Vermont’s housing market has never been simple to navigate, and if you’re renting right now, you already know that firsthand. Whether you’re searching for a new place, trying to make your current situation more stable, or quietly wondering what it might take to own a home someday, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out without support.
This month, we’re talking about renting in Vermont: what resources exist, what’s changing in the market, and if ownership is somewhere on your horizon — how you can start laying the groundwork today.
Vermont’s Rental Market: What Renters Are Facing
Across the state, renters are feeling the squeeze. Availability is tight, costs are rising, and lease turnovers create a stressful scramble for households looking to move or stay put.
Stability matters — not just for your day-to-day quality of life, but because having a safe, affordable place to live is often what makes everything else possible: holding a steady job, building savings, and yes, eventually buying a home. That’s why the work being done to expand affordable rental housing in Vermont matters so much.
Better Rental Housing Is Being Built — Right in Your Community
Our Housing Development team is working hard to keep a strong pipeline of new construction running to create apartments that remain permanently affordable- from this generation to the next. Just next month, Alice Holway Drive in Putney will be welcoming new residents to their new homes. We’ll also be breaking ground on a transformative project in West Brattleboro which will bring 70 new homes (both rental and homeownership) onto the market. Sign up for vacancy alerts here!
The Vermont Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) provides grant funding to private landlords to rehabilitate apartments that aren’t up to code and bring them back to market at fair or below-market rents. More affordable, quality rental units means more Vermonters can find stable housing — and stability is where every homeownership journey begins.
Windham & Winsor Housing Trust is the organization that administers VHIP in our region. If you’re a landlord with units that need work, pass this info on! Learn more about VHIP →Here! Accepting project applications through May 13th.
If Homeownership Feels Far Away, Start Here
Here’s something we hear a lot: “I’d love to own someday, but I don’t even know where to start.”
That’s exactly what our homebuyer education classes are designed for — and they’re not just for people who are ready to buy. They’re for anyone who wants to understand the path: how credit works, what lenders look for, how to save strategically, and what programs exist to make homeownership more accessible in Vermont.
You don’t need a down payment saved to walk through the door. You just need to be curious about what’s possible. In fact, if you’re a current resident of WWHT and up to date on rent, the $99 fee is waved!
Register for a homebuyer education class → Here
Renting and Owning Aren’t Opposites
The truth is, renting smartly is often the first chapter of owning. Building your credit, understanding your budget, knowing your rights as a tenant — all of it matters. And the organizations in the NeighborWorks Vermont network are here to support you through every chapter, not just the one where you’re ready to sign a purchase agreement.
Wherever you are in your housing journey, there’s a next step. We’d love to help you find it.
Windham & Windsor Housing Trust is a member of the NeighborWorks Vermont network, a statewide group of nonprofit housing organizations committed to helping Vermonters find stability and build opportunity through housing.
