Eligibility Requirements

If you’re tired of paying rent and dream of owning your own home, a Habitat Home may be the right fit for you. As a Habitat family, you’ll enjoy several benefits:

No down payment: Families are only required to cover closing costs.
Manageable mortgage payments: Your family will have enough funds to cover other living expenses and needs.
Educational training and workshops: These are designed to prepare you to become a successful homeowner.

Is a Habitat home right for you?

To be eligible for a Habitat Home, you must qualify with our mortgage lending partner and meet three key criteria:

Willingness to Become a Habitat Ambassador

Each family approved for Habitat HMD’s Affordable Housing Program becomes a partner in our mission. Habitat families are our greatest ambassadors and are asked to support various initiatives that advance our cause, such as sharing their experiences at community events.

Selected families are required to fulfill the following partnership requirements:

Contribute 500 volunteer hours.
Commit to our partnership contracts and shared equity mortgage model.
Attend homeowner education training and workshops.
Participate in housing impact surveys.

Demonstrate a Need for Affordable Housing

Primary applicants must be Canadian citizens, landed immigrants, or permanent residents of Canada. The demand for affordable housing is high, and we prioritize families who need assistance due to the following reasons:

High housing costs: Basic shelter costs exceed 30% of total family income.
Unsafe or unhealthy living conditions: Issues such as overcrowding, inadequate structure, unsafe wiring, poor heating or air quality, water quality, poor sanitation, etc.

Priority will be given to families with children under the age of 16. Habitat’s housing program is best suited for families with children, as we focus our investment on breaking the cycle of poverty and creating the best generational impact. However, we welcome families of all sizes and types.

Ability to Cover Monthly Housing Costs

We aim to set our families up for success. Applicants must demonstrate their ability to pay monthly mortgage payments, insurance, utility, and condo fees, and manage their finances responsibly.

Our affordable housing program has evolved over the years to reflect market conditions. For our available homes, families must acknowledge that they will pay interest (to Habitat’s financial partner) on the first charge mortgage, while Habitat holds a secondary mortgage that is interest-free.

Gross Household Income must be sufficient to cover the cost of homeownership for the specific project. Income requirements vary based on project type, unit size, additional costs (such as condo fees), and location.

Under Habitat’s current guidelines, social assistance alone is not sufficient to afford a home as the primary or sole source of income. Employment income is required to ensure affordability and success in homeownership.

Applicants must also be able to manage debt responsibly and must not have declared bankruptcy within the last three years. Consumer proposals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information about our Affordable Housing Program, please watch our videos and refer to our FAQs.