Homeowners staring down the barrel of the foreclosure gun now have a stay of execution option that will keep them in their homes. Fannie Mae’s recently announced Deed for Lease Program™ permits homeowners facing foreclosure to sign a lease to stay in their home in exchange for…the deed to their home. What was it they said about “desperate times?”
The program is aimed at those homeowners who don’t qualify for a loan modification or other loan-workout solutions. In order to qualify, the home must be a primary residence, the borrower must be released from any subordinate liens, and the new market rental rate cannot exceed 31% of the borrower’s income.
Leases created under the program are up to 12 months, with the possibility of a term renewal or a month-to-month extension after that.
After a little digging on FM’s B2B sister website, efanniemae.com, I learned that once the deed has been turned over and the lease signed, Fannie Mae (the deed holder) reserves the right to market the property, even as the ex-homeowners are residing in their ex-home.
A call into Fannie Mae yielded little else in the way of specifics on the Deed for Lease™ (or D4L, as they call it) as the program is so new. While I’m not overly excited about the idea of exchanging a deed for a monthly rent, I suppose it beats getting snookered by a Loan Modification Scam or some other hoodwinkery.
What’s your take on the Deed for Lease™ Program?
Credit: Fannie Mae
