Homeowner Resources
There are many resources available for Chicagoans who are interested in owning a home.
Neighborhood Housing Services classes
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago offers classes to individuals interested in buying a home. Whether you are about to sign or you have just started your journey, these classes teach a wide range of skills from understanding the closing process to developing a spending plan.
City of Chicago Homeownership Resources:
Community Connections Home Buyer Assistance Program
- This program provides home-buying funds to eligible Career Service employees, Chicago firefighters, Chicago police officers, and Chicago paramedics.
TaxSmart Mortgage Credit Certificate Program
- This program is administered by the Department of Housing that provides a federal income tax credit to qualified homebuyers.
Multifamily TIF Purchase-Rehab Program
- This program helps private developers purchase and rehabilitate vacant and foreclosed rental buildings within designated Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts.
Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD)
- This program provides services to landlords and tenants, creditors and debtors, and homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments, condo assessments, or property taxes.
Property Tax Resources:
In response to COVID-19, the Cook County Assessor’s Office will continue the automatic renewal of the following exemptions:
- Senior Freeze Exemption
- Veterans with Disabilities Exemption
- Persons with Disabilities Exemption
- Homeowner Exemption
- Senior Exemption
If you received these exemptions last year, then you don't need to reapply.
For first-time applicants, the 2021 tax year exemption filing period will begin in early March 2022.Visit the Cook County Assessor’s Office website for more information: www.cookcountyassessor.com/exemptions
Property Tax Appeal Project
GPCC is partnering with the Property Tax Appeal Project (PTAP) to help Chicago homeowners lower their property tax bills by protesting Cook County's inflated property tax assessments. The Chicago-Kent College of Law is partnering with Dentons Law Firm to provide free representation to Chicago homeowners who want to appeal their property tax assessments.
Cook County sends homeowners a tax bill twice a year: once in March and once during the summer. The assessment notice, which the County typically sends in early spring, informs the owner of the valuations that the County is using to calculate their tax bill. Submitting a protest is the only way to lower a property’s assessed value. The assessment notice is not the tax bill. PTAP helps homeowners protest their property tax assessment for free.
Email chicagoptap@gmail.com for details.
Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF)
Illinois received approval from the U.S. Department of the Treasury on its Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) program to provide assistance to Illinois homeowners who have struggled to pay their mortgage due to COVID-19. This program is no longer accepting applications. For updates, visit https://www.illinoishousinghelp.org/ilhaf.