Who is eligible for rent assistance?
To be eligible for rent assistance, a person must:
- be a service pension, income support supplement (ISS) or veteran payment recipient,
- pay rent, or be liable to pay rent, other than government rent,
- pay more than a minimum amount of rent known as the rent threshold,
- be in Australia, or within the first 26 weeks of a temporary absence from Australia, unless an Extension applies
- not have partner receiving an incentive allowance from Centrelink,
- not be receiving government subsidised care other than respite care,
- not be an ineligible property owner, and
- have not lost entitlement because of rent assistance payable with family tax benefit A (FTB Part A) payments.
Temporary Absence – Extension beyond 26 weeks
Where the Commission is satisfied that the person’s absence is temporary and the person is unable to return to Australia because of an event referred to in subpoint SCH6-C3(3) of Schedule 6 of the VEA, Rent Assistance beyond 26 weeks when temporary absent and unable to return to Australia may be extended
The circumstances where rent assistance may be extended beyond 26 weeks when temporary absent from Australia include:
- a serious accident involving the person or a family member of the person;
- a serious illness of the person or a family member of the person;
- the hospitalisation of the person or a family member of the person;
- the death of a family member of the person;
- the person’s involvement in custody proceedings in the country in which the person is located, a legal requirement for the person to remain outside Australia in connection with criminal proceedings (other than criminal proceedings in respect of a crime alleged to have been committed by the person);
- robbery or serious crime committed against the person or a family member of the person;
- a natural disaster in the country in which the person is located;
- a public health crisis affecting Australia or the country in which the person is located or both;
- political or social unrest in the country in which the person is located;
- industrial action in the country in which the person is located, and
- a war in the country in which the person is located.
Rent assistance not payable for service rendered cases
Rent assistance is not payable where the person has been provided accommodation free of charge in return for services rendered. For example, where an income support pensioner receives accommodation for free in exchange for services as a housemaster and does not actually pay any rent, rent assistance is not payable.
Rent assistance and temporary accommodation
Rent assistance is not generally payable for temporary accommodation, such as holiday accommodation. However, rent assistance may be payable in cases where the person requires specific medical treatment that is unavailable in the area where their principal home is located. In this circumstance, rent assistance may be assessed based on the temporary circumstances if there is likely to be accommodation costs for this temporary period. This would only apply in cases where it is reasonable to regard the temporary accommodation as the person's principal home. Rent assistance is only payable on one residence at a time, so where rent assistance is paid for the temporary accommodation it is not payable on the person's permanent principal residence.
Rent assistance may also be payable where temporary accommodation is required because the principal home is not habitable due to damage or the requirement for repairs to be made. In these circumstances the person's inability to occupy the principal home means that they do not have reasonable security of tenure, based on continued occupancy, and so they are not regarded as being a property owner for rent assistance purposes.
Rent assistance eligibility for people in care
A person who is in care may, in some circumstances, be eligible for rent assistance. Their eligibility depends on whether or not the accommodation cost is subsidised under the Aged Care Act 1997 and the type of care they are receiving.