PITTSFIELD — Qualified homeowners can now apply to have overdue repairs, necessary fixes or any other rehabilitation projects to be covered by a grant, meaning your leaky roof could be fixed for free.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is now accepting applications for its housing rehabilitation program. The program is for low- to moderate-income homeowners in certain towns in need of home repairs.

BRPC is a public organization aiming to improve the quality of life in Berkshire County by providing programming and conducting studies. It leverages community development block grants tied to individual towns, meaning only homeowners in those towns are eligible.

The towns for this funding cycle are Becket, Clarksburg, New Ashford, Sheffield and West Stockbridge.

BRPC still recommends homeowners outside of these towns apply, as it puts them on the waitlist for future funding cycles, said Brett Roberts, principal planner for BRPC. If there's significant interest in a town, that can help inform where the program is run in the future.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is accepting applications for the next round of its free home rehabilitation program. Qualified homeowners might be able to get their leaky roof or moldy bathroom repaired.

Berkshire County has one of the oldest housing stocks in the nation, as about two-thirds of homes were built before 1970.

Those homes need maintenance, but fixes can be expensive, preventing people with limited incomes from completing those repairs. That is where the home rehabilitation program comes in.

Previous program participants include Elmer and Maria Orobio of Sheffield. Their home is 28 years old, but it needed a new roof, required new windows and had a rotted-out floor in a bathroom. Those repairs cost $40,000, something the Orobios couldn't afford on their own, but BRPC was able to get funding for.

To be eligible, residents must be in good standing with their taxes, be up to date with their mortgage payments and have homeowner's insurance. Residents also cannot make more than 80 percent of the area median income.

For a single person, that would mean making less than $67,000. The limit increases with each additional person in the household, with a family of four needing to make less than $95,650 to qualify.

Once approved, a home inspector will walk through the home to identify other problems, which is how the Orobios found out they needed to replace their roof. Then BRPC will line up a contractor to complete the rehabilitation.

Projects that are more about upgrading, where a fix may not be necessary, may not qualify, Roberts said, but the eligibility of rehabilitation is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Homeowners should be notified some time this fall if they've been selected for the program, with construction commencing in the spring of 2027, he said.

There is no cost to the homeowner, but a lien equating to the costs of the repairs with a 15-year term is taken out against the home, which is slowly forgiven over that term. If a person were to sell before the 15 years is up, whatever is left on that lien is repaid at the time of the sale.

To apply, the BRPC recommends filling out an application or emailing: [email protected].