Rise Housing, on behalf of the City of Alameda, is now accepting pre-applications [1] for three Below Market Rate (BMR) Homeownership Waitlist lotteries for 2026. Separate waitlist applications and lotteries will be held for very low-income, which is 50% of Area Median Income (AMI), low-income (80% AMI), and moderate-income (120% AMI) households. Households are welcome to apply for all of the waitlists. Preference points apply.
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A lottery for each waitlist will be held on July 9, 2026. These waitlists will be used to fill any available BMR homes that come up for sale. All applications will expire the day before the subsequent annual lottery’s start date.
Deadline
Eligible pre-applications received by July 6, 2026, will be included in the lottery list ranking held on July 9, 2026.
Eligible applications received after July 6, 2026, will be accepted and placed at the end of the income and preference category’s ranked lottery list based on household income.
Those who applied for the 2025 BMR waitlist must reapply for the 2026 BMR waitlist to be considered for any BMR homes that become available that will utilize the City’s waitlists for buyer selection.
Maximum income limits
See the chart below to determine if your household is within the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s maximum income limits [3] for Alameda County below. The amounts shown are effective as of May 26, 2026.
Note that “AMI” refers to Area Median Income, which is the midpoint of annual incomes of residents in a given area. The chart shows the income limits, according to household size, for 50%, 80%, and 120% of AMI.
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Application details
More details about the application are available on the Rise Housing Solutions City of Alameda 2026 BMR Ownership Waitlist Application [1] website. Learn more about eligibility requirements, how to apply, preference points, the lottery process, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the homes for sale.
To complete a waitlist application on that site, click the appropriate link below:
- Very Low Income [5]
- Low Income [6]
- Moderate Income [7]
You may apply for more than one waitlist if you believe you qualify.
If you need a paper application, please email [email protected] [8] or call 415-301-5448 to have a paper application emailed or mailed to you.