Apply to the Home Preservation Program

Step 1.Check your eligibility

• Borrowers/Participants must meet program income guidelines. When determining household income, all household members 18 years and older, who will reside in the property, must be included.
• Borrowers/Participants must provide documentation of their household income and assets along with other program requirements.
• Borrower/Participant must not have received assistance from the city of Clearwater in the past unless the assistance has been paid in full, a satisfaction of mortgage executed and recorded in public records or unless there is some form of hardship (divorce, permanent layoff, physical or mental disability, fire, flood or natural disaster or the death of a family member).
• Borrower/Participant must be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens.
• Priority will be given to special needs households, essential services personnel and, after those needs are met, households with income not to exceed 80% Area Median Income (AMI).
• Borrower/Participant may be eligible for a deferred loan (no payments required) until the homeowner no longer resides in the home.

Step 2.Check the property's eligibility

• The property must be your primary residence and homestead property.
• Single-family residences, condominiums, villas, and townhomes are eligible. Two- to four-family residences, rental properties, mobile homes, manufactured homes, and co-ops are not eligible.
• The property must not be subject to overdue mortgage payments, property taxes or judgments of any amount.
• A maximum of two mortgages is allowed.
• There may be no outstanding liens or judgments against the property or the homeowners.
• Property insurance (and flood insurance, if required) must be current and remain in effect for the entire loan term.
• The property must be located within city of Clearwater incorporated limits. You can use the Pinellas County Property Appraiser tool to see if the home you’d like to buy is within city of Clearwater limits. The tax code of CW, CWD or CWDO will appear if your property is eligible.

We are unable to offer assistance if:

• The property is a co-op, mobile home, or trailer.
• The property is outside of city of Clearwater limits (even if within Pinellas County with a Clearwater address).
• The property has outstanding property tax, lacks homeowners' insurance, or has past due mortgage payments.
• You do not own and occupy the property.
• There are any outstanding judgements against the homeowner.
• A maximum of two mortgages is allowed. Neither of those mortgages can be a reverse or balloon mortgage.

Check the Address 

Step 3.What repairs are eligible

Property owners can apply for a home rehabilitation loan to address certain code-related items, such as a leaking or failed roof system. Priority is given to the following repairs: 

• Roof replacement
• Plumbing repairs
• Air conditioner installation or repairs
• Electrical repairs

Eligible homeowners may also receive up to $15,000 in grant funds for ADA accessibility improvements.  

Funding is made available for owner-occupied rehabilitation assistance to serve persons with special needs as defined in section 420.004 Florida Statutes. These special needs funds must be to serve persons with developmental disabilities as defined in section 393.063, Florida Statutes, with an emphasis on home modifications, including technological enhancements and devices, which will allow homeowners to remain independent in their homes and maintain their homeownership. 

The Home Preservation Program may not be used to provide luxury items or any remodeling purely cosmetic in nature. Kitchen upgrades, swimming pools, hot tubs or decorative items will not be considered. All non-health or non-safety related remodeling requests will not be considered.  

Contact the Housing Division to discuss your specific need.  

Step 4.Complete the application 

The loan application portal is hosted by Neighborly. Neighborly is accessible via any internet-enabled device, however, works best on the Google Chrome browser. 

Go to Neighborly 

Step 5.Create an account 

When you access Neighborly for the first time, you'll need to create your account by clicking on the "Register" link. Choose a username, password, and email to receive notifications.  

For security purposes, you will need to validate your email. Neighborly will send you an email notification. Please follow the instructions in the email to validate your address. If you do not receive the email within two minutes, check your spam, bulk mail, or junk mail folder. If the email appears there, you can right-click on the email to mark it as "Not Junk" or "Not Spam" to ensure you receive all other Neighborly emails. 

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