Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program

The Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program offers rehabilitation assistance to responsible investors who agree to rent to income-eligible tenants. 

Loan Terms

• Property must be located in an NIDC Targeted Investment Neighborhood (TIN) and meet program standards when rehabilitation is complete.
• Generally, units must have at least 2 bedrooms to qualify.
• Property's debt compared to its value and its cash flow will be considered as part of our loan underwriting.
• Provided they meet other program requirements, landlords are eligible for forgivable loans of up to $14,999 per unit. The loans bear no interest rate, and after 5 years they are forgiven.
• The owner must provide at least one matching dollar for each Rental Rehab dollar received. For example, the owner of a duplex would be eligible for up to $29,998 through the Rental Rehab program as long as the landlord invests at least $29,998 of his or her own funds (bank loan, cash, etc). The landlord is required to spend his/her money first.

NIDC works with responsible investor-owners

• Applicants must have a Landlord Training certificate from the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS). Advance registration is required. Please call the Landlord Training Registration Line at (414) 286-2954 or email [email protected].
• We verify that landlords are current with property taxes on all owned properties in the City and that they have a good record with the DNS.

Program Priorities

• Exterior repairs such as roofing, siding, porch repairs
• Lead paint abatement including replacement windows
• Energy conservation
• Plumbing, electrical, heating
• Kitchen, bath, and other rehab projects are possible

The property must meet building code requirements upon completion of the rehab. In addition, the property must pass periodic re-inspections over a 5-year period.

Tenant Income Guidelines (06/15/2023) and Rent Controls (6/15/2023)

Landlords must provide annual re-certification of tenants’ income, and monthly rents.

Maximum allowable rents

Rents limits assume landlord pays water, sewer, trash and snow and ice removal.

(Note that rent limits are lower for 20% of units in a project of 5 or more units.)

Tenant income cannot exceed:

Technical Assistance

The standards for the Rental Rehab Program are high. Experienced rehabilitation specialists perform a thorough inspection of the property, identifying problem areas. The rehab specialist works with the owner to write a scope of work (a list of the work that needs to be done) and then helps the owner get bids from contractors. Once the work starts, the rehab specialist makes periodic inspections to make sure the work meets program requirements.

Page last updated on 6/15/23