Contact: Intake Line  614-645-8526 (Voice Mail)

2008 Program Guidelines

The Emergency Repair Program provides for the immediate correction of an emergency condition that has been determined to present an imminent danger to the health and safety of the occupants of residential property in the City of Columbus. Applicant and property criteria for participation in this program are outlined below.

Geographic Location

Properties must be owner-occupied and within the corporate limits of the City of Columbus. Cases will be considered for the following property and ownership types: duplexes, doubles, multi-family buildings, mobile homes and/or properties being purchased under land contract agreements. 

Eligible Emergency Repair Work

Only the work necessary to correct substandard, unsanitary or deteriorated condition(s) that have been identified by a Code Enforcement Officer or a Program Manager as creating an imminent danger to health and safety of the occupant is eligible. Completion of other repairs must be financed independently. 

The repairs will be made primarily to mechanical systems: electrical, heating, and plumbing to include sewer repair. 

Eligible Household

Applicants must have an annual gross income  at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

NOTE: Total household income includes the income of all adults 18 years of age and older living in the home.

Applicant must be the owner of the property and occupy the unit in which the condition exists. Property taxes must be current at the time of application or the homeowner must be on a verifiable payment plan with the Franklin County Auditor's office. 

Financing

Maximum grant is up to $7,500 per household, depending on the amount of work that qualifies as an emergency. A grant will be awarded to each eligible applicant, no repayment is required.

Payments for eligible work will be made directly to the contractor when the inspections have been obtained, work is satisfactorily completed, and an itemized bill has been submitted.