The Houston Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) has released a new tip sheet for homeowners making repairs to their Hurricane Harvey-damaged homes. Later this year, the City of Houston will launch a Homeowner Reimbursement Program to reimburse homeowners for eligible repair expenses. This program will not be subject to income limits.
Homeowners are advised to save all receipts, signed contracts for any work completed on their homes, take before and after pictures, build to code, and familiarize themselves with the kinds of expenses that are eligible for reimbursement.
Earlier this year, HCDD convened 18 public meetings and conducted an online survey about Houstonians' priorities for housing recovery. More than 800 people attended an in-person meeting, and an additional 700+ participated in the online survey. See a summary of public comments received so far
[here]. You may view the City Hurricane Harvey Action Plan
[here].
Reimbursement is only for expenses associated with repairing storm
damage from Hurricane Harvey for homes within the City of Houston
All costs must be reasonable, which means appropriate and
typical for modest housing in Houston. Luxury items like marble
countertops, jacuzzis, pools, or high-end appliances are not eligible
for reimbursement.
"Soft costs" like architectural, engineering, planning, and permit
approval services are reimbursable, as long as there is a receipt or
invoice.
If homeowners conduct their own repairs ("sweat equity"), those
labor costs are not eligible for reimbursement.
The City will review all repairs for cost reasonableness and eligibility,
and will perform inspections to verify work. Homeowners may be
asked to provide invoices and photographs to document evidence of
the repairs.
An official City site inspection and Certificate of Compliance are
required before expenses can be reimbursed to the homeowner.
Participants in the Reimbursement Program who reside in the
floodplain are required to maintain flood insurance. Failure to
maintain flood insurance in a floodplain may result in being denied
future federal assistance.
The Reimbursement Program is one of five Homeowner Assistance
Programs that will be available starting this fall.
