Florida Assist (FL Assist)

How is Florida Assist (FL Assist) paid back?

Deferred loan: 0% loan that is never forgiven. You repay it when you sell, refinance, move out or give the home to someone else.

A deferred loan costs nothing each month, but the whole amount is due when you sell, refinance or pay off the first mortgage.

Who qualifies for Florida Assist (FL Assist)?

• Your income must be below the limits for the county where you buy.
• Only for first-time buyers (usually no home owned in the past three years).
• A credit score of 640 or higher.
• A homebuyer education course before you buy.
• It comes with a Florida Housing first mortgage loan (FHA, VA, USDA or conventional).
• Price limit: varies by county.

Most limits follow your county and household size. Our HUD income limits lookup shows your area's median income and where your household sits.

How to apply for Florida Assist (FL Assist)

1. Florida Housing Finance Corporation pays this help out through its approved lenders, so you apply with one of them, together with your home loan.
2. The lender checks your income, credit and the home against the program's rules and reserves the money for you.
3. The help is paid at closing, toward your down payment and closing costs.

Read the full rules and whether it is taking applications on Florida Housing Finance Corporation's page for Florida Assist (FL Assist), or pick a lender from the agency's list of participating lenders.

Other first-time buyer programs in Florida

• Florida Homeownership Loan Program (FL HLP) Second Mortgage: up to $12,500, repayable loan.
• Florida 3%, 4% and 5% HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage PLUS Second Mortgage: up to 5% of the home loan, forgivable loan.
• Florida Hometown Heroes Housing (HTH) Program: up to 5% of the home loan, at most $35,000, deferred loan.

All Florida first-time home buyer programs · Down payment assistance in every state