Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation

This program is available to Kent residents to assist them in making needed rehabilitation to their homes. The program focuses on rehabilitating homes by replacing old and outdated features, providing new roofs, windows, doors and other energy saving features, replacing heating systems, as well as updating electrical systems. The program cannot repair accessory buildings or assist with physical additions to a home or improvements outside the home. Funds cannot be used to purchase new appliances. The City can provide up to $85,000 of assistance in this program.

How to Qualify

The program is available to owner occupied homes in the City of Kent. Additionally, the owner must meet the following criteria:

Have resided in the home for at least one year
Meet the Household Income Requirements for Kent’s Housing Programs

More Information & Questions

For more information about this program, or if you have any questions, please contact the City’s Community Development Department at 330-678-8108 or send your name, address and email address via email to Bridget Susel, Director of Community Development.

Loan Program

This is a loan/grant program. A lien, secured by a note and a mortgage, for the total amount of the housing rehabilitation assistance provided, is placed against the home. Twenty percent (20%) of the loan is forgiven every year over a five-year period, which means that one hundred percent (100%) of the original loan will convert to a grant and will not have to be repaid by the homeowner(s), provided the homeowner(s) maintain the home as their primary residence for the full five (5) years. If the homeowner transfers title, sells the home, or fails to maintain the home as his or her primary residence for fewer than five (5) years, the amount that converts to a grant is converted at twenty percent (20%) per year, beginning from the original date of the mortgage and the balance that is not converted to a grant is due and payable at the time of sale or deed transfer.

Abatement of Lead Base Paint Hazards

Federal and State regulations governing the control and abatement of Lead Based Paint Hazards may require that the occupants of the home find temporary housing outside the home for a period of up to several weeks to allow the lead paint removal to be undertaken without endangering the occupants of a home.

In many cases, the need for this temporary housing may only be a few days or may not be needed at all. The need for temporary housing is determined on a case by case basis when the house is evaluated by inspectors. Homes constructed after 1978 do not have lead paint removal issues.

Funding

Persons interested in participating in the program should evaluate the impact of the additional debt on their home that will be created with the housing rehabilitation loan. These loans may impact the homeowner’s ability to obtain additional future financing (such as a home equity loan) where the future financing requires a loan subordination by the City or equity in the home.

In some cases, the new housing rehabilitation loan coupled with the existing home mortgage(s) could place the homeowner in a negative equity situation where the owner owes more on the home that what it is worth. The Community Development Department can help assist potential applicants in evaluating their situation.

Since the City relies on the availability of new funding and the repayment of previously made loans to provide money for new loans, the demand for the program may exceed the funding available. To deal with this, the City maintains a waiting list on a first come – first serve basis. To get placed on the waiting list, an interested applicant must complete a one page pre-application form and submit it to the City’s Community Development Department for review.