Final IPART report and NSW Goverment response

Review of social and affordable housing rent models

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) review of rent models for social and affordable housing was a commitment by the NSW Government under Future Directions.

In June 2016, the former Premier wrote to IPART instructing it to undertake a review of social and affordable housing rent models. The Terms of Reference asked IPART to recommend an appropriate rent setting framework that improves incentives for workforce participation. IPART was also asked to consider:

• eligibility criteria
• waitlist prioritisation policies
• other subsidised housing assistance.

IPART released its final report to the Minister on 6 July 2017. It contains 29 recommendations about changes that could be made to the social housing system in NSW. IPART’s final report was made available by the NSW Government on 4 September 2017.

Read the NSW Government response to the final report.

Next steps

We will further consider the remaining IPART recommendations as part of its ongoing social housing strategy development.

We have a strong and positive vision for a sustainable and responsive social housing system which:

• houses those most in need
• provides quality support services to tenants
• builds the capability of community housing providers.

We want the social housing system continues to provide a safety net for the most vulnerable in our community. It is also a priority of the NSW Government to provide the right supports, opportunities and incentives to help those who can move towards housing independence, and to ensure that the system is sustainable. We will only consider and implement changes to the system that are fair and help to improve people’s lives.