Five MUST-DO Steps
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NGBS Green certification is a recognized pathway to earn financial incentives, such as the HUD Green Mortgage Insurance Premium, Fannie Mae's preferred green financing, and many other state and local programs.
The NGBS Green certification process is straightforward and affordable. An accredited NGBS Green Verifier will work with your project team to ensure your project is NGBS compliant. For your project to successfully earn certification, be sure the following administrative requirements are met:
1. Register for an AXIS account.
NGBS Green certification runs on the AXIS online portal. Register for an AXIS account here. Every client should have an account to significantly streamline the certification process. The client agreement and insurance (see #2 below) are signed and uploaded through AXIS; the certification fee invoice is generated from AXIS (see #3 below); and the NGBS Green certificate is ultimately delivered to your AXIS account. You can find more detailed instructions in the NGBS Green Portal Powered by AXIS Quick Start Guide.
2. Complete a Client Agreement.
Certification requires the client (builder/developer/owner) that is financially responsible for the project(s) to sign an agreement with Home Innovation Research Labs. The signatory must be an Officer of the Company or someone who can commit the client's company to meeting the agreement's requirements. Agreements are valid for four years. Only one agreement is needed, even if you have multiple projects seeking certification. However, if you use a different entity name, such as an LLC, for a project(s), then you must sign a new agreement for each separate entity.
There are no exceptions to this requirement. Getting the agreement signed quickly is one way to ensure minimal delays in the certification process.
When your NGBS Green Verifier registers your project for certification, you will be prompted to have the appropriate signatory sign an agreement via DocuSign if one is not currently on file. Once signed, it will get uploaded to the AXIS account.
3. Pay the certification fee to Home Innovation.
The certification fee is paid to Home Innovation and is separate from / in addition to the fee for verification services that you pay directly to your selected NGBS Green Verifier. The certification fee must be paid before Home Innovation reviews the final verification report and issues the NGBS Green certificate.
Online payments are currently not possible. Certification payment must be made by check, credit card, or ACH; none of which are "real time" immediate processes. We recommend paying the invoice early so a missing payment or transaction delay does not subsequently delay certification.
4. Download the NGBS Green certificate.
Provided a complete agreement is on file and the certification fee is paid, Home Innovation will review the final verification report for the building within one week of receipt from the Verifier and determine if the building is compliant. The certificate for each project is automatically available to download from the project's AXIS page; you will always have access to the certificate and can print or share it as needed. A copy of the certificate is often needed to qualify for financing incentives, so be sure to keep track of your AXIS account information.
You will find additional information, resources, and marketing materials at Building Center. Get the most from your NGBS Green certification by using the NGBS Green logos and marketing materials. From your AXIS account, clients have easy access to all the NGBS Green materials, including a link to our approved certification plaque/decal vendor, on Builder Central.
There are also more NGBS Green resources available on the Home Innovation website.