Request Down Payment Assistance

Step 1.Check your eligibility 

• No minimum credit score is required.
• You must be a first-time homebuyer (have not owned a home in the past three years). Click here to see exceptions.
• You must have established residency for the last 12 consecutive months in Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, Seminole, Volusia or Brevard Counties. 
• You must be able to secure a loan commitment for a first mortgage, with a fixed rate, from a city-registered mortgage lender.
• You must be able to provide a minimum of $1,000 towards the down payment and closing costs. 
• Your total household income must not exceed 2022 Income Eligibility Limits.

Check Your Income Eligibility

Step 2.Check the property's eligibility

• New or existing single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums are eligible. Mobile homes and trailers are not eligible.
• The property may be owner-occupied, vacant or occupied by the applicant; tenant-occupied properties are not eligible.
• The sales price must not exceed 90% of the median area purchase price established by the U.S. Treasury Department (Maximum sales price is $349,525.80).
• The property must be located within City of Orlando limits. You can use our locator tool to see if the home you’d like to buy is within City of Orlando limits:
  • Type an address in the top search bar.
  • Check the "Jurisdiction" box at the bottom of the screen.
  • If the jurisdiction is listed as "Orlando," the address is within city limits. The background color of the map will also be white.

  Check the Address

Step 3.Complete a homebuyer education workshop

You must complete a pre-purchase homebuyer education workshop with a housing counseling agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Workshops are usually eight hours long, held over one or more sessions during a single weekend. Costs vary depending on the counseling agency. At the end of the workshop, you will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate is good for one year.

Find a Housing Counseling Agency

Step 4.Pre-qualify with a city-registered mortgage lender

Once you have completed the homebuyer education workshop, you may then contact a city-registered mortgage lender to secure a loan commitment for a first-time mortgage with a fixed rate. 

If you already have a lender and they are not registered with the City of Orlando, they will need to follow the process to become registered. 

Become a City-Registered Mortgage Lender 

Step 5.Contact your lender to start the Down Payment Assistance Application

Once you have an executed contract for sale of purchase, your mortgage lender can start the Down Payment Assistance Application.