The Doing Business with FHA section in this FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook (SF Handbook) covers Federal Housing Administration (FHA) approval and eligibility requirements for both Title I lenders and Title II Mortgagees, as well as other FHA program participants. The term "Mortgagee" is used throughout for all types of FHA approval (both Title II Mortgagees and Title I lenders) and the term "Mortgage" is used for all products (both Title II Mortgages and Title I loans), unless otherwise specified.

In every major city in the world there is a housing crisis. How did this happen and what can we do about it? Everyone needs and deserves housing. But today our homes are being transformed into commodities, making the inequalities of the city ever more acute. Profit has become more important than social need. The poor are forced to pay more for worse housing. Communities are faced with the violence of displacement and gentrification. And the benefits of decent housing are only available for those who can afford it. In Defense of Housing is the definitive statement on this crisis from leading urban planner Peter Marcuse and sociologist David Madden. They look at the causes and consequences of the housing problem and detail the need for progressive alternatives. The housing crisis cannot be solved by minor policy shifts, they argue. Rather, the housing crisis has deep political and economic roots—and therefore requires a radical response.