Social Housing Eligibility and Allocations Policy Supplement

General properties

Public housing property owned or managed by Homes NSW or headleased from the private rental market

Clients with needs that can be met by the type, size and location of the particular property.

Aboriginal Housing Office Property

Properties that are owned by the Aboriginal Housing Office.

Clients that meet the Aboriginal Housing Office eligibility criteria.

Public housing properties subject to a Local Allocation Strategy

A Local Allocation Strategy is a specific allocation approach for a local area. When there is a Local Allocation Strategy in place, Homes NSW considers the needs of the community living in the local area as well as making sure that the client is matched to a property that meets their needs. Local Allocation Strategies are documented and regularly reviewed.

Clients who meet the household profile sought under the Local Allocation Strategy.

Housing for seniors or people living with a disability/SEPP5

These properties are subject to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing for seniors or people living with a disability) 2004. Formerly known as State Environmental Planning Policy Number 5.

• clients over 55 years of age
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients who are over 45 years
• clients who have a disability, as defined under the SEPP (Housing for seniors or people living with a disability) or
• a client whose partner (married or de facto) is aged over 55 years (over 45 years for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients) or has a disability, as defined under the SEPP (Housing for seniors or people living with a disability).

As per the SEPP (Housing for Seniors or People living with a Disability), people with a disability are defined as:

people of any age who have, either permanently or for an extended period, one or more impairments, limitations or activity restrictions that substantially affect their capacity to participate in everyday life.

As evidence of having a disability for the purposes of SEPP (Housing for Seniors or People with a Disability) social housing, clients will need to provide written evidence that they meet the criteria identified above. This could include evidence from a medical practitioner, or from any other appropriate source (such as a support service).

Pensioner (PPPH)

Pensioner properties

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients who are 45 years of age or over.
• Clients aged 55 years or over who are not Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Public housing senior communities (PPOPH)

The properties in these public housing complexes are specifically for older people

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients who are 45 years of age or over.
• Clients aged 55 years or over who are not Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
• Two person adult households where at least one person is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander who is over 45 years of age, or one person who is 55 years or over who is not Aboriginaland/ or Torres Strait Islander.

Modified property

Properties modified to cater for clients with a disability (in allocation areas where these properties are not readily available).

Clients who have demonstrated a need for a modified property

Ground floor property

Properties located on the ground floor of a unit complex (in allocation areas where these properties are not readily available).

Clients who have demonstrated a need for a ground floor property.

Level access

Properties with level access to an entry way (in allocation areas where these properties are not readily available).

Clients who have demonstrated a need for a property with level access.

Properties with yards

Properties with backyards (in allocation areas where these properties are not readily available).

Clients who have demonstrated a need for a backyard.

Studio and highrise

Clients whose needs are met by the size of the particular property, except where they have demonstrated that a studio or highrise unit is unsuitable.

Public, Aboriginal Housing Office or community housing properties

Homes NSW will match the client to public or Aboriginal housing.

Community housing providers will match the client to community housing.

Location of property

• Where the client is required to undertake a Locational Needs Assessment, housing providers will match to the allocation area the client has been approved for.
• For all other social housing clients, providers will match to the allocation area requested by the client

Homes NSW will:

• Match to specific locations within an allocation area when the client has demonstrated a need for this allocation area.
• Not match a client to a property in an area covered by a Local Allocation Strategy unless the client’s household meets the profile sought under the strategy.
• Take into consideration any geographical boundaries/restrictions agreed to in an Agreement.

Community housing providers will:

• Match a client to a property according to their own individual matching policies.

Type of property

For clients added to the NSW Housing Register on or after 20 October 1999, Homes NSW will match to a house, townhouse, unit, highrise unit or a studio unit according to availability.

Clients added to the NSW Housing Register before 20 October 1999, were able to request a house, cottage, townhouse, villa or a unit. This entitlement is retained by clients who have not changed their requested allocation area or property type since 20 October 1999.

Clients who either changed their allocation area, or told Homes NSW that their requested property type is no longer suitable, will be matched to a house, townhouse or unit (other than a highrise unit) according to availability.

Homes NSW will:

• Match a client to a specific type of property if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property.
• Match a client to properties with specific features (such as ground floor, level access, modifications, maximum number of stairs) if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property.
• Not match a client to properties that have specific features if the client has demonstrated that these features would make the property unsuitable for them.
• Include matches to highrise and studio units, except where the client has demonstrated that a highrise or studio unit is unsuitable.
• Where possible, match households with young children to properties with yards, subject to availability.

Community housing providers will:

• Match a client to a property according to their own individual matching policies.

