TexasCHLforum.com

Between living in our home in Canada (10 years) and moving into our newly purchased home in Texas (Aug, 2010), we lived in a Marriot Inn in The Woodlands for two months. The CHL website will not allow me to put the hotel address in because it keeps rejecting the Zip Code as being non-residential. Should I not include that two months in the hotel? Or do they only care about permanent residences? I'm pretty sure that if I leave a two month gap that I will get rejected. Any ideas or tips? Thanks in advance all.

I would omit it. If it becomes an issue they will let you know.

When did you close escrow on the new home? When did you leave Canada with the intent not to return to that residence?

A residence is where you have your permanent home or principal establishment and to where, whenever you are absent, you intend to return. The circumstances can make that determination very complicated, and a lot depends on who is trying to establish the residence and why. As long as it is you determining the residence, it is easy, where you intend to permanently remain at a given time. You can have only one residence at a time, even though you might own several residences. One of them is where you intend to return, etc.

So, for example, you had your residence in Canada. At some point you left, came to The Woodlands, intending to buy a home and establish you permanent home. If you own the property but were living elsewhere while repairs/remodeling was completed, you were resident at your home, because that is where you intended to return. Until then, if the deal hadn't worked out, you were resident in Canada, even though you were away at the Woodlands, because you intended to return there under some circumstances, if that is true.

It is possible to reside at a hotel. President Hoover lived at the Waldorf for a time after leaving the Presidency. I recall reading that President Truman found him living there in the late 40's and went to see him.

Thanks everyone. I forgot what we had to do when we were applying for Permanent Residency (we ran into the same issue). Used the In-laws address in Canada for two months because that's actually where my wife was technically living. I for the most part was staying in the hotel for work purposes. All fixed; we got it submitted. Thanks again.