Rental Assessment Criteria for Community Housing Providers
Carry On’s properties are managed by Veteran Housing Australia which is a registered community housing provider (CHP) in Victoria. There are very strict guidelines for who qualifies for community housing and the rent setting of those properties. The following in brief the key elements of the non-taxable income provisions, all income provisions and the broad eligibility requirements for someone to be considered for community housing.
Eligibility Requirements
Income Limits
The Table below shows the current income limits that apply to successfully be considered for community housing. VHA has an exemption provided by Homes Victoria to not include DVA Compensation for the eligibility assessment. Anyone who is in receipt of the full TPI pension from DVA would not meet the income threshold if it were included in the assessment process.
| Household type | New weekly limit |
|---|---|
| Single person | $1,131 |
| Couple, no dependents | $1,731 |
| Family (one or two parents) with up to two dependent children | $2,334 |
| Each additional dependent | $379 |
Assest Limit
The asset limit is $37,212. Assets are the sum total of all possessions including, but not limited to furniture and personal effects, vehicles, property, shares and investments. VHA largely ignores this criterion as the majority of our tenants would not satisfy this criteria. This is purely discretionary on VHA’s behalf and if challenged, could result in many tenants being served with a Notice to Vacate under s91ZZEB Renter no longer meets Victorian Affordable Housing Programs eligibility criteria of the requirements.
Rental Assessment Parameters
Under the Victorian Housing Affordability Program VHA can charge up to 80% of Market Rent or 30% of the tenants (combined) income. VHA chooses to use a 75/25 ratio as an extra benefit for veterans. In the vast majority of cases the 25% rule applies to VHA’s tenants.
Rental Assessment, however, is based on “All Income” under the Act and no exemption is given for non-taxable income of any sort. This is done intentionally to ensure all people are paying rent based on their financial capacity which ensures that community housing is a viable financial proposition for providers and balanced for tenants.
Summary
VHA will always consider the personal circumstances of individual tenants when assessing rent and qualify criteria and look to provide the most cost-effective solution for veterans. At the very least, every Veteran housed by VHA receives a minimum rental discount of 25% against the market rate.
The key points of VHA’s position are:
– Income Limits – DVA Compensation payments exemption.
– Asset Limit – not applied.
– Rent Assessment – minimum saving of 25% against the Market Rent.
– We believe that we offer a value for money solution that provides the best opportunity for veterans on limited or fixed incomes to access housing under the community housing provisions from Homes Victoria.
Kind Regards
David McNamara
CEO Veteran Housing Australia
