FHA owner occupancy rule

[Rebecca Preast]

My husband bought our house in 2004 with an FHA loan ( with down payment assistance). We lived in the home until about 3 weeks ago, when we moved for my husband's new job. We had planned on renting out our home as our market is too saturated to sell. We haven't yet bought our new home, but because we changed our mailing address, it "triggered" our mortgage company to send us a letter stating that we must verify owner occupancy. The letter stated that we must live in the home for the life of the loan, and could not rent it out. We never could get a straight answer from our lender, as at one point, they told us they were contacted by FHA, and at another point, they said it was just a regulation. Our loan documents are of no help, as they are conflicting. But there is absolutely no "for the life of the loan" wording in the loan documents. What exactly is the owner occupancy regulation? I thought we satisfied it by living in the home immediately after closing, and for 14 years. We are currently pursuing an exemption to the rider, but if that is not approved, we will have to refinance.