PREFERENCE CRITERIA FOR OWNERSHIP OF BMP UNITS
The City has established a priority system for allocating the limited number of affordable Homeownership BMP units. Priority shall be given to income eligible households/ applicants who meet the City of Santa Clara Preference Criteria below. The priority must be met by one of the applicants that will be listed as owners on title to the subject property for the Home Buyer Program.
Living in Santa Clara: is defined as occupying and renting, at time of application and for at least six full months (180 days) prior to application date, a bona fide rental dwelling unit (or owning and occupying a manufactured home and renting a mobile home space in a mobile home park) within the Santa Clara city limits, as evidenced by Valid Third-party Documentation (lease, a California driver’s license or identification card showing street address (not post office box) of such residence, current California vehicle registration card, or gas/electric/water bills). For residency-based preferences the applicant must currently meet the criteria and for at least the past 6 months at the time of submitting a pre-application. Evidence of payment of a lease and rental contract for the 6-month period will be required.
Working in the City of Santa Clara: earning one's primary source of annual income (salary, wages, commissions) through employment by a Santa Clara employer licensed and permitted by the City, at a primary work-site in the City of Santa Clara; or through operation of a Santa Clara-based business that is licensed and permitted by the City. Working in Santa Clara does NOT include volunteer or unpaid work, or self-employment consisting solely of operating a business entity established solely for the purposes of investment in a rental property. Income earned in Santa Clara must be verified by your paycheck stubs, tax returns, and/or other documentation described in the application forms. The qualifying household applicant must be the person whose name will appear on title and who will use the unit as their primary residence. For employment-based preferences the applicant must currently meet the criteria and for at least the past 6 months at the time of application. If you are selected to advance in the application process, you will have to submit documentation that verifies the Preference Priority that you select.
Documentation will include, but is not limited to the following:
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Verification letters from employers including contact information for follow-up
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6 months of utility bills indicating residential address within the city
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Evidence of 6 months of lease payments and lease agreement
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Any other documentation deemed necessary by the Program Underwriter
The preference system will be implemented to rank applicants systematically. Households qualifying for Priority 1 will be reviewed first, followed by those in Priority 2, and so on. Preferences will be assessed at the time of pre-application submission and during the application lottery, with verification occurring throughout the Purchase Application process. If it is determined that an applicant does not meet the required preferences or fails to provide sufficient evidence of their eligibility, they will forfeit their lottery ranking number and be placed at the bottom of the lottery list.