Rental Repair Assistance

Repairs and/or modifications that are needed to make the housing safe, sanitary, or habitable are eligible for assistance. Community Development staff will inspect the unit to determine if requested repair is eligible. 

Eligible Repairs:

• Repairs necessary to protect the health and safety of the household include repair and/or replacement of failed plumbing fixtures, clogged/broken sewer lines, damaged or exposed electrical wiring, switches, outlets, leaking roofs, etc.
• Repairs and/or modifications may be made to a structure as necessary to allow accessibility to accommodate a disability when other means are not available to allow accessibility, i.e. building a wheelchair ramp, widening doorways to rooms that must be accessible for living, etc.

When a repair is covered by an insurance policy and only a portion of the cost to repair is covered, the owner must sign over insurance claim payment(s) to the City of Denton before work may begin. Owner insurance funds will be deposited into an escrow account and will be expended first when contractor payments are approved. If owner has already spent insurance funds on repairs, owner must provide proof of payment and detailed documentation of work completed before a decision can be made if the repair is eligible for funding.

Ineligible repairs:

• Only cosmetic Items.
• Perils covered by insurance claims.

Additionally, unsafe and substandard structures that cannot be made safe for habitation with the maximum allowed or less will not be eligible for assistance. The owner will receive a letter notifying of the hazards and why assistance is being denied. Under such circumstances, Community Development Division will recommend a household seek safe housing as soon as possible.

Homes built before 1978 are subject to Lead-Based Paint rules and regulations.

Up to $24,500 per application may be available for approved, eligible repairs. Repair(s) costing more than $24,500 are not eligible.

Once the approved repairs are completed and the contractor(s) receives payment, no additional repairs can be requested or approved.

Assistance does not need to be paid back. It is a forgivable loan, and a lien will be placed on the property which will expire at the end of the affordability period if all requirements are met.

Applications can be completed online via Neighborly. Submit required documentation.

1. Staff schedules in-person interview with property owner at the City of Denton Community Development office at 401 N. Elm St., Denton, TX 76201.
2. Applicant notified of eligibility or denial.
3. Staff will schedule an inspection of the rental property.

Staff will work with the rental property owner to finalize the list of repairs.

If the rental property owner, property, and repair(s) are eligible:

• The Texas Historical Commission may have to be notified for any property 45 years or older.
• Work write-up plans will be completed.
• If painted services will be affected in a house built before 1978, the area will be tested for lead-based paint. A lead-based paint inspection and/or risk assessment shall be conducted by a licensed risk assessor. If your house is found to have lead-based paint hazards, hazard reduction techniques will be utilized.
• Rental property owner will review and approve work write-up and/or plans.
• Project is sent out to bid to contractors. Eligible bids are approved by the City.
• Repair work begins.
• Repair work is completed.
• Rental property owner completed walk-through of the rental property with City staff.
• Upon final inspection approval, the contractor will submit an invoice. The payment request will be processed upon project approval, and the contractor can expect payment within 15 working days from the date the invoice was approved.

The City of Denton Rental Repair Program must follow specific guidelines required by the funding source to assure proper administration and management. If an applicant feels that their circumstances require special consideration, a request for waiver from the usual requirements may be submitted to Community Development. All waiver requests must be submitted in writing and should specify the program requirement(s) to be considered for waiver and state the applicant’s reason(s) or special circumstances why they believe a waiver should be approved. The Community Development Manager will review requests on a case-by-case basis.

The contractor’s work will be monitored by the applicant, City of Denton Community Development staff, and the City of Denton building code inspector. In the event a dispute exists between the applicant and the contractor with respect to the work, the City shall take appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of the construction contract to assure that the applicant is satisfied before making any payment to the contractor. In the event any dispute cannot be resolved, Community Development staff shall consider all pertinent facts and shall decide an appropriate course of action to resolve the dispute.

Credit is not considered when reviewing applications for the program.

Yes. The assistance is provided as a forgivable loan over five (5) years and a lien will be placed on the property.