S 127119th CongressIn Committee

Whole-Home Repairs Act of 2025

Introduced: Jan 16, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Whole-Home Repairs Act of 2025 would create a HUD-administered pilot program to fund comprehensive home repairs for eligible homeowners and eligible landlords. The goal is to improve housing quality by addressing accessibility, habitability and safety, and also to boost energy and water efficiency and resilience. The program would work through implementing organizations (typically state or local governments or qualified nonprofits) that award grants to homeowners and provide (potentially forgivable) loans to landlords for repairs in eligible rental units. The pilot emphasizes coordination with other federal, state, and local home repair programs to avoid duplication, safeguards to protect affordability (including lease extensions and limits on rent increases), and strong reporting and oversight. The pilot would run through October 1, 2030, and would be funded with up to $25 million from existing HUD-related appropriations.

Key Points

1Who can participate and what is funded: The program provides grants to eligible homeowners (income limits and residency requirements) and forgivable loans to eligible landlords for whole-home repairs. Grants go to homeowners per unit; forgivable loans apply to affordable rental units and related property improvements. Implementing organizations administer the program and set per-unit funding limits based on local costs, with final approval by the Secretary.
2Scope of repairs: Whole-home repairs include making homes accessible for people with disabilities or older adults, improving habitability and safety, increasing energy and water efficiency, resilience to hazards, and other changes determined by the Secretary.
3Conditions for landlords and tenants: For properties with rental units assisted under the program, landlords must comply with federal accessibility and tenant-protection rules. If units are not rented to tenants receiving formal rental assistance, landlords must offer long-term lease extensions (at least 3 years after repairs) and maintain affordability for the assisted units, plus meet code compliance and cap rent increases at 5% or inflation for at least 3 years after repairs.
4Administration and funding specifics: The Secretary must award grants to between 2 and 10 implementing organizations each year (not more than 1 per state) to ensure geographic diversity. Each award requires plans for coordination with other programs, data collection on need, and processing of applications. Up to 10% of funds may be used for related functions (e.g., workforce training) and up to 10% for administrative expenses. The program must streamline income verification by recognizing determinations used for other federal programs.
5Reporting, oversight, and evaluation: Implementing organizations must provide annual reports with unit counts, costs, applications, and demographic data, plus a comprehensive anti-fraud and compliance plan. The Inspector General will assess pilot program implementation at least twice during its run, and HUD will report to Congress on a yearly basis summarizing program data.
6Funding source and term: The pilot is funded with up to $25 million drawn from funds already appropriated for Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes programs. The pilot terminates on October 1, 2030, after which the program would expire unless renewed or transformed into a broader initiative.

Impact Areas

Primary groups/areas affected:- Eligible homeowners (low- to moderate-income, occupying the home) who could receive grants for repairs to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency.- Eligible landlords (smaller rental portfolios, with majority affordable units) who could receive forgivable loans for repairs to individual units and shared spaces, subject to affordability and lease terms protections.Secondary groups/areas affected:- Tenants in affordable rental units benefiting from improved energy efficiency, safety, and accessibility.- Local governments, states, and qualified nonprofits administering the program, plus construction trades and contractors benefiting from repair work.Additional impacts:- Potential improvements in energy/water efficiency and housing resilience, contributing to lower energy costs and healthier housing conditions.- Increased coordination among HUD and other federal programs to avoid duplication of funding and maximize impact.- Enhanced data collection on housing needs and program performance to inform future policy and funding decisions.- Administrative and compliance requirements to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, with ongoing oversight by HUD’s Office of Inspector General.

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