mortgage, Inc., NMLS #76801. A reverse mortgage has no required monthly mortgage payments and uses your home's equity. Fees, mortgage insurance and other costs can be added to the loan balance, and the balance grows over time as interest is added, so your equity typically decreases. When the loan becomes due, the home may need to be sold, or the loan repaid from other funds. Interest is not tax-deductible until it is paid, in part or in full. You keep title to your home and must keep paying property taxes, homeowners insurance and upkeep, and meet the other loan terms; not doing so can make the loan due and could lead to foreclosure.
This material is not from HUD or FHA and was not approved by HUD or a government agency.
HECM count at the top of this page: HUD data through September 2026 (source, opens in a new tab).
