Morristown Launches Affordable Home Rehabilitation Program

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown has officially launched a new affordable Home Improvement Program (HIP) which will assist primary residency houses occupied by eligible low and moderate-income households.

The program, which was introduced to the community during the May, 23 town council meeting allows for eligible homeowners to apply for special funds which can be used for home improvement projects.

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According to Migdalia “Mickey” Guzman, the housing rehabilitation specialist at Community, Grants, Planning and Housing, a maximum of $24,000 per property is available to help those selected properties meet health and safety codes.

The money can be used on a variety of projects stemming from roof repairs, window replacements, plumbing repairs and other electrical services that may be required to bring your home up to current code.

According to officials at Community, Grants, Planning and Housing, there is no cost to apply for the program, and owners who keep their properties for a decade will not have to repay the loans.

However, if the homeowner were to sell their property before those ten years, they would have to repay the loan in its entire amount.

Here are the maximum income requirements for this program:

• One resident: $69,344
• Two residents: $79,251
• Three residents: $89,157
• Four residents: $99,063
• Five residents: $106,988
• Six residents: $114,913
• Seven residents: $122,838
• Eight residents: $130,763

The funds from the program are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, according to town officials.

At the May 23 council meeting, Councilman Robert Iannaccone raised concerns about the rental rehabilitation program, expressing slight confusion over the details.

“On the rent support, I have no issue with that at all, that was pretty clear and understandable. This one is somewhat more complicated, but the complicating factor for me, was actually how it works with landlords,” Iannaccone said. “My concern was, are you awarding landlords who did not improve their property for years?”

In response, Dan Levin, a senior planner at Community, Grants, Planning and Housing, stated that their company has discovered that landlords rarely take it up in rental rehabs. This is because the terms are not as favorable as landlords would like because the unit must have a ten-year deed restriction.

To submit an initial application for the grant program, click here.

On June 15, at 7 p.m., the town will hold a separate informational meeting about the program via Zoom. If you want to attend the Zoom meeting, please contact [email protected] for more information.