Home repair loans · $200 – $5,000Some things get dearer
every day they wait.
A leak becomes a ceiling. A furnace in November becomes a frozen pipe. This page sorts repairs into "now" and "can wait," shows what each one typically costs, and covers the ones that can't wait with a fixed monthly payment.
Soft credit check · Fixed monthly payments · Unsecured — your home is never collateral
Fix now, or fix in spring?
Borrowing makes sense for the left column. For the right, a month of saving usually beats a year of interest. Costs are typical U.S. ranges, rounded.
Now — it gets worse by the day
Water, heat, cold and electricity. Delay multiplies the bill.
- Active leak / burst pipe$300 – $1,500
- Water heater, failed$900 – $2,500
- Furnace or heat pump, winter$1,500 – $5,000+
- A/C, heat wave, with kids or elderly$1,200 – $5,000+
- Refrigerator, dead$700 – $2,000
- Electrical fault, breaker tripping$200 – $1,200
- Roof leak into living space$400 – $1,800
- Sewer backup$500 – $3,000
Can wait — save, then fix
Inconvenient, not compounding. Three months of saving beats twelve of interest.
- Dishwasher$500 – $1,200
- Cosmetic drywall, paint$200 – $800
- Fence or deck boards$300 – $2,000
- Garage door opener$300 – $700
- Dryer (line-dry for now)$500 – $1,100
- Window that sticks$300 – $900
- Flooring upgrade$1,000+
- Landscapingvaries
Renters: most of the left column is your landlord's responsibility. Put the request in writing and keep a copy before spending anything.
Six red flags, one good habit
The habit: three quotes for anything over $1,000, and borrow against the middle one.
Loan, lease-to-own, or the store's card
A dead fridge is the classic case where three financing offers land at once. Here's how a $1,200 replacement compares.
Store cards with deferred interest charge all back interest if a dollar remains after the promo — read the end date. Lease-to-own explained · Full comparison
A water heater, financed honestly
Illustrative, at our representative APR; your offer may be lower or higher. Choosing 18 months drops the payment to about $120 and adds about $170 in interest — the right call if $166 doesn't fit the tightest month. Try your own numbers
Asked with a bucket under the leak
Is a home repair loan secured by my house?
No. Zebit installment loans are unsecured personal loans — no lien, no appraisal, no risk to the house. That also means they're smaller and faster than a home equity loan or HELOC, which suit projects well above $5,000.
Can I get one with bad credit?
Yes. No minimum credit score; lenders weigh income and checking-account history. Bad credit loans
Does homeowners insurance cover this?
Sudden events — a burst pipe, storm damage, a tree through the roof — often yes, minus your deductible. Wear and tear, a worn-out water heater or furnace, generally no. Call before you borrow; a claim and a loan for the deductible is a common combination.
I rent. Who pays?
Habitability repairs — heat, water, electricity, leaks, working locks — are the landlord's by law in every state. Request in writing, keep copies, and check your state's repair-and-deduct rules before paying out of pocket.
Fix what can't wait
Soft check, real offers, funds next business day — and a fixed payment instead of a store card's deferred-interest cliff.
Checking your rate does not affect your credit score.