Why doesn’t the MLS have a search option for communities that are limited to residents of 55 years and older?

These communities need to meet certain qualifications to be certified by HUD as a 55+ community and there is also a renewal process that has to be completed in order to maintain that certification. In order to meet the certification, the community must satisfy each of the following requirements:

• At least 80 percent of the occupied units must be occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older per unit;

• The owner or management of the housing facility/community must publish and adhere to policies and procedures that demonstrate an intent to provide housing for persons 55 years or older; and

• The facility/community must comply with rules issued by the Secretary for verification of occupancy through reliable surveys and affidavits.

There is a renewal process that must occur every two years to maintain the 55+ certification.

• That process involves an audit of households and verification of age using birth certificate, driver’s license, passport, immigration card, military identification, or any other state, local, national or international documentation, etc.

There can sometimes be a misconception that these communities are comprised of residents who are all 55 years and older. That isn’t necessarily the case. GRAR Leadership’s concern was that this certification seems to be a moving target. A community that was certified as 55+ six years ago (for example) might not still have that certification today if the renewal and audit hasn’t been completed. There was concern that we could be exposing our REALTOR members to risk if we permitted listings to be advertised through a searchable field on the MLS as 55+ and someone bought for that reason and then became disgruntled because the community lost its certification. For those members who opt to add the 55+ description to the listing comments, we encourage (as a best practice, but not required) to upload a dated document evidencing that the community is certified as 55+ to help limit exposure to risk. Including the community’s bylaws as an attached document is also helpful.