Registration Instructions

Obtaining a User ID

A user ID is required to establish a "secure connection" to HUD's secure systems from the Internet. HUD's secure systems provide a means for trusted business partners to submit and retrieve required program information. If you require access to one or more of HUD's secure systems and do not have a user ID, you must register for one by completing the appropriate online registration form.

Secure Connection Registration Helpful Hints

You must register for a user ID under a HUD trusted business partner (e.g., an organization that is an owning entity, public housing agency, contractor, etc.)
A user ID is assigned to the person that registers, not the organization under which he/she registers. Therefore, each person requiring access to HUD's secure systems must register for a user ID (i.e., a user ID cannot be shared by multiple people). You can register for only one user ID.
Your user ID can be used to access any of HUD's secure systems on behalf of an organization, given you have been granted the proper authority.

Getting Started

You must complete the following before registering for a user ID:

Determine if you should register as a Coordinator or User
Obtain the current name and identification of the organization or individual under which you are registering (e.g., TIN, PHA Code, SSN)
Verify with your HUD Project Manager that the owner's mailing address on the Ownership Screen of the Real Estate Management System (REMS) is correct. All correspondence relating to your registration will be forwarded to the owner's mailing address.
Read the Secure Connection Registration User Guide
Review Frequently Asked System Questions
ONAP Grantees - click on the Public Housing Agency option and complete the registration form.

Security of Personal Data

Personal information requested via the internet to obtain User IDs is safe. The link to any of the REAC systems poses no risk to privacy as it is a secure connection. Once entered, personal information is automatically encrypted and is only accessible by technical personnel under strictly controlled circumstances. For example this might occur if you forget your password or a system error requires that your password be reset.

Personal identifiers are simply a tool to ensure that only you, or your designated staff using their own identifiers, have the sole authority to verify/adjust data previously submitted to HUD by your PHA. Each person entrusted with such data entry requires their own ID. No other use will be made of personal information entered into the system.

The use of personal identifiers for this purpose has been standard practice by the Federal Government, as well as certain private sector entities, for some time. In fact, the Social Security Administration (SSA) guarantees that using your social security number for identification purposes does not provide unauthorized access to your social security records. You may also wish to consult the SSA Website.

Helpful Tools

Link to the appropriate Secure Connection registration form by selecting the type of organization under which you are registering:

Coordinator Vs. User

Registering as a "Coordinator" vs. a "User"

When completing a Secure Connection Registration form, you must first indicate whether you are registering as a "Coordinator" or a "User". The following information is provided to assist you in making this determination.

Coordinator

A coordinator is a system administrator that acts on behalf of one or more organizations identified by HUD as trusted business partners (e.g., owning entities, public housing authorities, inspection contractors, etc.). As a system administrator, a coordinator is responsible for controlling access to HUD's secure systems for the organization(s) he/she represents, and forwarding information sent electronically by HUD to the appropriate individuals in the organization. An organization's Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Executive Director (ED) may serve as a coordinator, or she may designate another employee or a 3rd party (e.g., a certified public accountant, management agent, etc.). Regardless of who registers to be a coordinator, the organization's CEO/ED receives the "Coordinator" Secure Connection user ID via U.S. mail. By using a "Coordinator" Secure Connection user ID, or disclosing it to a person that registered for one, the CEO/ED agrees to the terms and conditions stated in the "Program Participant's Use Agreement Regarding Electronic Data Submissions for HUD Programs".

If a CEO/ED wishes to designate a coordinator who has already registered for a "Coordinator" Secure Connection user ID under another trusted business partner, he may do so by having the designee access HUD's secure systems, and request to be a coordinator for an additional trusted business partner. The CEO/ED will receive an "activation key" via U.S. mail. Upon disclosing the "activation key" to the designee, the CEO/ED is agreeing to the terms and conditions stated in the "Program Participant's Use Agreement Regarding Electronic Data Submissions for HUD Programs". The concept of the "activation key" enables coordinators to use one Secure Connection user ID for multiple trusted business partners under consistent system security procedures.

A trusted business partner must designate at least one coordinator if the organization is required to access HUD's secure systems. HUD recommends that each trusted business partner designate two coordinators, for backup purposes. No more than two coordinators may be designated for each trusted business partner.

User

A user is a CEO/ED, employee, or 3rd party that represents a HUD trusted business partner in terms of submitting and/or retrieving required program information via HUD's secure systems. If a person registers for a "User" Secure Connection user ID, she will be unable to perform coordinator functions (e.g., control system access). The coordinator for the trusted business partner under which the user registers provides the user with her Secure Connection user ID, and assigns the user access to the one or more HUD secure systems required to complete the user's responsibilities for the organization (e.g., submitting financial statement data). If a CEO/ED wishes to designate someone as a user who has already registered for a "User" Secure Connection user id under another trusted business partner, he may do so by having the designee request the appropriate system access from that trusted business partner's coordinator.

Coordinator and User

One person may be required to perform both coordinator and user functions for an organization. In this instance, the person must register for a "Coordinator" Secure Connection user id. A coordinator may assign herself the appropriate system access to complete her user responsibilities.

One person may be required to perform coordinator functions for one trusted business partner, and user functions for another. In this instance, the person must register for a "Coordinator" Secure Connection user id. The coordinator may use their Secure Connection user ID to perform system administration functions; however, he must request the required system access from the appropriate coordinator to complete his user responsibilities.