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Property owners who need some financial help with home repairs can now apply for forgivable loans through the City of Lawrence’s Homeowner Housing Rehabilitation Program.

The city announced on Wednesday that the program is open for applications. It helps low-income homeowners afford emergency heating and air conditioning repair, plumbing, roofing and electrical work, and it can also be used for rehabilitation projects such as energy efficiency improvements or weatherization. Emergency repairs are eligible for up to a $24,000 loan, and rehabilitation projects can get up to a $60,000 loan.

The city describes these loans as deferred, “no-interest, no-payment” loans. Basically, that means that you won’t have to make regular payments after the repair work is completed, but you will have to repay all or part of the loan if you move out of the home within a certain period of time. If you move out within less than a year, you will have to repay 100% of the loan, but if you stay for longer than that, the percentage you would have to repay decreases each year. If you stay in the home for five years or more for an emergency loan or seven years or more for a rehabilitation loan, you will not have to repay anything.

For emergency repairs, homeowners have to get bids from at least three contractors and include them in their application; they are not allowed to do the repairs themselves. For rehabilitation projects, city staff will visit the property to inspect it and discuss the scope of the project, and then the city will seek bids from contractors.

You’re eligible to apply if you have a household income of 80% or less of the area median income, if your home is within the city limits of Lawrence and you’ve occupied it for at least one year, and if your property taxes and mortgage payments are current. If you’ve received assistance in previous years, you may not be eligible, because the program limits lifetime assistance to $60,000 per applicant or home.

The city’s release said that in the past year, the program helped seven households with “repairs including furnace and AC replacement, roof replacement, tree trimming, bathroom rehabilitation, and foundation repairs.”

The program is funded by federal Community Development Block Grant money, and it is intended to help maintain the city’s current affordable housing stock. Preserving older homes is one of the things the city’s recent housing study has put particular emphasis on, as the Journal-World has reported.

To apply and find out more information about how the program works, including the income limits for different household sizes, visit lawrenceks.gov/pds/housing_programs. You can also call 785-832-3113 or email housinginitiatives@lawrenceks.gov if you have questions.