What we verified in “Buying a home as a single parent”

Statements and where we checked them

The statements with rules, figures or dates, with the exact place in the source and the date we checked them.

1. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. §1691(a)), a creditor may not discriminate against anyone in any aspect of a credit transaction on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status or age, or because all or part of the applicant's income comes from a public assistance program, or because the applicant exercised in good faith a right under that law.

   Sources 1 · 15 U.S.C. §1691(a): 'on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age'; 'because all or part of the applicant's income derives from any public assistance program'; 'because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under this chapter' · Checked October 31, 2026

2. Under Regulation B (12 CFR 1002.5(d)(1)), for individual unsecured credit the lender may not ask your marital status, unless you live in a community property state or rely on property in one; and for other credit, such as a mortgage, it may ask, but only with the options married, unmarried and separated, and may explain that unmarried includes single, divorced and widowed.

   Sources 2 · 12 CFR §1002.5(d)(1): 'If an applicant applies for individual unsecured credit, a creditor shall not inquire about the applicant's marital status unless the applicant resides in a community property state or is relying on property located in such a state'; for other credit, terms limited to 'married, unmarried, and separated'; 'unmarried' includes single, divorced, and widowed persons · Checked October 31, 2026

3. Under Regulation B (12 CFR 1002.6(b)(3) and (b)(5)), the lender may not use assumptions or statistics about the likelihood that a group of people will bear or rear children and for that reason receive reduced or interrupted income; and if you rely on alimony or child support, it must count those payments as income to the extent they are likely to be consistently made.

   Sources 3 · 12 CFR §1002.6(b)(3): 'shall not make assumptions or use aggregate statistics' relating to the likelihood that any group of persons will bear or rear children or will, for that reason, receive diminished or interrupted income; (b)(5): alimony, child support, or separate maintenance payments considered as income 'to the extent that these payments are likely to be consistently made' · Checked October 31, 2026

4. Under the Fair Housing Act, familial status protects households with one or more children under 18 living with a parent or another person with legal custody, and also anyone who is pregnant or in the process of securing legal custody of a minor (42 U.S.C. §3602(k)); and it is illegal for anyone engaged in residential real estate-related transactions, such as making loans to buy a home, to discriminate because of familial status in making them available or in their terms (42 U.S.C. §3605).

   Sources 4 · 42 U.S.C. §3602(k): 'one or more individuals (who have not attained the age of 18 years) being domiciled with— a parent or another person having legal custody'; 'shall apply to any person who is pregnant or is in the process of securing legal custody'; §3605(a): 'to discriminate against any person in making available such a transaction, or in the terms or conditions of such a transaction, because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin'; §3605(b): 'The making or purchasing of loans ... for purchasing ... a dwelling' · Checked October 31, 2026

5. According to the CFPB, your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is all your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income; it is one way lenders measure your ability to pay, and different products and lenders have different limits.

   Sources 5 · What is a debt-to-income ratio? (last reviewed Aug. 28, 2023): 'all your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income'; 'one way lenders measure your ability to manage the monthly payments to repay the money you plan to borrow'; 'Different loan products and lenders will have different DTI limits.' · Checked October 31, 2026

6. According to Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B3-3.4-02, October 7, 2026), child support or alimony counts as income only if you disclose it on the application and ask that it be considered; it requires a written agreement or order, a history of at least six months of full, regular and timely payments, and documentation that it will continue at least three years from the application; and documented child support is nontaxable and may be grossed up.

   Sources 6 · Selling Guide B3-3.4-02 (10/07/2026): 'only if the borrower discloses it on the Uniform Residential Loan Application and requests that it be considered'; divorce decree, separation agreement or other written legal agreement; 'A minimum six-month history is required'; 'full, regular, and timely payments'; 'expected to continue for at least three years from the application date'; 'The full amount of documented qualifying child support income is nontaxable and may be grossed up' · Checked October 31, 2026

7. According to the IRS (Publication 501, for 2025), you can file as head of household if on the last day of the year you are unmarried or considered unmarried, you paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the year, and a qualifying person lived with you more than half the year, except for temporary absences such as school; and with this status your tax rate is usually lower and your standard deduction higher than if you file as single.

   Sources 7 · Publication 501 (2025), 'Head of Household': 'You are unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year'; 'You paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the year'; 'A qualifying person lived with you in the home for more than half the year (except for temporary absences, such as school)'; 'your tax rate will usually be lower than the rates for single or married filing separately'; 'a higher standard deduction' · Checked October 31, 2026

8. According to Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B2-2-04), guarantors and co-signers sign the note and are jointly liable for it, but have no ownership interest in the property on the title; non-occupant borrowers sign the note, are jointly liable and may or may not have an interest on the title; none may have an interest in the sale, such as the seller or the agent; and on manually underwritten loans, if that person's income is used, the occupying borrower must make the first 5% of the down payment from their own funds, unless the loan is 80% of value or less or they can use a gift or other permitted help, and their DTI using only their income cannot exceed 43%.

   Sources 8 · Selling Guide B2-2-04 (09/02/2020): 'Guarantors and co-signers are credit applicants who do not have ownership interest in the subject property as indicated on the title; sign the mortgage or deed of trust note; have joint liability for the note'; 'Non-occupant borrowers ... may or may not have an ownership interest'; 'do not have an interest in the property sales transaction, such as the property seller, the builder, or the real estate agent'; manually underwritten: 'the occupying borrower(s) must make the first 5% of the down payment from their own funds unless: the LTV or CLTV ratio is less than or equal to 80%; or ... gifts, donated grant funds'; 'Using only the income of the occupying borrower(s) to calculate the DTI ratio, the maximum allowable DTI ratio is 43%' · Checked October 31, 2026

9. According to the CFPB, the counseling agencies in its search tool are approved by HUD and offer independent advice, often at little or no cost, on buying a home, renting, defaults, forbearances, foreclosures and credit; you search by ZIP code; and not every agency offers every service.

   Sources 9 · Find a Housing Counselor: 'approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'; 'offer independent advice, often at little or no cost to you'; 'buying a home, renting, defaults, forbearances, foreclosures, and credit issues'; 'Search by ZIP code'; 'Not every housing counselor offers all services' · Checked October 31, 2026