Ownership and Occupancy ASL

When you apply for FEMA disaster assistance, FEMA must confirm that you owned and lived in your damaged primary residence at the time of the disaster. In this video, we'll talk about simple ways you can prove ownership and occupancy of your home. First, let's talk about ownership. To prove that you own your home, you can provide official documents such as the original deed or deed of trust, a mortgage statement or escrow analysis, a property tax receipt or property tax bill, a manufactured home certificate or title, or property insurance documents. If you can't find any of these documents, FEMA may accept other documents as proof as a last resort. Examples of other documents you letter from a public official such as a police chief, mayor, or postmaster, receipts for major repairs or improvements to the home. The letter from a public official must include your name, the address of your disaster damaged home, a statement that you or your co- member of the public official. This letter must be dated within 18 months of the disaster declaration date of the disaster. If your primary residence is a mobile home, recreational vehicle, or travel trailer and you don't have traditional ownership documents, you may self-certify that you own the home as a last resort. Also, if you are a homeowner with the same address from a previous disaster and you already verified ownership with FEMA, you usually do not need to verify ownership again. Next, you must show that you lived in the home at the time of the disaster. This applies to both homeowners and renters. You can prove occupancy with official documents such as utility bills, bank or credit card statements, or phone bills showing the damaged address, an employer statement, a written lease agreement, rent receipts, or a public official statement. FEMA will also accept motor vehicle registration, letters from local schools, either public or private, letters from federal or state benefit providers, letters from social service organizations, or court documents. As a last resort, you can also use a signed statement from a commercial or mobile home park owner or self-certification for a mobile home, recreational vehicle, or travel trailer. If you have successfully proved occupancy to FEMA for a previous disaster within the last two years, you generally do not need to do it again. Providing clear proof of ownership and occupancy helps FEMA process your application quickly and accurately. Gather as many of these documents as you can and submit them with your application or when requested. If you have questions about what documents you can use, contact FEMA directly for more information.