Let Habitat Tackle Your Home Repairs

Whether you’ve lived in your home for 50 years or 12 months, partner with us to make sure your residence continues to be safe and well-maintained for years to come.
From painting and landscaping to roof repair, the Habitat Home Repair Program works with families based on income, need and a willingness to help with the work.
Habitat’s professional staff works along with volunteers to complete the required work. Habitat provides an affordable loan to keep costs manageable for tight budgets.
Visit us on Pinterest to see before and after photos of projects completed by the Home Repair team.

Home Repairs Qualifications

Habitat’s Home Repair program assists low to moderate income homeowners in the repairing of their homes.
All related and unrelated adults and minors who currently live in the home are required to appear on the application and meet selection criteria. Failure to provide this information will cause your application to be denied.
The following factors are used to determine eligibility for this program:
Income Guidelines – Income is counted for everyone who will be living in the home. Members of the household are defined as all who are living in your home, related or unrelated to you, including minors and adults.
  • Total gross annual household income (before taxes are taken out) must be greater than $15,000. This includes all sources of income including, but not limited to, employment, SSI, SSD, child support, Section 8 voucher, etc.
  • Income sources need to be reliable, stable and verifiable. If income includes self-employment, business income, bonuses, commission or unemployment (for seasonal work), there must be a two-year history showing this income.
  • All adults must provide the last two years state and federal tax returns along with W2s. If an adult did not fill out a tax return, please provide a written explanation.
  • There can be no pending legal matters.
  • Income must be under 80 percent of the country median income (see below).
Median annual income based on household size:
  • 1 Person: $66,300
  • 2 People: $75,750
  • 3 People: $85,200
  • 4 People: $94,650
  • 5 People: $102,250
  • 6 People: $109,800
  • 7 People: $117,400
  • 8 People: $124,950
*Income levels are set annually by US Department of Housing & Urban Development.
Debt
  • Total monthly debt payment (calculated based on current credit report and Habitat Home Repair loan) cannot exceed 43 percent of gross monthly income for the household. Student loans in deferment will be counted in the total monthly-debt payment.
  • No bankruptcy within the past three years.
  • Must be free from liens and open judgments in court.
  • Any bills in collection must be actively in repayment and able to be paid off within next six months.
There are some exceptions for medical collections.
Housing History
  • The property must be owned and occupied by the applicant(s).
  • The property cannot be an income property.
  • Property must be located in Dane County.
  • You must be current on property taxes, water bill, mortgage payments and homeowner’s insurance.
  • You must have no present intention to move or offer your home for sale for at least three years.
Residency
  • Members of the household must be citizens of the United States or hold permanent resident alien status.
  • Mortgage holders must have lived in and owned the home for the last 12 months. Preference will be given to applicants who have lived in and owned the home for five years or more.
Criminal Background – A criminal background check is completed on all adult family members who will reside in the home. A member can be considered to meet this criterion if at least two years have elapsed since the applicant or adult member of the applicant’s household was, convicted, placed on probation, parole or released from incarceration. Such offenses include, but are not limited to:
  • Disorderly conduct
  • Criminal activity involving destruction of property
  • Drug or drug-related conviction(s)
  • Any drug-related felony
  • Violent crimes including murder, child-abuse, sexual assault, battery, aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon.
  • Weapon conviction(s)
  • Theft conviction(s)
However, any applicant or adult member of the applicant’s household that is convicted of a sexual offense which must be reported under the Sexual Offender Reporting Requirement of Wis. Stat. Sec. 973.048, is ineligible for our program.
Ability to Pay, Willingness to Partner and Need – A down payment of $200 or 10 percent (whichever is greater) is required. Loan amounts will be based on scope of work. Applicants must be willing to partner with Habitat and have a need for repair(s).
Repairs are our specialty!
Thank you for your interest in Habitat Home Repairs! Below is a list of top home repair projects we can assist you with. If you have questions, please contact our team at 608.255.1549 or homerepair@habitatdane.org.
Contact Us to Apply
  • Accessibility Modifications
  • Accessible Ramps
  • Cabinets
  • Concrete
  • Deck Repair
  • Drywall
  • Electrical
  • Fences
  • Flooring
  • HVAC
  • Insulation
  • Landscaping
  • Painting
  • Porches
  • Plumbing
  • Roofing
  • Stairs and Landing
  • Windows

Learn More and Connect With Habitat

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County works to provide safe, decent and affordable housing to low-income families in our community. If you would like to get in touch with our team or learn more about our different programs, follow the links below.
FAQ