Housing Rehabilitation Program
The primary goal of the Revolving Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program is to provide low-cost, affordable financial assistance to income-eligible homeowner-occupants to make needed repairs to their home and bring their property into compliance with applicable Town of Cheektowaga housing codes. Applicants are served in the order in which they apply, however, priority consideration is given to housing problems that pose an immediate, serious threat to the safety of the homeowner’s household.
The Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program provides 0% or 1.5% loans to low-to-moderate income homeowners to make needed housing repairs. You may apply for a loan if:
- You are an owner/occupant of a residential one to four family property in the Town of Cheektowaga, Village of Sloan or the Village of Depew (west of Transit Road);
- Your gross annual household income does not exceed federal income guidelines (see income-eligibility guidelines);
- Your property taxes are paid in full;
- You have equity in your property;
- You have owned your property for at least two (2) full years; and,
- You are up-to-date on your mortgage payments.
The types of work eligible for assistance through the program include:
- electrical repairs
- roofing and gutters
- replacement of heating systems
- plumbing repairs
- foundation repairs
- window replacement
- siding and exterior trim
- handicap accessibility modifications
- sanitary sewer repairs
- sump-pumps
- weatherization
- All loans are secured by a mortgage on the property. Depending on the loan amount, loans are paid back over a period of up to twenty years. In some cases, loan payments can be deferred until a later date.
- Work must be done by an insured contractor.
- Rehabilitation work is not guaranteed by the Town, but work being performed is inspected by a Community Development housing rehabilitation specialist.
- Minimum loan amounts are $750 for the Community Development Program and $1,000 for the HOME Program.
- Certain types of work are not eligible for funding, including installation of products, such as windows or doors that exceed neighborhood standards, new construction, additions, work already underway or presently under contract, and items such as swimming pools, washers and dryers and general remodeling work.
Program Procedures Outline
- After an initial inspection performed by the Community Development Housing Rehabilitation Specialist, a work write-up, which details the specific work items to be performed, is prepared.
- The Homeowner selects contractors to provide work estimates.
- Once proposals have been submitted, the Housing Rehab Specialist will review them with the homeowner. It is at this time that the homeowner should make sure they have a clear understanding of the work to be performed. The homeowner then selects the contractor(s) he wishes to perform the work.
- All loan agreements and homeowner/contractor agreements will be prepared by the Community Development Office. The homeowner should not sign a contract or proposal if requested to do so by a contractor. Also, contractors are not allowed to request a fee for providing the work estimate.
- The Contractor is required to begin work within 45 days of the signing of the work agreement by the homeowner and be completed within 90 days.
- The Rehabilitation Specialist conducts periodic inspections of the work being performed.
- Payment for work performed is made following inspection and approval of such work by the Rehabilitation Specialist and the homeowner.
- Upon final payment, the contractor will provide the homeowner with all applicable guarantees and product warranties.
Loan funds are available to homeowners without regard tolorance, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disabilities, familial status, disability or marital status.