Hard rule for minimum time to live in a unit before renting?

[Corey Nelson]

Hi All,

So I believe I understand that if I apply for a residential loan, lenders assume I'll live on the property for a minimum of twelve months before I can look into renting it as an investment property. With a residential loan I can look for the lower down payment needed over an investment loan.

However, how does this work for house hacking a multi-family property? If I buy a four-plex and live in one unit while renting the others, am I still obligated to live there for a year before I can rent the unit I'm in?

Or does the four-plex automatically disqualify itself from a residential loan by virtue it's a multi-family?

My questions stems from being ready to make my first purchase by Q3 this year, but not completely sold on continuing to live in the city for another year following.