---
title: Do I qualify?
description: Review criteria for acceptance into the Habitat program.
---
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1. [Help Center](https://help.habitattbg.org/?hsLang=en)
2. [Homeownership Program FAQs](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeownership-program-faqs?hsLang=en)
# Do I qualify?
You must meet the following criteria:
- Have a housing need. Are you living in conditions such as:
- Overcrowded conditions
- Paying a very high percentage of your income for rent (more than 30 percent)
- Unsafe, unsanitary conditions
- Substandard housing – with a leaky roof, poor heating, or lacking proper plumbing
- Have lived or worked in Pinellas, Pasco, or Hernando for at least one year.
- Have one year of steady, reliable income.
- Other necessary income-related qualifications include a sufficient debt-to-income ratio, etc.\*\*
- Have reasonably good credit. We don’t require perfect credit. We consider families who demonstrate the ability to make regular payments on their bills.
\*Visit the [Apply page](https://habitattbg.org/apply/homeowner-application/) for the latest HUD numbers and other criteria.
*\*\*The income level required is based on the number of people who would be living in the home. This is between 30 percent and 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Pinellas County (the numbers are based on guidelines adjusted each year and defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)). These figures include all forms of income: employment, public assistance, social security, disability, child support, etc. The ranges above reflect the 2025 HUD guidelines.*
- [General Habitat FAQ](https://help.habitattbg.org/general-habitat-faq?hsLang=en)
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- [Homeowner FAQs](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [General FAQ](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#general-faq)
- [Loan Payoff](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#loan-payoff)
- [Taxes](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#taxes)
- [Escrow](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#escrow)
- [Insurance](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#insurance)
- [IRS Form 1098](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#irs-form-1098)
- [Special Loans](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#special-loans)
- [Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#servicemembers-civil-relief-act-scra)
- [Mortgage Assumptions](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#mortgage-assumptions)
- [Successors in Interest](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#successors-in-interest)
- [Payments](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeowner-faqs?hsLang=en#payments)
- [Homeownership Program FAQs](https://help.habitattbg.org/homeownership-program-faqs?hsLang=en)
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