FAQs • Wellington, FL • CivicEngage

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Great Neighborhoods Grant

1. What is the Great Neighborhoods Grant?: The Great Neighborhoods Grant is funded by the Village of Wellington to provide assistance to low and moderate income Village of Wellington homeowners on a "first-eligible, first-served" basis. The grant’s purpose is to assist in program approved repairs and rehabilitation to bring the home into compliance with safe living standards and the Florida Building Code . Wellington, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to modify the policies and procedures at any time

2. How long does it take to complete the program?

7-8 months from the time you are approved for the program to when your project is completed.

Once the application has been submitted and approved for processing, the applicant will be notified via email. A third party inspector will be sent out to your home to prepare a bid specification document for the project that was listed on the application. Once prepared, the homeowner will meet to discuss the bid specification document and view the estimate cost of the project. When the homeowner agrees to move forward, the Village will schedule a pre-submittal meeting that will be advertised on DemandStar for all interested general contractors.

The pre-submittal meeting allows those interested general contractors to come out to the property and take measurements. Only general contractors who attend this pre-submittal meeting can bid on the project. A bid opening will be held to open all submitted bids, the contractor with the lowest responsive bid is awarded the project. The homeowner is responsible to bring in their cashier’s check for their 50/50 match including the 10% contingency and the Escrow fee. The homeowner will sign an Escrow Agreement and a title search will be run on the property.

When the title search is received and reviewed, the loan documents will be prepared for the homeowner’s signing. The loan documents will be sent to be recorded with the County. The project will commence once the work order is approved by the Village of Wellington and the recorded documents have been returned to the Village.

The contractor has 120 days from date of commencement to complete the project.

3. Can I receive assistance for a project that has been completed on my home?

No, this grant does not retroactively give out assistance.

4. Can I have other project(s) going on when apply for this program?: No, all permits for other projects must be completed and closed prior to any work being done.

5. Do I get to pick the products or brands for my desired project?: No, products or brands are decided by the contractor based off their vendors. Items will need to be up to the current Building code product approvals and specifications. The owner will be able to select the finish, colors, styles & types of materials from pre-mixed, in stock options.

6. Do I hire the contractor?: No, if approved for the grant, Wellington will provide a third party inspector to come out to your home to prepare a bid specifications document for your specific project. If you agree with the bid specifications, your project will be advertised by the Village for eligible general contractors to submit bids on the project. The contractor with the lowest responsive bid will be awarded the project.

7. Can I apply for impact windows?: No, this grant will only cover hurricane hardening structures (ex: storm panels)

8. What documents are required for the application?

Examples of required documents for the application include, but are not limited to:

Financial Institution Account Information:

Property Deed
Valid forms of identification for all members of the household
Copies of the three most recent years of signed income tax (IRS) Documents (1040, 1098, all schedules) including W-2 forms and 1099 statements for all household members.
Copies of the three most recent months of information for all household members. (checking, savings, IRA, stocks, bonds, etc) Example: If you apply in the month of May, please provide May, April, and March statements.
Copies of interest/dividend income over $100 annually

Housing Expenses

Mortgage
Homeowners Insurance
Real Estate Tax
Water/Sewer/Trash
Gas and/or Oil
Electricity

Verification of Income

Payroll stubs, tips, wages
Alimony
Child support
Social Security
Pension
Social Security Disability Insurance
Government Assistance
Unemployment Benefits

Liabilities

Auto Loans/Lease
Credit Cards
Personal Loans
Department stores

9. What if I have a code case on my property?: If the code case on your property is being resolved by the grant that will not be an issue. (Ex. Code Violation for dirty roof and you are applying for new roof through the program) Any other code cases need to be rectified prior to applying for the program.

10. Is there a financial obligation?: Yes, this grant is a 50/50 matching grant. Meaning if approved, the applicant’s match is 50% of the project’s total cost, plus a 10% contingency. A $350 nonrefundable escrow fee is required to be paid before work can commence. The Village’s 50% portion of the grant will be secured by a five year, forgivable mortgage recorded on the property. There is 0% interest on the loan.

11. Is there an application fee?: No, there is no application fee.

12. Why is there a 10% contingency?

The continguency is used in the event there are unforeseen circumstances found during the project. (Ex. Rotted plywood is found when removing the roof)

Anything that exceeds the 10% contingency is the responsibility of the homeowner. If the contingency is not used at the completion of your project, you will be refunded the amount in the form of a check from the Escrow Agent.

13. Does the contractor receive progress payments?

No, the contractor will only receive one payment when the project has been completed, passed final inspection, and submitted the completed payment packet to Village staff.

