The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (Minvu) launched the Building Materials Bank Card 2.0, "Your Home Your Way," with 20,000 places to repair homes nationwide. For the first time, the benefit includes apartments as well as houses.
According to La Tercera, the announcement was led by Housing Minister Iván Poduje, alongside Minister of Labor and Social Security Tomás Rau. Applications will open on November 9 and close on December 9.
The benefit works like a gift card for buying building materials. It is part of the DS27 Housing and Neighborhood Improvement program. According to Minvu, it covers only materials, excluding labor and transportation.
Purchases must be made at hardware stores with a current agreement with each region's Serviu (Housing and Urban Development Service). The ministry will publish the list on the day applications open.
Each family can choose one of four projects. Roof repairs, available only for houses, require savings of 1 UF ($39,732) and provide 25 UF (around $1,022,000). Bathroom repairs, available for houses and apartments, require 1 UF and provide 15 UF (about $613,000).
Installing or replacing perimeter fences, available only for houses, requires savings of 2 UF ($79,464) and provides up to 40 UF, around $1,635,000. The new category, floor improvements, covers ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, laminate flooring, glazed tiles and floating floors, requiring savings of 1 UF and providing a subsidy of 15 UF.
Savings are calculated using the UF value as of January 1, 2026. The subsidy amount will be calculated using the UF value on the award date.
Another change: male and female heads of household can now apply. Previously, the benefit was reserved for female heads of household.
Applicants must be 18 or older, be Chilean citizens or foreign nationals with permanent residency, and fall between 40% and 90% in the socioeconomic classification of the Social Household Registry (RSH). They must also own only one home and live in it.
People who received benefits from the DS27 program or the Family Property Protection Program (DS255) after 2016 cannot apply. Savings must be deposited by the application deadline at BancoEstado, Caja Los Andes, Coopeuch or Scotiabank.
The home must be in an urban locality with more than 5,000 inhabitants, have a tax-assessed value of up to 2,500 UF (around $102.8 million), and be at least 10 years old. Those applying for roof repairs cannot have asbestos sheets. One application per home is accepted.
Applications are submitted online at minvu.cl using ClaveÚnica. The system obtains family information from the Civil Registry and the RSH. Applicants must enter the property's Internal Revenue Service (SII) identification number, attach photos of the damage and accept a sworn declaration.
Poduje linked the measure to employment and the Chile Takes Off Plan. He said it would allow families to hire local tradespeople, hardware merchants, bricklayers and carpenters, and stimulate local commerce from Arica to Magallanes.
Sources disagree on when results will be available. In the quote reported by La Tercera, Poduje said they would be released at the end of the year. The statement published by G5 Noticias says they will be available in February 2027.
