Dear Maria,

Thank you for calling the Hotline and asking about Certification Exam requirements. To follow up, here is some information for you about certification and the exam. Please don't hesitate to contact us again with any additional questions. Good luck to you on beginning your career as a Housing Counselor again!

Certification Requirement – Housing counseling required under or provided in connection with HUD programs must be provided only by certified housing counselors who work for organizations approved to participate in HUD’s Housing Counseling Program. In order to be certified, an individual must both pass a standardized written examination covering six major topic areas, and work for an agency approved to participate in HUD’s housing counseling program.

Timing – Requirement in effect on August 1, 2020, which is 36 months after the date the certification examination becomes available.

See Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule on the HUD Exchange for more information.

Eligibility – In order to be certified, an individual must both pass a standardized written examination covering six major topic areas and work for an agency approved to participate in HUD’s housing counseling program. In other words, you can take the certification exam without being employed at a HUD-approved agency; however, to become certified you must pass the exam and work for a HUD-approved agency.  

For steps to certification visit the HUD Exchange website and view the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Process.

Retakes – There is no limit on retakes for the Certification Exam. You can take the Certification Exam as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score.

Sincerely,

The HUD Housing Counselors.com Support Team