Community improvement and incentives

• Affordable Housing – Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Loan, Detached Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Forgivable Loans, Affordable Housing Development Loan, Dollars to Doors Affordable Units Program, Highly Supportive Housing Units Programs
• Brownfield – Contamination Assessment Study Grant, Development Charge Rebate Program, Tax Increment Grant
• Heritage – Tax Increment Grant, Development Charge Equivalent Grant
• Industrial Lands – Industrial Development Charge Grant
• Transit Oriented Development – Transit Oriented Development Per-Unit Forgivable Loan

• Argyle Core Area: map of area – No active programs
• Airport: map of area – Tax Increment Grant
• Core Area: map of area – Safety Audit Grant, Vacant Commercial Space Fit-Out Grant
• Downtown: map of area – Façade Improvement Loan, Upgrade to Building Code Loan, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Tax Grant, Office-to-Residential Conversion Grant, Core Area Safety Audit Grant, Residential Development Charges Grant
• Hamilton Road: map of area – Façade Improvement Loan, Upgrade to Building Code Loan
• Lambeth Area: map of area – Façade Improvement Loan
• Old East Village: map of area – Façade Improvement Loan, Upgrade to Building Code Loan, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Tax Grant, Core Area Safety Audit Grant, Residential Development Charges Grant
• SoHo: map of area – Façade Improvement Loan, Upgrade to Building Code Loan, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Tax Grant

The Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Loan offers financial assistance to property owners to help offset the costs of creating new additional residential units.

• The loan amount is the lesser of $45,000 or the cost of the eligible works for any ARU type at any rent. 

Eligibility criteria:

• The primary dwelling unit on the property is owner-occupied. 

• The property owner must have a valid Residential Rental Unit License (RRUL), which must be maintained and renewed annually with the City. 

• The ARU cannot operate as short-term rental accommodations. All tenants must enter into a formal residential lease agreement with a minimum term of 31 days. 

• The application must be approved before any work begins. 

• The loan is issued after the ARU has been created and paid for in full. 

• The loan is repaid over 108 equal monthly payments, starting one year after the loan is advanced. 

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

The Additional Residential Unit (ARU) forgivable loans offer financial assistance to property owners to help offset the costs of creating new detached additional residential units. 

The Façade Improvement Loan offers financial support for enhancing building exteriors, covering upgrades to windows, doors, brick repairs, painting, lighting, and signage attached to the façade.

• The loan covers 50% of the improvement costs, up to a maximum of $50,000. It is repaid over 10 years with 0% interest. In some areas, a portion of the loan may be forgiven.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be the registered property owner or an authorized agent.
• The application must be approved before any work begins.
• The property owner must maintain at least 10% equity in the property after the improvement.
• All City of London property taxes must be paid in full when the loan or grant is issued and remain current for the duration of the loan or grant.
• The property owner must have no outstanding debts to the City of London.
• The property must be located within an approved Community Improvement Project Area.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

The Office-to-Residential (OTR) Construction Conversion Grant offers a per-unit incentive grant, functioning as a forgivable loan, for eligible office-to-residential conversion projects

• The maximum grant is $35,000 per unit, subject to available funding. This grant applies to all unit types, including bachelor, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be the registered property owner or an authorized agent.
• The application must be approved before any work begins.
• The application must be submitted before or at the same time as the building permit application.
• The property owner must maintain at least 10% equity in the property after the improvement.
• The property owner must have no outstanding debts to the City of London.
• The property must be located within the Downtown Community Improvement Project Areas.
• The property must be an eligible vacant class 'B' or class 'C' building.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.
 

All funding under this program must be disbursed by September 8, 2027, meaning applicants must obtain their building permit and receive the grant by that date.

The Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Tax Grant refunds a portion of the municipal tax increase resulting from the rehabilitation of an existing building or the construction of a new one. A percentage of this tax increase is refunded to the property owner annually for a 10-year period.

• There is no maximum grant amount for this program. The total grant value is determined by the MPAC re-assessment of the redeveloped property. The grant amount will vary depending on the project and will decrease over the 10-year payback period. 

