To be eligible for Seed Funding, your proposed housing project must be affordable

You intend to produce a rental housing project in which most of the units will have rents within CMHC’s Affordability Criteria. (CMHC can provide you with the Affordability Criteria in the community where you intend to produce housing that meet this guideline.)

OR

You intend to produce a homeowner project in which the units will be modest and the purchase prices will be below the market for units of a similar type, size and number of bedrooms in the subject housing market.

• The occupant is 65 years of age or over and has difficulty with daily living activities due to loss of ability brought on by aging.
• The total household income is at or below the program income limit for the area.
• The home is a permanent residence.

• A resident is someone who has lived on Bowen for a least one year.
• A permanent employee is an individual who has been employed full-time by a local business for more than one year.
• A retiree is an individual who is no longer employed, but who was a resident on Bowen for five of the six years immediately preceding the date the individual ceased working.

An applicant must be over 19 years of age.

An applicant must be a Canadian citizen.

An individual must not have owned property anywhere in the world for at least five years prior to the time of application on the waitlist. for a Resident Unit and until such person completes the purchase of a Resident Unit.

The applicant will be required to obtain a mortgage pre-approval through a financial institution or a mortgage broker. The local First Credit Union is offering services to help with this requirement.

Applicants on the waitlist are required to advise the Housing corporation of any material changes that would affect their mortgage pre-qualification.

The Housing Corporation has the right to disqualify an applicant if the applicant’s qualification information cannot be verified, is incomplete, or inaccurate at any time in the waitlist process.

The Housing Corporation Board of Directors may approve the addition to the waitlist of an applicant who does not meet all qualification criteria if a clear majority of the Board deems the applicant to have special circumstances.

Applications must be signed by a Commissioner for taking Affidavits for the Province of BC. This service will be done free of charge by Kathy Lalonde, the Bowen Island Municipality’s Corporate Officer. For signing, please call Municipal Hall at (604) 947-4255 to make an appointment.

You must be a non-profit society.

Grants are organized according to the Foundation's purposes, as described in the Real Estate Services Act (i.e. research, public education, professional education, law reform, and other real estate related good works). Projects concerning affordable housing fit under the latter most of the categories: and other real estate related good works.

• Non-profit housing/shelter construction and renovation projects that create new units or beds in response to an identified/researched need in the community.
• Housing projects which incorporate sustainable land use and green building practices.
• Housing projects in smaller communities, which often lack the resources and fundraising base of larger centres.

You, as the owner of an affordable housing rental unit, may apply if your property is eligible. To receive a loan, you will enter into an agreement that places a ceiling on the rents that you may charge after the repairs are completed and limits rent increases during the term of the agreement. You must also agree to limit new occupancy to low-income tenants.

Your property is eligible if it meets the following criteria:

• It is owned by a private entrepreneur, a non-profit corporation, or housing cooperative that is not receiving government housing assistance;
• It is a rental unit occupied by tenants who have income at or below established thresholds where pre and post RRAP rents are below the established levels for the your local area;
• The property is at least five years old and lacks basic facilities or requires major repairs in at least one of the following areas: heating, structural, electrical, plumbing and fire safety;
• A legitimate landlord and tenant relationship exists. Rents being charged can be confirmed.

Eligible repairs include mandatory repairs required to bring properties up to minimum levels of health and safety. The quality of the repairs should extend the useful life of the dwelling for at least 15 years.

Ineligible Properties include; Hospitals, motels, hotels, bed and breakfasts, residential-care facilities, or special-purpose projects.

The maximum amount per unit you could receive varies according to the three geographical locations:

Eligible clients are private entrepreneurs, non-profit corporations and co-operatives owning and converting nonresidential properties to create bona fide affordable rental accommodation. Eligibility is limited to properties that are environmentally safe, that can feasibly be converted to residential accommodation, and that will be viable based on agreed post-conversion rents. Selected clients must enter into an Operating Agreement which establishes the rents that can be charged during the life of the Agreement. A ceiling is also placed on the income of households that can occupy the newly created self-contained units.

Only work related to the conversion and rehabilitation of non-residential properties for the creation of residential units and bed-units is eligible for assistance. Up to 100 per cent of the eligible cost of conversion up to the maximum loan amount is eligible for assistance. The costs above the maximum RRAP loan must be borne by the owner.

Please note that any work carried out before RRAP loan is approved in writing is not eligible. The required Environmental Site Assessments are not eligible for funding under this program.

The assistance is in the form of a fully forgivable loan, which does not have to be repaid provided the owner adheres to the conditions of the program. The maximum loan available varies in accordance with the type of unit(s) being created and the geographic zone in which the property is located:

You, as the owner of a rooming house, may apply if your property is eligible. To receive a loan, you will enter into an agreement that places a ceiling on the rents that you may charge after the repairs are completed and limits rent increases during the term of the agreement.

