USDA home-repair loans and grants for eligible rural homeowners
USDA's open Section 504 program offers repair loans to qualifying very-low-income rural homeowners and limited grants to qualifying homeowners age 62 or older.
USDA Rural Development lists its Section 504 Single Family Housing Repair program as open in Nevada. It may help an eligible very-low-income homeowner repair, improve or modernize an owner-occupied home in an eligible rural area, or remove health and safety hazards.
Who may qualify
USDA says an applicant must own and occupy the home, be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere and have household income at or below the applicable county very-low-income limit. Grants are limited to applicants age 62 or older and must be used to remove health and safety hazards. A Lincoln County address is not automatically approved; applicants should check the exact address and obtain USDA's final eligibility determination.
Current maximums and terms
The current Nevada program page lists a maximum loan of $40,000 and a maximum lifetime grant of $10,000 under ordinary program rules. Loans and grants may be combined up to $50,000. Loans have a 20-year term and a fixed 1% interest rate. USDA says a grant must be repaid if the property is sold within three years. Larger disaster-area maximums apply only when the home was damaged in a presidentially declared disaster area and the program rules are met.
How to start
Applications are accepted through USDA Rural Development year-round, but approval time and assistance depend on funding and individual eligibility. USDA encourages potential applicants to contact a housing specialist and may begin with an informal prequalification process. The current Nevada page lists the Southern Nevada housing specialist at 702-407-1400, extension 6007, and the Nevada contacts page lists the same Las Vegas field office.
Do not begin work or assume costs will be reimbursed before USDA confirms the application, eligible work, contractor or procurement requirements and closing steps. This article is general program information, not an eligibility finding, promise of funding, loan offer, tax advice or construction advice.