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Critical Home Repair

Habitat Charlotte Region’s Critical Home Repair program provides comprehensive repairs designed to address issues where an income-qualified homeowner’s health and safety might be at risk. Extending the functional life of the home allows the owners, often seniors living on fixed incomes, to age in place in the safety and security of their own home, while also preserving more of our community’s affordable housing units.

Types of Repairs
Program Partnership Details
Who is Eligible?
Repair FAQs

about the program

The Critical Home Repair program operates via an open/close application cycle. If your home is in one of our approved ZIP codes during an open cycle, you may be invited to apply to the repair program.

If you are interested in being notified when applications become available in your area, please fill out the form below with your contact information or call our Critical Home Repair hotline to speak with someone about being added to the list.

If you have questions or concerns, please email CHRapplications@habitatcltregion.org or call the CHR Hotline at 704.716.5639.

Inquiry Form

What Repairs Are Covered?

Critical Home Repair addresses repairs where the owner’s health and safety may be at risk, with the goal of allowing homeowners to age safely in their homes without fear of displacement. For each project, a home assessment is completed to identify critical repairs needed. Here are some items that Critical Home Repair does and does not address.

repairs we do:

unsafe structures (roofing, flooring, etc.)
lack of heating and cooling
electrical or plumbing hazards
accessibility needs (limited to ramps, railings, walk-in showers, etc.)

repairs we don’t do:

painting and other visual updates
replacing carpeting or flooring (unless part of structural repairs)
window replacement (unless rotted or containing lead)
bathroom or kitchen remodels (unless for accessibility, structural, or plumbing repairs
emergency repairs

If you aren’t sure if your home’s needed repairs would fall into this list, please reach out to the CHR Hotline at 704.716.5639.

Eligibility & Program Process

In order to qualify for the Critical Home Repair program, certain criteria must be met by the applicants and the home itself. These criteria include, but are not limited to:

The property must be located in our service area (Charlotte, Pineville, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Iredell County).
Single-family detached home or manufactured mobile home affixed to a permanent location.
Must have owned the property for 5 years & must be owner-occupied.
Cannot be in danger of foreclosure by way of mortgage delinquencies, property liens or have property taxes more than 1 year delinquent.
Cannot own any additional residential property.
AMI eligibility criteria will be based off of the current needs of the Critical Home Repair pipeline and will be set before each application cycle.

Upcoming applications will be reviewed from households earning 40% or below the HUD Area Median Income. Proof of income for the entire household will be required to determine income eligibility.

full program requirements

program partnership

Approved families for the Critical Home Repair program must also agree to the following conditions to participate in the program:

Willingness to Partner

Partner families must be willing to actively participate in the partnership with Habitat Charlotte Region, including but not limited to:

Providing accurate and honest information and documentation
Open and timely communication
Providing a Safe and Accessible work environment for Habitat staff, subcontractors and volunteers
Engaging in educational and community building volunteer opportunities

Commitment to Affordability

Habitat Charlotte Region’s mission is to help to preserve the affordable housing in the Charlotte Region through the completion of extensive repairs on owner-occupied homes. In partnership, Habitat will ask to commit to certain restrictions on the use and sale of your home for up to a 5-year period.

Frequently Asked Questions

The typical time from submitting an application to completion of repairs is typically one year.

Critical Home Repairs are completed at no financial cost to the homeowner. Your repayment to Habitat Charlotte Region comes in the form of volunteer hours and a five-year deed restriction on your home. A deed restriction does NOT allow Habitat Charlotte Region to take your home away; it just ensures your home stays affordable for the foreseeable future, even if you should decide to sell it later.

Critical Home Repair homeowners may need to complete community service hours, but all of those hours do not have to be completed with Habitat Charlotte Region. CHR homeowners are not required to work on their own home and accommodations can be made for those who are unable to participate in community service.

Yes, you can! To refer someone, please fill out the Critical Home Repair application request form when it is available, and we’ll reach out to them. The form includes a space for your contact information should we need to contact you with any additional questions.