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be the registered property owner or an authorized agent.
• The application must be approved before work begins.
• The application must be submitted before or at the same time as the building permit application.
• The property owner must maintain at least 10% equity in the property after the improvement.
• City of London property taxes must be paid in full when the grant is issued and remain current for the duration of the grant.
• The property owner must have no outstanding debts to the City of London.
• The property must be located within the Downtown, Old East Village, or SoHo Community Improvement Project Area.
• The annual grant cannot exceed the municipal portion of the property tax collected for the property in any given year.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

The Residential Development Charges Grant program is designed to encourage private sector investment in residential property development in the Downtown and Old East Village areas. A grant, equal to a rebate of residential Development Charges (DCs), is offered for each new residential unit constructed.

• The maximum grant amount per property is equal to the net residential DCs paid. The program reimburses a portion of the residential DCs paid by the applicant over a 10-year period, until 100% of the residential DCs have been refunded.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be the registered property owner or an authorized agent.
• The application must be approved before any work begins.
• The application must be submitted before or at the same time as the building permit application.
• The property owner must maintain at least 10% equity in the property after the improvement.
• The property owner must have no outstanding debts to the City of London.
• The property must be located within the Downtown or Old East Village Community Improvement Project Areas.
• Applicants who choose to pay development charges over 21 annual installments are not eligible for this grant program.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Per-Unit Forgivable Loan Program offers financial assistance per unit to help cover the costs of eligible projects, such as mixed-use developments, new housing, or converting office spaces into residential units.

• The maximum forgivable loan is $15,000 per unit, up to a maximum of $1,500,000 per project, subject to available funding. This forgivable loan applies to all unit types, including bachelor, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units.

Eligibility criteria:

• The Applicant must be the Property Owner of the Property or an authorized agent (including building tenant or contractor who has been retained to undertake improvements).
• The property owner must construct a mixed-use or residential development with a minimum of 20 residential units or undertaking an office-to-residential conversion project with no minimum project size.

• Applications to the program will be accepted by staff during the application window of January 5, 2026 to March 27, 2026.

• After the application window has closed, applications will be scored against the Council approved application evaluation matrix to determine what applications will receive funding.
• The property must be located within the eligible area of the Transit Oriented Development Community Improvement Project Area.
• There are no City of London Building Division orders or deficiencies and no by-law infractions relating to the Property at the time the forgivable loan is issued.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

The Upgrade to Building Code Loan offers financial support for interior improvements to your building, including upgrades to plumbing, electrical systems, HVAC, mechanical systems, roofing, fire protection systems, and other work required to meet Building Code standards.

• The loan covers 50% of the improvement costs, up to a maximum of $200,000. It is repaid over 10 years with 0% interest. In certain areas, a portion of the loan may be forgiven.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be the registered property owner or an authorized agent.
• The application must be approved before any work begins.
• The property owner must maintain at least 10% equity in the property after the improvement.
• The property owner must have no outstanding debts to the City of London.
• The property must be located within an approved Community Improvement Project Area.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility.

Helps business owners and tenants pay for the cost of setting up empty spaces so they can begin business operations. 

• The grant amount covers 50% of the improvement costs, up to a maximum of $50,000.

Eligibility criteria: 

• The application must be approved before any work begins.
• The business must fall under a targeted commercial use as listed in the program guidelines.
• City staff will conduct site visits both before and after the improvements to verify that work has been completed.
• The term of the lease must be a minimum of two years (if the business owner is a tenant).
• The property must be located within the Core Area Community Improvement Project Area excluding any property owned or leased by the City or City agencies, boards, or commissions.
• For businesses in the Downtown relocating to a new commercial space, the area of the proposed location must be greater than the current location.
• Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Please contact City staff to confirm your eligibility. 

Funding will be issued once the Loan or Grant Agreement is signed and the City verifies that the work is complete. This verification may include, but is not limited to:

• A letter from the owner certifying the completion of the work
• Photos of the completed work
• Contractor payment records
• Confirmation that all applicable permit sign-offs have been obtained