Home Repair Program

UEZ

Overview

The City of Long Branch offers home repair services to qualifying homeowners of buildings with up to four residential units. A qualified owner can receive an average of up to $20,000 in repairs to correct code violations. No cosmetic repairs will be done. Among the items which are commonly repaired by this program are the roof, the electrical system (both repairs and upgrades to current code), the plumbing and heating systems, sewer systems and repairs to windows and doors. There is a minimum requirement of $8,000 worth of repairs to participate in the program.

Qualification for this program is based on the income of each residential household in the building. All sources of income must be included, whether taxable or not. This includes all forms of welfare payments, AFDC, food stamps, Social Security, pensions, salaries, child-support, interest income, and dividends as well as any other source of income for all residents of the household 18 years of age and older.

There are only a few regulations

  1. The household may not exceed the income limits of the program.
  2. Property taxes and sewer bills must be current at the time of the application and all throughout the construction process.
  3. The City reserves the right to verify this information at any time during the course of the project.
  4. There must be no danger or mortgage foreclosure.

The program is first-come, first-served. Only complete applications will be processed. A complete application includes all requested documents and all required verifications.

The construction phase of the project is administered by the City of Long Branch Office of Community and Economic Development. We will send a qualified cost estimator to your home to determine the scope of work and the cost of repairs to your home. We will then send bid specifications to qualified contractors, monitor all phases of construction and pay the contractor when the work has been satisfactorily completed. There is no reimbursement for work performed prior to the start of the project.

Depending on the project, the amount received will be either a grant or a deferred-payment loan. A lien will be placed on your property for the cost of the repairs. In the case of a grant, the lien will be released after a specified period of time (usually six to ten years, but this may vary depending on individual project requirements). In the case of a deferred-payment loan, the lien will remain in place until title to the property is transferred for any reason. There are no monthly payments and no interest. Upon transfer of title, the entire cost of repairs will be due and payable before the lien will be released. Release of liens requires a resolution by the City Council. This process can take up to six weeks. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you are planning to refinance your first mortgage, please be advised that this six-week process may delay the closing of your loan.

The City of Long Branch will not subordinate this loan for any reason. Regarding extenuating circumstances, a special request for mortgage subordination may be granted upon the review of the case and the recommendation to subordinate by the City Attorney to the City Council. A resolution must then be approved by the City Council in support of the subordination. This process can take up to six weeks, should the Council approve subordination.

Download PDF Versions of Home Repair Applications

For multi-family buildings, you will need one copy of the Owner's Portion and one Tenant Portion for each household in the building.

You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read these files. You may print these applications and return them to the Office of Community and Economic Development, 344 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740.

Information for Contractors

If you are a qualified home repair contractor, and your business is registered in the State of New Jersey (you will be required to present proof of this), you may apply to participate in our programs as a contractor. Please download the application below, complete it and return the original to our office along with required documentation. We cannot accept applications by fax or by email. We reserve the right to check your references at any time, and to verify all information provided by you.

Contractor Application (PDF) - You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read this file. You may print this application and return it to the Office of Community and Economic Development, 344 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740.