DUTCHESS COUNTY – County homeowners age 62 and older who meet certain criteria are eligible for property upgrades and assistance with code violations through a program offered by Dutchess County. The Senior Citizen Owner-Occupied Property Rehabilitation program assists low and moderate-income seniors with repairs and upgrades.
- Applicants must be income qualified, age 62 or older, a fee simple owner of the property, a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., and must meet income guidelines.
Eligible properties also meet the following qualifications:
- Only single-family, detached, owner-occupied units whose value, after rehabilitation, is not more than $333,000.
- Properties must contain one or more substandard conditions that do not meet federal, state, or local health, safety, and fire codes.
- Properties must have a minimum of $1,000 in repairs but must not exceed the $20,000 maximum.
- Properties in any Dutchess County municipality, except the City of Poughkeepsie.
According to the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, eligible improvements include major system repairs necessary to meet HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (NYS Building Code). The program’s focus is repairs to “major systems” including but not limited to furnaces, plumbing, structural (roofs, walls, decks/porches), electrical, necessary handicapped accessibility improvements, conventional septic systems, lead based paint abatement, bathrooms, and kitchens with significant deterioration, window, and appliances (see below).
General property improvement, improvements to outbuildings, maintenance and cosmetic improvements are prohibited. There are specific policies for window and appliance replacement, septic upgrades, and handicapped renovations.
For more information and full qualifying details, contact Audra Murray at the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development at 845-486-3633.
