Own a property on Nantucket?

The Lease to Locals Program (the “Program”) is a long-term rental conversion program that provides multi-year cash incentives to Property Owners who switch the use of their property to become a new long-term rental leased by a Qualified Household. The goal of the program is to increase the supply of year-round housing available for locals and full-time employees working on Nantucket.

Eligible Properties must meet the following requirements:

• Housing Unit: A housing unit is a house (primary or secondary dwelling), an accessory dwelling unit, a single room or multiple single rooms intended for occupancy living quarters (excluding commercial lodging). Excludes deed-restricted and subsidized units.
• Location: The Housing Unit must be located in the County of Nantucket, MA.
• Type: A whole home or room(s) in a shared home can be rented.
• Status: The Housing Unit must be a legally permitted dwelling unit and each bedroom in the property must have a door and window.
• New Rental: The Housing Unit must not have already been occupied as an existing year-round rental in the past 12 months. 
• Property Condition: The Housing Unit must meet basic health and safety criteria as may be required per Massachusetts law and regulations 

Property Owner: The individual(s) or legal entity that holds the deed to the property, as reflected on the Assessor or Registry of Deed records.  

Maximum Grants: Each property owner or ownership group is limited to participating in the Program with no more than 2 properties.

Signed Lease Agreement and Complete Application Packet: The Property Owner must complete an application and sign a Long-Term Lease with a Qualified Household. The complete application packet must be submitted within 45 days of the start of the lease. 

Lease Compliance Checks: The Property Owner must comply with the lease agreement for the full length of the lease and will be checked for compliance by Placemate, Inc., at six (6) months in the lease. Failure to comply with the lease requirements at any time shall disqualify the Property Owner for grant payments.

Fair Housing Act Compliance: The Property Owner must comply with the Federal Fair Housing Act which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

A Qualified Household is any group of individuals living together in one home as their primary residence, where at least half of the adults are Qualified Tenants.

A Qualified Tenant is an adult who is not of blood relation or employed by the Property Owner. All Qualified Tenants in the Qualified Household can not exceed the Income Limits for the Household Size and must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Employed year-round at least 30 hours per week (over 1,500 hours per year) for an employer based on Nantucket or with a physical location on Nantucket. Exceptions to the 1,500 hours per year requirements can be made for education providers. 
• A Year-Round resident who derives income from self-employment whose business is in Nantucket. 
• A non-resident who has accepted a full-time job offer from a Nantucket employer establishment.
• A person unable to work or who does not have a work history due to a qualifying disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Currently a Year-Round resident of Nantucket and contributing to the Nantucket community by serving on a Town board/committee, volunteering with a local non-profit or community based organization, participating in the Town’s art/cultural scene, or providing a similar benefit to the community.
• Retirees who have lived in Nantucket for 10 of the past 12 months.
• A full-time, parent or guardian of a child under the age of 4.
• A dependent child of a Qualified Tenant.
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Qualified Tenants shall have a total household income that does not exceed 240 percent of the Nantucket County Area Median Income (AMI) Limits, adjusted for Household Size, established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Note, this limit is set by Nantucket’s Affordable Housing Trust and is subject to modifications.

Household Size is defined as the total number of Qualified Tenants.

The following chart contains the maximum household income limits for 2025:

First create a renter profile with Placemate. Once we have that information on file we can send you prospective properties that fit your criteria. Take a look at our Listings Page to review any rentals that may be available.

Prior to disbursing grants, the Town of Nantucket will review documentation submitted by Placemate, Inc. including a copy of the fully executed lease agreement(s), Proof of qualifications for Tenants, and a Property Owner Application.

The Town of Nantucket will issue the first half of the grant payment to the Property Owner within forty five (45) days of the Qualified Household taking occupancy of the Housing Unit.

The Town of Nantucket will issue the second half of the grant payment to the Property Owner within forty five (45) days of the end of the lease. Payments shall be issued to the Property Owner as their legal name(s) appear on recorded property ownership documents.

Property Owners who renew their lease with a Qualified Household may be eligible for additional incentives in Year 2 and Year 3, equal to 50% and 25% of their Year 1 incentive amount, respectively.

Property Owners can extend with their existing tenants or replace them with Qualified Tenants. If the new Qualified Household has fewer Qualified Tenants the incentive would be reduced accordingly. If the new Qualified Household has more Qualified Tenants the available incentive does not increase.

Note, properties seeking to renew their lease must adhere to the rental increase restrictions laid out above in the Rental Caps section.