We offer loans to help homeowners with home repair costs.
Before you get started
We offer loans through our HomeWorks Home Equity Loan Program. The loans are interest-free and cover many repairs inside and outside of your home.
The amount differs depending on what type of home you have. We'll give you up to:
- $10,000 for condominiums owners
- $20,000 for one- to four-family homes, and
- $30,000 for triple deckers.
We can help you through the whole process, including:
- collecting and reviewing bids from contractors
- checking on work quality, and
- getting a final inspection once everything is complete.
Get your info together
You'll need to get estimates from at least two licensed and insured contractors. We base your loan on the estimated cost of the project. You'll be able to apply once you have two contractor estimates.
Also available in Spanish (Español), Portuguese (Português), Chinese (中文), French (Français), Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu Kabuverdianu), Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen), Somali (Soomaali), Russian (русский), Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt), and Arabic (عربى).
Finish the project and pay your loans
We’ll send out a specialist to meet you and review your project before we approve the loan. If your home has any health or safety repair issues, we'll put you at the top of our list.
We'll give you a commitment letter and schedule a loan closing, if we approve your loan. Once you have closed on the loan, you can sign an agreement with your contractor and they can get a building permit.
You’ll need to give us a final invoice from your contractor and a copy of your building permit. We’ll set up a final walkthrough to make sure all the work was done.
You have to pay us back based on the terms of the loan.
Repairs you can and can't do
You can use loans for repairs to the inside or outside of your home, like changing a bathroom or fixing a porch.
You can’t use the loan for luxury repairs, like adding a Jacuzzi or granite counter tops.
Learn more about what you can and can’t use the loan for in our program fact sheet (available in English, Español, Português, 中文, Français, Kriolu Kabuverdianu, Kreyòl ayisyen, Soomaali, русский, Tiếng Việt, or عربى).
We also offer loans and grants to help homeowners get rid of lead paint. For questions about our lead abatement program, call 617-635-4663.
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Need to Know:WHO IS ELIGIBLE?You need to meet some requirements to qualify for a home repair loan:
- You need to own and live in a one- to four-family home or condo in Boston.
- Your household income needs to be at or below 135 percent of the Area Median Income.
- You need to use at least one-third of the loan for repairs on the outside of your home.
- If your income is above 120 percent of the Area Median Income, you must provide a dollar for dollar match of the loan amount.
- Some condo associations may qualify for help with special assessments or common area repairs.
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43 hawkins street
boston, MA 02114
