The City of Boston offers forgivable down payment assistance to first-time buyers who co-purchase a two or three-family home. Zero percent interest. Repayment deferred until you sell. To access it, you need a qualified group, a qualifying property, and a co-ownership agreement the City will accept.
Check your eligibilityFive requirements. You need to clear all of them. If you do, the City will cover up to $50,000 of your down payment and closing costs.
You have not owned a primary residence in the past three years. You also need to complete two CHAPA-approved homebuyer education courses: HB 101 and HB 201. These are available online and typically take a few weekends to complete.
For a two-person household, that is approximately $176,310 in 2025. Income limits scale by household size. If you are at or below 100% AMI (approximately $130,600 for two people), you qualify for the higher assistance tier.
Liquid assets include savings and investment accounts. Retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs do not count toward this limit.
This program is for owner-occupants. You must live in the unit you are purchasing. You sign an occupancy agreement with the City as part of closing.
This must come from your own funds. If your share of the purchase price is $300,000, you need to bring at least $4,500 to the table from personal savings.
Assistance tiers. If your household income is at or below 100% AMI (approximately $130,600 for a two-person household), the City will provide up to $50,000. If your income falls between 100% and 135% AMI, the City will provide up to $35,000. Each qualifying co-purchaser applies separately and can receive their own assistance.
The City's assistance is a forgivable loan, not a grant you apply for after the fact. It gets applied at closing toward your down payment and closing costs.
Two sets of requirements: the property itself, and the legal structure all parties sign before closing.
The City's program requires pieces most buyers have never had to assemble: a qualified co-buying group, an ownership structure lenders will approve, a co-ownership agreement that meets the City's spec, and a path to City-approved financing.
We match you with co-buyers based on income compatibility, timeline alignment, and lifestyle fit. The program requires that all participating households qualify individually. We identify groups where everyone meets the threshold.
We set up a Tenancy in Common arrangement with a partition waiver, sized for two to four households. This is the structure the City expects and that lenders will approve for co-buyer mortgages.
We draft the agreement that the City requires. It covers shared expenses, decision-making, buyout provisions, and occupancy obligations. Every party signs before closing.
We focus on two and three-family homes in Boston that meet the vacancy requirement and fall within qualifying price ranges. Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale, and East Boston have the most eligible inventory at this price point.
We work with City-approved lenders who have experience with co-buyer mortgage products. Most lenders have never structured a loan for two unrelated buyers on the same title. The ones we work with have.
We stay in the deal from first conversation to keys. That includes coordinating the City's assistance application with your mortgage timeline, which has specific sequencing requirements.
The City's assistance does not add significant time to a standard closing if the pieces are in place before you go under contract.
Complete the form on this page. We confirm whether you meet the income and asset requirements for the program.
TodayYou complete CHAPA HB 101 and HB 201. These are required before the City will issue assistance. Both are available online.
2 to 4 weeksWe finalize your co-buying group and work with a City-approved lender to get all parties pre-approved. Pre-approval amounts determine your combined purchasing power.
4 to 8 weeksWe identify two and three-family homes in Boston that meet the vacancy requirement and fit your combined budget. The right property may take time.
4 to 12 weeksOnce under contract, we begin drafting the co-ownership agreement in parallel with the standard purchase process.
During inspection periodWe submit the application to the Boston Home Center with your co-ownership agreement, income documentation, and purchase agreement. The City reviews and issues a commitment letter.
2 to 4 weeks after P&SThe City's assistance is applied at the closing table. Both households close on the same day with the same attorney. You leave with keys and ownership recorded on title.
30 to 45 days after P&SAnswer five questions. We will follow up within one business day with a straightforward answer on whether you qualify and what you would need to do next.