Second Home Rider and renting out some portion of the house

[Pavel Bennett]

Hi BP,

I would like to better understand the details of the Second Home Rider for Freddie-backed mortgages. It reads:

If we're talking about a house that has 2 floors, but is not officially a duplex, would I be permitted to rent out (long term) the downstairs as long as I keep some portion of the house (like the upstairs, or even just 1 room) exclusively for myself and reside there for at least some portion of the year? Where do we draw the line before it stops being a valid "second home"?

The wording "will not subject the property to ... any agreement that requires Borrower to rent the property" seems like it might get in the way of that, but I'm not a lawyer. Wondering if someone has gotten this clarified with enough confidence to do this form of house-hack.

Thanks!