Number of bedrooms

For clients added to the NSW Housing Register on or after 20 October 1999, Homes NSW will match to a bedroom allocation based on the size of the client’s household.

Homes NSW may match a household to a larger property than their minimum entitlement. This will happen if Homes NSW has a larger property available and Homes NSW's operating procedures allow it to be allocated to the household.

For clients added to the NSW Housing Register before 20 October 1999, Homes NSW will either match to the bedroom entitlement:

• Approved at the time of entry to the NSW Housing Register, or
• If this does not disadvantage the client, the bedroom allocation offered to clients added to the NSW Housing Register from 20 October 1999.

Homes NSW will:

• Match Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients to a property that has one more bedroom than the minimum bedroom entitlement for the household, if the client has requested this. Homes NSW has this policy in recognition of the family responsibilities of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients. These clients can ask for an extra bedroom on their application for housing assistance or at any time while they are on the NSW Housing Register,where they have selected public or Aboriginal housing as one of their preferred providers.
• Match to a bedroom allocation above the minimum entitlement if the client has demonstrated a need for a property of this size. For example, Homes NSW will allocate an additional room for a family member or carer to stay in if the client has demonstrated a need for this.
• Where possible, consider the future accommodation needs of children in the household.
• Include matches to studio units for a single person household, except where the client has demonstrated that a studio is unsuitable.

Community housing providers will:

• Match a client to a property according to their own individual matching policies.

Client not able to inspect the offered property within two working days of receiving the offer due to reasons such as:

• when a client has to travel a long distance to view the property; or
• client is suffering from an illness; or
• client has a disability or medical condition which requires additional support to view the property; or
• where there is a formal support agreement or arrangement (i.e. for people with impaired decision making) which requires a third party to approve the suitability of the property.

Information that substantiates the client’s reasons for not being able to inspect the property within the required timeframe, such as:

• a doctor’s certificate
• a letter from a support worker.

Client not able to sign a tenancy agreement within one week of accepting the offer due to:

• serious health reasons or disability, or
• family crisis or emergency.

Information that substantiates the client’s reasons for not being able to sign the tenancy agreement within the required timeframe, such as:

• a doctor’s certificate
• a letter from a support provider
• evidence of the family crisis or emergency and its impact on the client’s ability to sign the tenancy agreement.

Offer accepted

The client has accepted a property offered by a housing provider and signs a tenancy agreement.

A housing provider has attempted to contact the client to confirm eligibility prior to making an offer and the client has failed to respond to contact.

The client has provided no response to an offer of social housing.

Receipt of reasons from the client for rejecting an offer of a social housing property where it has been requested.

A rejection of an unreasonable offer

The client did not accept an offer that matches their housing needs and it has determined that the client’s reasons for rejecting the offer is:

• a reasonable refusal as the property did not meet their housing needs; and
• the client has provided acceptable supporting evidence to substantiate their reason/s for declining the offer.

Acceptable supporting evidence includes a:

• Medical Assessment Form; and/or
• letter from their doctor or a health care provider; and/or
• letter from their support provider
• letter from employer.

The client did not accept an offer that matches their housing needs and:

• The client did not provide any new, substantiated information about their needs within the required timeframe, or

The client did not accept an offer that matches their housing needs for a reason that is considered to be of personal preference, as it does not directly impact the client’s housing needs. Common examples include but are not limited to:

• wanting a property made out of brick
• wanting gas rather than electric cooking facilities
• not liking the neighbourhood
• not liking the cladding, internal or external layout, design, or colour scheme of the property
• wanting a bath rather than a shower
• wanting a different suburb (where locational need for a particular suburb has not been established)
• wanting a specific street
• wanting to live near shops, family, school (where locational need has not been established)
• wanting a different type of property (house, townhouse, villa or unit)
• wanting to live on a specific floor of a block of units
• wanting a senior’s community property only
• wanting to be matched to a property on the basis of the needs of their pet
• not wanting to accept a property that will be transferred to a community housing provider in the future, or

The client did not accept an offer that matches their housing needs due to not liking, or being unwilling to accept, the specific requirements of the housing provider, for example:

• The type or length of lease offered by Homes NSW.

The client did not respond to contact to confirm eligibility prior to making an offer.

Offer withdrawn

The client is matched to the property and:

• the property is now required for a client with more urgent needs, or
• the details of the offer were not provided to the client because the client’s needs or circumstances had changed.

Application suspended

Information from the client demonstrating that they are temporarily in a situation where they are unable to accept an offer due to circumstances beyond their control. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, situations where the client:

• is experiencing illness or hospitalisation
• is overseas or on holidays
• is in prison.

For more information on reasons and timeframes for suspension, see Managing the NSW Housing Register policy.