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Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program for Secondary/Garden Suites

Province/Territory: National

Rebate Amount: Not a rebate, a $24,000 forgivable loan

Description: Get a $24,000 forgivable loan toward the construction of a rental unit in your home. Once completed, the unit must be rented out to a low-income senior, or person with a disability.

The purpose of the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) for Secondary/Garden Suites is to create affordable housing for low-income seniors and adults with a disability.

Some important things to keep in mind about the RRAP:

  • Work carried out before the RRAP loan is approved is not eligible.
  • You must rent the unit out to a low-income senior, or person with a disability, for 15 years
  • There's a cap on the amount of rent you can charge the tenant (for example in Ottawa the cap for a one-bedroom unit rented to one person is $815 per month)

Steps to Get This Rebate:

  1. Take a look at this sample application
  2. Fill out the RRAP application package
  3. Make sure you have everything by looking through this checklist
  4. To see all of the application documents, FAQs, and guides, go here

When the Rebate Ends:

Ongoing

For More Information:

RRAP website List of telephone numbers for CMHC regional centres

Related Rebates


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20 Reviews for “Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program for Secondary/Garden Suites”

  1. Mrs C. Long Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Hello, I was wondering how to get money to add a “grannie suite” on to my mother’s house so she won’t need the stairs any more. I will also have to redo the inside of her 100 year old home to get it updated for my families needs. How does one get grants for seniors to do this? I have a few months to get information, I want to start fixing up this summer.

    Any help would be nice,
    Mrs. C. Long

  2. Mark Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    Hello Mrs. Long,

    Thanks for your question.

    I would advise you to apply for the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. The Program provides up to $24,000 in a “forgivable loan” for the creation of a secondary/garden suite, as long as you’re renting to a low-income senior (or person with a disability).

    The program also allows you to rent to a family member (e.g. in your case, your mother), as long as she falls into the “low-income” category.

    To get more information on the program, and download the program documents, go to the RRAP Request for Applications page.

    Hope that helps,

    Mark
    Editor, ShowMeTheGreen.ca

  3. Diana Player Says:
    June 5th, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    hello
    just found this site and wondering if the monies will also cover the cost of installing a chiar lift on stairs to convert a lower level into a granny suite? Can you advise me
    Thanks

  4. Mark Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

    Hello Diana,

    Great question! There’s no reference to chair lifts on the RRAP site, so I would suggest you call their information line to get the answer to your question.

    You can find a list of CMHC’s call centres on this web page:

    http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/cous/cous_002.cfm

    Hope that helps,

    Mark
    Editor, ShowMeTheGreen.ca

  5. Vivi Loiselle Says:
    June 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    Hi i like to no if there any grant to help me to pay for my vanne to adapte for my well chair tank you

  6. Mark Says:
    June 18th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    Hi Vivi,

    Thanks for visiting the site. Could you provide a little more detail on the renovation you’re planning?

    Mark
    Editor, ShowMeTheGreen.ca

  7. grant trolly Says:
    September 14th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    i’m looking at purchasing a residential property that would be big enough for my family and for two secondary suites. is it possible to qualify for two $24000 loans for the same property if creating two self-contained apartments that are handicap accessible and will be rented to low-income seniors or disabled persons?

    thanks for your help
    grant trolly

  8. Donna Duncan Says:
    February 15th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    I am considering buying a home and renovating the basement into a one bedroom apartment for a low income senior 56 years of age. Would I be eligible for this loan?

  9. tamara ireland Says:
    February 18th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

    hi i am writing to find out what i can possibly do to help my foster mother stay in her home. Joyce lever is a 84 year old woman and her home is all shes got. it would be hard for her to give it up, so i am trying to find resources for her. her home is really old and falling apart. it is constamtly flooding and it seems as if it is sinking right in the middle. She is a foster parent for teenage girls, and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon. Repairs for the house are too expensive for her to pay, with the pension that she gets. We are looking to see if there is any grants tha tcould possibly help. please get back to me at: tara_ma_su@hotmail. com

  10. charlene gordon Says:
    April 7th, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    What is the age the senior has to be to qualify for the residentil grant can hey still be working…and can they share common areas like kitchen with rights to the rest of my home bath and laundry with the homeowner.So I guess I would like to build a livingroom and bedroom off the back of my house for them wih rights to the rest of my home for their personal use..

  11. Laurie Golocevac Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    Hi, I am wondering if an in home elevator system for our 15 yr old disabled son is covered through this program. He cannot use a chair lift as his coordination is too severe. Please let me know as he will be living in this home with us for his entire life.

  12. rustam jiwan Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    Hello. Please provide info about getting some financial assistance
    to install an elevator in my calgary home to accomodate
    my 84 year father in law. TXS.

  13. Jo-Anne Carrol Says:
    November 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

    My Mother is 77 yrs. she needs to have a certain amount of care and cannot live on her own anymore. I would need to install a separate unit in order for her to live with me. She doesn’t do stairs well do to a balance problem. She would need a separate bed-sit and bath. My home is not built to accomodate handicaps of any kind, there are stairs in and two sets of stairs between bedrooms, living area and recreation/laundry area. It would mean adding on a ramp or ground access unit. Any advice would be much appreciated.
    Thank you

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  16. Chris or Pat Ramdin Says:
    April 2nd, 2010 at 10:52 am

    We have done many renovations in our home to accomodate elderly and handicapped but have never applied for any type of assistance. Currently we have one gentleman who has resided with us for approximately 15 years. He suffers from schizophrenia and now dementia. He is 67 years of age. We have one woman who is 86 years of age this year and we converted our garage into a bedroom for her as she has a walker and cannot use stairs. We had to put in a ramp for her. We hage another gentleman who suffers from emotional illness and lives with us on a temporary basis when he cannot cope. My husband is retired on a disability income with very poor help but we both maintain the care of our clients. We are currently renovating our bathroom, need to renovate a bedroom for a couple who are looking for a home and also need to improve the wheelchair ramp that we have going into our home. We also did renovate our powder room on the main floor and added a shower so that our elderly client would have her shower on her level. Up to now we have never had any help from the govenment, but we are struggling and I would like to know if there is any help available to us. We are an incorporated business which we did when we first started our business. Our name is “Good Samaritan Boarding and Lodging Home.” Can you please let me know what assistance is availale to us. I went back to school to obtain a Personal Support Worker Certificate. Our bathroom renovation we are cuurently undergoing is $10,000. Thank you.

  17. Laurie Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Hello,
    Just wondering if I could qualify for some kind of grant for the grany suite, which is in the house I purchased,I am a single mother and have two children, and now have found out two years later that the septic system doesn’t support the extra people in the house and water features etc. We need a complete new one Installed being told will be arround 25000.00 to 30000.00 to replace. My parents are 81 and 82 one being with a disability. Is there any help here you think I may be intitled too.
    Thanks
    Laurie

  18. Nora Says:
    May 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 am

    Hi
    Just wondering if I can get a grant for grany suite for my disabiled adult son.

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  20. lorna Says:
    July 29th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    was wondering if there is a program that will help with siding and windows on a house we have.winter gets very drafty and therefore cost alot to heat.
    my husband cannot do the work on account of he has degenerative disc in his back and now has been diagnosed with cirrosis of the liver.is there anyone that can help us as we are in a bind and on a fixed disability income.. thanks so much for your suggestions and help

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