Housing Matters: Making Critical Home Rehabilitation More Affordable

Keeping your home in good repair protects one of your most important investments and strengthens the quality of life for you, your family and your community. It helps ensure your safety and comfort, extends the lifespan of your home and prevents larger, costlier repairs in the future.

When housing is affordable, homeowners can set aside more income for essential upkeep and improvements. And when homes are well maintained, they contribute to safe, vibrant neighborhoods.

For households with limited or low income who may have difficulty affording critical repairs or necessary modifications, Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation can help. 

Home Rehabilitation Assistance 

The department’s Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program provides grants and affordable loans for home rehabilitation to address health and safety hazards, allow a household member with physical disabilities to continue living in the home or correct certain code violations.

Assistance is provided in the form of a grant up to $30,000. If the home rehabilitation exceeds this amount, the homeowner enters into a signed agreement with the City for an unsecured, forgivable five-year loan. 

Eligible activities include: 

• Replacement of air conditioning equipment 
• Replacement of heating equipment (does not include service calls/routine maintenance, such as cleaning furnaces or lighting pilot lights) 
• Replacement of an inoperative or defective water heater 
• Replacement of septic system that has exceeded its lifespan 
• Replacement of roof/ceiling assembly where there is an existing or imminent health and/or safety hazard (evaluated on a case-by-case basis) 
• Accessibility and usability modifications and improvements, such as wheelchair ramps and roll-in showers (evaluated on a case-by-case basis)  
• Replacement of siding, trim, gutters, exterior doors and windows to correct code violations as cited by Code Enforcement

Similar assistance is also available for owners of manufactured (mobile) homes in Virginia Beach. 

Eligibility Requirements 

Assistance is provided based on the availability of funding to applicants who meet income and other eligibility requirements, which include: 

• Household’s total gross (pre-tax) annual income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) at the time of application. Current maximum income limits by household size, as of June 1, 2026, are as follows: 
  • 1 Person = $60,350
  • 2 People = $68,950
  • 3 People = $77,550
  • 4 People = $86,150
  • 5 People = $93,050
  • 6 People = $99,950
  • 7 People = $106,850
  • 8 People = $113,750
• Applicant must own and live in their home in Virginia Beach
• Applicant cannot own any other real estate

See if You Qualify 

For program details and a full list of eligibility requirements, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/HomeRehab.  

To find out if you may be eligible, contact the Housing Development division at 757-385-5834 or HomeRehab@vbgov.com to request a brief screening. 

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