USDA Debuts New Eligibility Maps for Rural Housing Service Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week announced proposed changes to the maps it uses to determine whether certain areas are eligible for Rural Housing Service’s (RHS) single-family and multifamily housing programs.

RHS reviews the areas under its jurisdiction every five years to determine which areas are eligible to use its programs. The proposed maps are based off of RHS’s 2017-2018 review of data collected from the 2015 American Community Survey. The current maps are based off of RHS’s 2012-2013 review of the 2010 U.S. Census.

The proposed maps will go into effect on June 4, 2018. Properties located in areas that have been changed from rural to non-rural on June 4 may be eligible for RHS programs if all of the following conditions are met:

• The application is dated and received by the lender prior to June 4, 2018, and the loan estimate was issued by the lender within three days of the application receipt;
• The applicant has a signed/ratified sales contract on a property that is dated prior to June 4, 2018; and
• The applicant meets all other loan eligibility requirements.

To view the proposed eligibility maps, click here. After choosing the desired program tab (e.g., Single Family Housing Guaranteed), select the “Proposed Ineligible Areas” tab to view the new eligibility maps.