The homeowner will need to have signed the Certificate of Satisfaction of Work, which is part of the payment packet.

14. Can I finance my payment portion?: No, the applicant’s amount needs to be paid in full prior to the commencement of the work.

15. What loan documents will I be signing?

During the loan document signing the following documents will be signed and recorded:

Affidavit of Continuous Marriage (if applicable)
Affidavit of Same Name (if applicable)
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Consent to Lien and Agreement to Hold Harmless
Owner Affidavit
Mortgage and Security Agreement
Promissory Note
Village Loan Agreement
Contract of Residential Housing
Notice to Proceed
COVID 19 Homeowner Release

16. Can I apply if I have already participated in a previous Great Neighborhoods Grant or Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) ?: If applicant has received a Great Neighborhoods Grant or CDBG grant in the past, the applicant is not eligible to apply until the loan period of previous project has been satisfied. Applicant is eligible for a maximum total of two grants for the property in a lifetime with total grant awards not to exceed $30,000.

17. What if my property is in a Trust ?: If your property is in a Trust, you will need to provide the Trust documents for the beneficiaries of the Trust. The beneficiaries will need to provide required documents for the application.

18. What if I sell my home during my 5-year loan with the Village?: In the event of a voluntary sale of the property, or refinance of any mortgages on the Property, the Owner will have to pay the Village the net proceeds derived from the sale, or refinance provided such payment shall not exceed the unpaid principal balance. The Loan Forgiveness Period will end upon the sale or refinance of the Property.

19. How long does it take to review the grant application?: Once the application is submitted, it takes 7-10 business days to be notified via email with the status of your application.

20. What if I submit the wrong paperwork or not up-to-date documents in the application?: If an applicant submits the wrong paperwork or documents, the application will be rejected and the applicant will have to reapply with a new application. Please be sure to have all required documents available to upload into document.

21. What types of documents can I upload?

You can only upload:

Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx )

Adobe Acrobat PDF Files (.pdf)

Image Files (.jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, .tiff)

22. Can I drop out of the program?: Yes, you can only drop out of the program prior to the Escrow agreements being signed. If you decide to drop out of the program after Escrow agreements have been signed, you will not receive the $350 Escrow check. If you do wish to drop out of the program, you would not be able to reapply until the next grant cycle.

23. What are the approved projects?

Repair/Replacement of Roof
Repair/Replace Water Heater
Install Fixed Hurricane Hardening Structures that are program standard items (Storm Panels)
Repair Insulation
Repair Concrete Walks or Steps
Install Handrails, Banisters and/or ADA compliant ramps
Repair Rain Gutters, Downspouts and Splash Blocks
Exterminations of Vermin/Termites
Repair/Replace HVAC System
Install/Repair Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Minor Floor Repairs if causing a safety hazard
Tree Removal if causing hazard to home
Repair/Replace Failing Plumbing Fixtures
Repair/Replace Electrical Panel Boxes and/or electrical wiring

Ineligible repairs include, but are not limited to: work on other buildings on the property not considered the primary residence (i.e. detached garage, sheds, and barns) or the repair or replacement of non-essential items (hot tubs, swimming pools, paint, items that are beyond the minimum requirements of the building code, etc).

24. Can I apply if I own rental properties?: No, applicant is not eligible if they own rental properties.

25. What browser can I use?: You can use Google Chrome, Safari or Microsoft Edge

26. Do I need to provide all pages of my Tax Form?: Yes, you will need to provide all pages of your three most recent tax return forms. Please be sure all pages are in order for each member of the household.

27. Can I provide one year of tax return documents?: No, the applicant will need to upload the 2019, 2018 and 2017 signed income tax (IRS) documents (1040, 1098, all schedules) including W-2 forms and 1099 statements for all household members.

28. What if I am missing part or all of my income tax documents?: You will need to request a transcript or certified copy or copies from the IRS for the missing documents.

29. What if I am self-employed?: If self-employed, the applicant will need to include year-to-date Profit and Loss statements and the last four quarterly tax payment documents.

30. Does this grant cover landscaping?: no, this grant does not cover landscaping.

31. Does this grant cover tree removals and replacement?: This grant only covers tree removals if they are causing a hazard to the home. The applicant will be responsible for hiring an arborist. This grant does not assist in tree replacements.

32. Do I hire a consultant?: If specifications are needed for the project, the applicant will be responsible for hiring a consultant (structural engineer, licensed arborist, etc.) and incur all associated costs. The applicant will need to coordinate with the consultant and provide Village of Wellington staff with the needed documents to continue with the program.

33. What kinds of forms of identification count for my kids under 18 years old?: Acceptable forms of identification include: school ID, library card, social security card, birth certificate, and/or passport,