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The Boulder Housing Coalition (BHC) cooperatives have been developed with grant assistance from the City of Boulder’s affordable housing program. In exchange for this financial support the BHC has signed legal covenants requiring nearly all of the residents of our co-ops to income and asset qualify. Use the following to learn more about the income and asset qualification process
Income qualification is the process of proving that one has earned income below their potential cooperative’s income cap. Asset qualification is the process of proving one has liquid assets below $55,000.
New residents may not move in until the income qualification process has been completed. It’s a good idea to get the process started at the beginning of the application process, because it can take a while to gather all the necessary income- and asset-verifying documents. The Membership Coordinator for your potential co-op and the BHC Director of Operations will work with you to make sure all the necessary paperwork is turned in.
In addition to not making too much money, you must also demonstrate that you have a monthly income equal to or greater than 130% of your rent, utilities, and food.
A household is a group of people related by blood or other legal means, such as adoption or marriage. The following income caps are based on single-person households. Caps are higher for larger households.
Note: A household is a group of people related by blood or other legal means, such as adoption or marriage. For example, a single parent with 2 children would make up one household, consisting of 3 persons. A household may also consist of a single person. Each of our cooperatives has a different covenant, and each covenant has different income requirements. This is because we acquired the houses at different times in the evolution of Boulder’s real estate market, and they received different levels of support from the City (and in some cases County) of Boulder. Larger households will have higher income caps. Contact us for the exact numbers if your household has more than one member.
Documented earned income sources include:
Documented earned income sources DO NOT include:
Depending on the source of your income, there are different processes for providing this proof. Most commonly, you will submit two months of official pay stubs. If you have a new job and cannot provide pay stubs you can have your employer fill out our verification of employment form. The completed form is then sent directly from your employer to the BHC by fax or email (hand delivered income qualification paperwork cannot be accepted). If you have more than one job, you must have each of your employers complete this form.
If you have income that doesn’t come from being employed by someone else, there are other income qualification procedures. If you are self employed, if your house approves of it, you can qualify by fill out a self-employment affidavit. If you are unemployed at the time of your application to live in one of the co-ops, you will not be able to income qualify unless you can demonstrate another type of income listed above, such as government benefits or financial support from family. Should you become unemployed while living in one of the co-ops, there is another process available that will allow you to renew your lease, provided you have savings sufficient to fulfill your lease obligations. If you’re in one of these less common situations, contact the BHC Staff for more information.
All households, regardless of size, will need to provide documentation showing their liquid assets do not exceed $100,000.
Assets Include:
Assets DO NOT include:
To verify your assets you can send your last 6 months of statements. Or you can have the places that store your assets fill out this form and send it to BHC.
Residents must complete the income qualification process each year they live in the cooperatives, prior to renewing their leases. For the process to be complete the BHC Executive Director must have a copy of the resident’s signed lease and their income qualification paperwork on file.
Once you have income qualified and moved into one of the co-ops, your income may increase up to 40% beyond the cap, and you will still be allowed to renew your lease. If your income exceeds 140% of the income cap you will not be able to renew your lease.
Example 1: Linda works in a coffee shop and makes $200 a week in wages and tips. She works 50 weeks a year. She also works as a nanny for $50 a week for 50 weeks a year. Her total annual income is: (50 x $200) + (50 x $50) = $10,000 + $2,500 = $12,500. Each month at the Chrysalis Co-op Linda will be paying $500 in rent, $60 in utilities, and $145 for house food. Her financial obligation will thus be $500 + $60 + $145 = $705 per month, or $8,460 per year. Linda’s documented earned income of $12,500 is more than her financial obligation ($8,460), and less than the Chrysalis income cap ($38,250), so she will qualify to live at Chrysalis.
Example 2: Bobby wants to live at Masala, he receives $12,000 in Stafford student loans and a $4,000 Pell grant this year. He also works for the CU Rec Center part time, earning $100 per week for 50 weeks out of the year. Bobby’s employer has emailed BHC staff a form that documents his earned income of $5,000 per year. He wants to live at the Masala Co-op in a room that rents for $550 a month, plus $60 in utilities. Masala’s house food assessment is $160 per month. His financial obligation will be $550 + $60 + $160 = $770 per month, or $9240 per year. Bobby will not income qualify, because his documented earned income of $5,000 per year is less than his annual financial obligation to Masala of $9,240.
In addition, as a STUDENT Bobby will only qualify if he can meet one of the following conditions: 1. He is older than 24 years of age or 2. he has a documented disability or 3. he has dependents or 4) He is a veteran.
Example 3: Jolie is a nurse at Boulder Community Hospital earning $60,000 per year. Jolie wants to live at Ostara in one of the family apartments. The income cap for the Ostara apartments is 50% Area Median Income for Boulder County. In 2024, 50% AMI for a 1 person household is $51,5100. Jolie’s income is greater than the income cap for a single person at Ostara, but Jolie has 2 children so her household has 3 members. In 2024, 50% AMI for a 3 person household in Boulder County is $65,700. So Jolie can income qualify to live at Ostara.
Example 4: Darby is a teacher at a local preschool where they make $45,000 per year. Darby’s parent passed away a few years ago and Darby inherited $120,000. They invested in a traditional IRA which they will be able to draw from in 5 years when they turn 59 1/2. Darby is applying to live at Mango Manor, where they are below the income cap for a single person. Even though Darby has over $100,000 in their IRA, they aren’t at an age where they can draw from it without penalty, so this account does not count as liquid assets. Darby is able to income qualify for Mango Manor.
Q: I’m a student and I’m younger than 24, can I live in a BHC cooperative?
A: Due to city rules we are unable to rent to students under 24, unless they meet one of the City of Boulder’s Student Exemption requirements. A list of these exemptions can be found here.
Q: I am a student and I will be turning 24 soon after the lease start date, can I join the cooperative?
A: If you are a student, you must be 24 at the time of the lease start date or meet an alternative Student Exemption listed above.
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