Registration Policy

.Homes domain names are available to registrants that provide products, services or information that benefit the residential real estate industry. To register, renew, or accept the transfer of a .HOMES domain name, you must be an individual or a legal entity with a bona-fide nexus to the .HOMES sector. This connection means that You as the registrant of the domain name must be able to reasonably demonstrate a link or an interest to the Relevant Sector at the time of registration and throughout the duration of the .HOMES domain name registration.

A registrant who belongs to one of these categories and meets the verification requirements is eligible to purchase a .Homes domain name:

• Residential Real Estate Agent
• Residential Real Estate Broker
• Multiple Listing Service
• Real Estate Association
• Residential Home Builder
• Residential Property Management
• Residential Real Estate Property Appraiser
• Residential Real Estate Property Inspector
• Residential Mortgage Provider
• Residential Mortgage Broker
• Residential Property Insurance Provider
• Residential Property Listings Service

All registrants will go through a verification process before a domain name is registered. Prior to a successful verification, the domain name will be held in a pending status and not function on the internet. Registrants will be contacted directly to provide any necessary documentation to confirm their eligibility. Failure to provide such information within ten (ten) days will result in deletion of the domain name.

Naming Requirements: Until further notice, the name must reflect Your company name or trademark/brand, or derivative thereof, related to the Relevant Sector. Names primarily representing a geographic or place name (e.g., Cincinnati, Arizona, VA, Philly, tristate) will be allocated via a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Full registration and eligibility requirements, verification procedures and use criteria information can be found in the .homes Registration Policy.

Some domain names may be permanently or temporarily reserved or restricted for registry operations, as premium domain names or to comply with ICANN requirements.

To comply with ICANN requirements, all two-character domains shall be initially reserved, however may be released in the future. In addition reserved names for a) International Olympic Committee, b) International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and c) Intergovernmental Organizations, for new gTLDs., are not available in accordance with ICANN. The list of these names can be found here.

Eligibility Requirements Overview

The full Eligibility Requirements should be viewed in the .REIT Registry Policies

Only Qualified REITs are eligible to apply for a domain name in .REIT. Consistent with the Commentary on the OECD Model Tax Convention, a REIT is a real estate business exhibiting the following characteristics: (1) ownership must be widely held; (2) a majority of assets and income are real estate related; (3) a majority of income is distributed annually to shareholders (pursuant to applicable law; regulatory or stock exchange requirements or customs; or in order that its distributions be deductible from entity-level income tax); and (4) there is only one level of tax on income distributed by the REIT.

Whether an entity applying for a second-level domain is a qualifying REIT will be determined by: (1) whether a Qualifying REIT regime is in place in the jurisdiction in which the Applicant/Registrant is subject to laws concerning REITs; and (2) whether the Registrant is duly organized and operating as a REIT under the jurisdiction’s laws.

For U.S. REITs, the following criteria must be met: (1) it must be domiciled in the United States and chartered in one state of the United States or the District of Columbia and in good standing in that jurisdiction; (2) it must be a U.S. taxpayer, and identified as either an equity or mortgage REIT in Item G of its most recent U.S. income tax return on Form 1120 REIT; and (3) it must be operating as a REIT.

For Ex-U.S. REITs, the following criteria must be met: (1) it must be domiciled in a foreign country recognized by NAREIT to have enacted or otherwise ratified laws and/or regulations authorizing REITs and recognized and lawfully operating as a REIT in accordance with the REIT laws of its home country and operating lawfully as a REIT; and (2) it must be operating as a REIT.

For specific information about this, please refer to Appendix 1, page 15 in the .REIT Registry Policies. Applicants will be required to provide certain information to the Registry Operator to verify eligibility. Examples of the type of information that may be required can also be found in Appendix 1.

Naming Policies Overview

The full naming policies should be viewed in the .REIT Registry Policies

Applicants may register and operate only one (1) domain name, provided that Applicants/Registrants that own, manage or control multiple REITs may register a domain name on behalf of each of its REITs, or each of those REITs may itself be a Registrant.

Applicants may only register a domain name: (1) that corresponds to its legal trade name(s), or (2) is the name by which it is commonly known, which may include acronyms, registered and common law trademarks, and exchange ticker symbols. Registration of domain names using generic or descriptive terms relating to REITs is prohibited

The Registry Operator’s Determination and Verification Team (“DVT”) reviews all applications to register or renew second-level .REIT domains and ongoing compliance during the term of the registration.

Registrants are required to establish general use of the registered domain name within one (1) year from date of registration. Within three (3) months of registration, the domain must at least be used to forward users to an existing domain owned by the Registrant and that is operated consistent with the purposes of the .REIT registry as set forth in Section 1. Failure to effect use of the registered domain in this manner within three (3) months may result in cancellation of the domain in the sole discretion of Registry Operator.

For additional information, you may also visit the Registry’s website at http://nic.reit/.

If found that an applicant does not meet the eligibility or naming requirements the registration fees are non-refundable. If found upon the renewal that the registrant no longer meets the eligibility or naming requirements the renewal fees are also non-refundable.

Some domain names may be permanently or temporarily reserved or restricted for registry operations, as premium domain names or to comply with ICANN requirements.

To comply with ICANN requirements, all two-character domains shall be initially reserved, however may be released in the future. In addition reserved names for a) International Olympic Committee, b) International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and c) Intergovernmental Organizations, for new gTLDs., are not available in accordance with ICANN. The list of these names can be found here.