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H.439 1
Introduced by Representative Logan of Burlington 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Conservation and development; community development; housing; 5
home repair 6
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the 7
Whole Home Repairs Program within the Department of Housing and 8
Community Development in order to provide funding to address habitability 9
concerns, to improve energy or water efficiency, or to make a dwelling 10
accessible for individuals with disabilities. 11
An act relating to the creation of the Whole Home Repairs Program 12
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 13
Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 700 is added to read: 14
§ 700. VERMONT WHOLE HOME REPAIRS PROGRAM 15
(a) Creation of Program. 16
(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall 17
design and implement the Vermont Whole Home Repairs Program, through 18
which the Department shall award funding to statewide or regional nonprofit 19
housing organizations, or both, to provide competitive grants and forgivable 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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loans to homeowners and private landlords to address habitability concerns 1
within a residential dwelling unit, including energy or water efficiency or to 2
make the dwelling accessible for individuals with disabilities. 3
(2) The Department shall develop statewide standards for the Program, 4
including factors that partner organizations shall use to evaluate applications 5
and award grants and forgivable loans. 6
(3) A landlord shall not offer a unit created through the Program as a 7
short-term rental, as defined in 18 V.S.A. § 4301, for the period a grant or loan 8
agreement is in effect. 9
(4) The Department may utilize a reasonable percentage, up to a cap of 10
five percent, of appropriations made to the Department for the Program to 11
administer the Program. 12
(5) The Department may cooperate with and subgrant funds to State 13
agencies and governmental subdivisions and public and private organizations 14
in order to carry out the purposes of this subsection. 15
(b) Administration. 16
(1) The Department shall require a housing organization that receives 17
funding under the Program to adopt: 18
(A) a standard application form that describes the application process 19
and includes instructions and examples to help landlords apply; 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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(B) an award process that ensures equitable selection of landlords, 1
subject to a housing organization’s exercise of discretion based on the factors 2
adopted by the Department pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; 3
(C) a grant and loan management system that ensures accountability 4
for funds awarded and provides effective outcome reporting for Program 5
evaluation; 6
(D) technical assistance and case management services for 7
homeowners, renters, and landlords, including the ability to coordinate across 8
existing home repair programs; and 9
(E) a referral program, where appropriate, to an organization 10
providing legal services to individuals with low-income; a designated or 11
specialized service agency; or a medical or social service provider serving 12
individuals with low-income. 13
(2) Housing organizations that receive funding under this Program shall 14
partner with employers and organizations that administer workforce 15
development programs that will connect trainees to jobs through committed 16
employer partnerships related to improving the habitability and performance of 17
homes that may include: 18
(A) cash stipends for trainees; and 19
(B) costs related to the design and implementation of pre-20
apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training programs. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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(c) Program requirements applicable to grants and loans. 1
(1)(A) A grant or loan shall not exceed $50,000.00 per unit for 2
addressing habitability concerns, to improve energy or water efficiency, or to 3
make the dwelling accessible for individuals with disabilities. 4
(B) As used in this section, “habitability concerns” means home 5
repairs that are required to ensure a residential dwelling unit is: 6
(i) fit for human habitation; 7
(ii) free from defective conditions or health and safety hazards, 8
including asbestos, mold, pests, or lead; or 9
(iii) free from conditions preventing installation of measurers to 10
improve energy or water efficiency and lower utility costs. 11
(2) If the unit is occupied, the grant or forgivable loan agreement shall 12
include terms: 13
(A) that prohibit permanent, involuntary displacement of the current 14
residents; 15
(B) that provide for the temporary relocation of the current residents 16
if necessary to perform the rehabilitation; and 17
(C) that ensure that the landlord complies with the affordability 18
requirements of the Program following the rehabilitation. 19
(3) In determining the amount of a grant or loan, a housing organization 20
shall consider the number of bedrooms in the unit, whether the unit is being 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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rehabilitated or newly created, whether the project includes accessibility 1
improvements, and whether the unit is being converted from nonresidential to 2
residential purposes. 3
(4) A landlord shall contribute matching funds or in-kind services that 4
equal or exceed 20 percent of the value of the grant or loan. 5
(5) A project may include a weatherization component. 6
(6) A project shall comply with applicable building, housing, and health 7
laws. 8
(7) The terms and conditions of a grant or loan agreement apply to the 9
original recipient and to a successor in interest for the period the grant or loan 10
agreement is in effect. 11
(8) The identity of a recipient, the amount of a grant or forgivable loan, 12
the year in which the grant or forgivable loan was extended, and the year in 13
which any affordability covenant ends are public records that shall be available 14
for public copying and inspection and the Department shall publish this 15
information at least quarterly on its website. 16
(9) A project for rehabilitation or creation of an accessible unit may 17
apply funds to the creation of a parking spot for individuals with disabilities. 18
(d) Funding awards. 19
(1) A homeowner whose household income does not exceed 80 percent 20
of the area median income shall be eligible for a grant. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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(2)(A) A landlord shall be eligible for a forgivable loan if the following 1
conditions have been met: 2
(i) The landlord offers to extend a current residential rental 3
agreement to the resident occupying the unit for a period of up to three years. 4
(ii) Annual increases in monthly rent have not exceeded three 5
percent of the base rent or the unit has been occupied by a tenant receiving any 6
housing voucher or similar federal or State subsidy for a period of not less than 7
10 years. 8
(iii) The landlord has not committed a serious violation with 9
regards to the landlord’s rental property for which the landlord has taken no 10
substantial steps to correct the serious violation within six months following 11
notification of the serious violation and for which no fines or other penalties or 12
a judgement to correct were imposed by a judge or municipal housing 13
authority, nor a judgement at law or in equity was imposed within the past 10 14
years. 15
(iv) The landlord has maintained ownership of the unit for a 16
period of not less than 10 years. 17
(B) As used in this subsection (d) a “serious violation” means a 18
violation of State law or municipal ordinance that poses an imminent threat to 19
the health and safety of a dwelling occupant, occupants in surrounding 20
structures, or the public. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.439
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(3) A homeowner or landlord who does not meet the requirements of 1
subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection shall be eligible for a loan subject to 2
the requirements of this section. 3
(e) Lien priority. A lien for a grant converted to a loan or for a forgivable 4
loan issued pursuant to this section is subordinate to: 5
(1) a lien on the property in existence at the time the lien for 6
rehabilitation and weatherization of the rental housing unit is filed in the land 7
records; and 8
(2) a first mortgage on the property that is refinanced and recorded after 9
the lien for rehabilitation and weatherization of the rental housing unit is filed 10
in the land records. 11
Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION 12
The sum of $15,000,000.00 is appropriated from the General Fund to the 13
Department of Housing and Community Development in fiscal year 2026 for 14
the purposes of funding the Whole Home Repairs Program established in 10 15
V.S.A. § 700, $5,000,000.00 of which shall be used for technical assistance 16
and workforce development. 17
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 18
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 19