Heritage Home ProgramSM in Cuyahoga County

The Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS) has partnered with Cuyahoga County Treasurer, James Rokakis, and KeyBank to create a dynamic home improvement and restoration program for owners of older and historic homes in participating cities. Twelve cities in Cuyahoga County currently participate in the program. Cuyahoga County estimates that 275,131 of its housing units were built prior to 1949 – a substantial number of properties meeting the 50-years old age criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. Faced with the pattern of population moving further from the urban center and an aging housing stock, CRS is concerned about the future of our region’s architectural treasures and older neighborhoods. The Heritage Home ProgramSM is designed to counter this trend.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Technical Assistance

Free technical consulting is available to all residents in participating cities. You do not need to acquire a low-interest loan in order to receive technical assistance. Heritage staff provides in-depth assistance to homeowners via site visits, assistance on household maintenance issues, historic color consults, design guidelines and collateral materials. Additional assistance is offered to borrowers, including custom construction specifications, assistance in locating qualified contractors, review of your bids, and bank loan processing assistance.

Project Scope

Homeowners can use the Heritage Home ProgramSM financing or consulting services for a large variety of home maintenance and improvement projects. Houses that are built before 1959 and have no vinyl or aluminum siding are eligible for both exterior and interior projects. Non-owner occupied properties up to a three family are also eligible. Eligible projects include roofs and gutters, painting, porch repair, masonry tuckpointing, carpentry repairs, window repair, new storm window installation, garage repair and replacement, waterproofing, and rainwater/sewer tile work.  Interior projects are also eligible, including kitchen and bath remodels, wood floor refinishing, painting, HVAC upgrades, electrical and plumbing upgrades, reconfiguring interior spaces, and finishing attics and basements. Since September 2001, Heritage Program staff has provided technical assistance to over 1,400 homeowners. Over 320 loans have been signed valued at over $10.3 million in community reinvestment.

About the Loan

• Bay Village
• Chagrin Falls
• Cleveland - Wards 1, 11, 16, 18
• Cleveland Heights
• East Cleveland
• Independence
• Lakewood
• Lyndhurst
• Pepper Pike
• Rocky River
• Shaker Heights
• South Euclid

• Is your home located in a participating city?
• Was your house built before 1959?
• Does your home retain most of its original materials or features such as siding or windows? Homes that currently have vinyl or aluminum siding or vinyl replacement windows throughout their home are not eligible unless you are interested in their removal.
• Is your property three occupancy units or less?
• Has your project already begun? Any work that has already started or been paid for cannot be financed.
• What is your project scope? Vinyl siding or vinyl replacement windows cannot be funded with the loan.

• No income restrictions
• Maximum loan amount is $75,000
• Minimum loan amount is $3,000
• Loan term:  7 years ($3,000-$24,999)
  10 years ($25,000-$75,000)
• Interest is tax deductible
• No closing costs or points

• 2% technical assistance fee (the Cleveland Restoration Society is a non-profit organization and this fee helps us operate the program. It is a one-time fee that can be financed.) 2% x total loan amount = TA fee
• Key Bank’s $99 origination fee
• POSSIBLE FEE (not assessed to all applicants) $300 appraisal fee. KeyBank sometimes requires an appraisal to be done to verify the home’s value. If one is required (determined by KeyBank), the appraisal fee can be financed.
• Early payment fee $350 (if loan is paid off before the first three years of the term)

Download a complete packet of information including step-by-step instructions about the Heritage Home Program process HERE (PDF).