A housing option that involves neither a rental nor a purchase but a hybrid arrangement under which residents pay for the right to occupy a unit, usually a townhouse or a suite, and access to all common areas and facilities. Residents own the leasehold interest in the unit, but not the unit itself. Life lease units are generally priced lower than comparable market rate housing options and owners pay a monthly fee to cover expenses such as maintenance and management. A life lease can be for the life of the tenant or for a specific term (e.g. 50 years), and some have no specified termination date. The majority of life lease communities are developed and owned by nonprofit organizations, charitable groups, service clubs or religious institutions. When a resident leaves or passes away, the lease can usually be sold to someone on the sponsor's waiting list or on the open market, or transferred back to the development's sponsoring organization. Some life lease agreements permit the interest to be passed to the resident's family through their will. Conditions of this right of transfer are determined by the organization that establishes the life lease project. Most sponsors, in consultation with the residents, restrict who can live in the building (e.g., a minimum age of 55) to ensure that the integrity of the community is maintained. Some properties, particularly those that target people with moderate and low incomes, have maximum income level limits and/or limits on total assets.

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Programs that make low-cost housing available to people who have very low incomes by organizing a group of volunteers to design and construct houses which are then sold at cost and at no interest to individuals who qualify by making a small down payment and investing a specified number of hours of "sweat equity" working on the project.

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