• It is owned by a private entrepreneur, a non-profit corporation, or housing cooperative that is not receiving government housing assistance;
• It is a rooming house containing more than three bed-units intended to serve as permanent accommodation with rental rates at or below the established levels for your local area;
• The property is at least five years old and lacks basic facilities or requires major repairs in at least one of the following areas: heating, structural, electrical, plumbing and fire safety;
• A legitimate landlord and tenant relationship exists. Rents being charged can be confirmed.

Eligible repairs include mandatory repairs required to bring rooming houses up to minimum levels of health and safety. The quality of the repairs should extend the useful life of the dwelling for at least 15 years.

Assistance is in the form of a fully forgivable loan of up to 100 per cent of the cost of eligible repairs. The amount you could receive is based on the cost of mandatory repairs and the number of eligible units in your rental property. If the cost of mandatory repairs is more than the maximum forgivable loan available, you, as the owner, will be required to cover the additional cost.

The maximum amount per unit you could receive varies according to the three geographic zones:

A secondary suite, sometimes called an in-law suite, is a self-contained separate unit within an existing home or an addition to a home. This means there are full kitchen and bath facilities as well as a separate entrance.

A garden suite is a separate living unit that is not attached to the principal residence, but built on the same property. Garden suites are sometimes referred to as “granny flats” because they were originally created to provide a home for an aging parent of a homeowner. Like a secondary suite, a garden suite is a self-contained unit.

Regardless of which type of housing is chosen, secondary and garden suites must meet all applicable building code requirements as well as local municipal planning and zoning regulations.

You may be eligible to receive assistance if:

• You are a homeowner or private entrepreneur owning residential property that would accommodate an affordable, self-contained rental unit for a low-income senior (65 years of age or more) or adult with a disability.
• Your property meets with the applicable zoning and building requirements.
• You consent to enter into an Operating Agreement that establishes the rent that can be charged during the term of the Agreement.
• You also agree that the household income of the occupant(s) of the newly created self-contained unit will be below a CMHC set level.

The assistance is in the form of a forgivable loan that does not have to be repaid provided that you, as the owner, adhere to the conditions of the program. The maximum loan available varies in accordance with the geographic zone in which the property is located:

* A 25 per cent supplement in assistance is available in remote areas.

Costs related to the creation of a self-contained secondary or garden suite are eligible for funding under the program. Additional assistance may also be available under the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) for Persons with Disabilities for accessibility modifications.

The costs of creating and upgrading common areas and elements will be prorated between the existing unit and the newly created unit. Homeowners may be eligible for assistance under Homeowner RRAP to cover their share of the prorated costs subject to the program criteria being met.

Please note that any work carried out prior to commitment of assistance is not eligible.

• is occupied, or is intended to be occupied, by a low-income person with a disability;
• is rented and the rents are less than established levels for the area; or
• is owned and the house is valued below a certain amount; and
• meets minimum standards of health and safety.

Modifications must be related to housing and reasonably related to the occupant’s disability. Examples of eligible modifications are ramps, handrails, chair lifts, bath lifts, height adjustments to countertops and cues for doorbells/fire alarms.

All work required to bring your home up to minimum standards of health and safety must be completed in order to receive RRAP-D assistance. If the cost for modifications is more than the maximum forgivable loan available, the owner will be required to cover the additional cost.

• Therapeutic care, supportive care, and portable aid equipment, such as walkers and wheelchairs, are NOT eligible for funding.
• Modifications carried out before the RRAP for Persons with Disabilities loan is approved in writing are not eligible.

Assistance is in the form of a fully forgivable loan and does not have to be repaid if you adhere to the terms and conditions of the program.

Landlords must enter into an agreement that establishes the rent that can be charged during the life of the agreement and restricts occupancy of the self-contained rental unit(s) to households with incomes below a set CMHC level.

Homeowners must agree to continue to own the house during the loan forgiveness period, which could be up to five years.

The loan amount you could receive varies according to the three geographic zones and if you are a homeowner or landlord:

* Additional assistance may be available in areas defined as remote.

If you are a homeowner, go to the Renovation Programs Pre-Application Tool for more information specific to your geographic area.

• The household incomes of their tenants are at or below the established ceilings (these vary based on household size and area of the country).
• The projects have pre- and post-RRAP rents at or below the median market rent for the local area. (CMHC can assist with market rent information.)
• The property lacks basic facilities or requires major repair in one or more of the following five categories: structural, electrical, plumbing, heating and fire safety.
• Tenants are not family relatives of the owner.
• Please note that Program is available on-reserve for rental units not owned by the Band.

• Agree to place a ceiling on the rents that may be charged after the repairs are completed
• Limit rent increases during the term of the agreement
• Agree to limit new occupancy to tenants with incomes at or below the income ceiling
• Cover cost of mandatory repairs above the maximum forgivable loan available

Zone 1: Southern areas of Canada - $24,000/ unit
Zone 2: Northern areas of Canada - $28,000/ unit *
Zone 3: Far northern areas, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Labrador and northern Quebec - $36,000/ unit *