Rent setting in community housing can be a complicated matter because of the variety of programs and funding sources and the need for rent levels to meet the requirements of DHHS, the Housing Registrar, the Residential Tenancies Act and the Australian Taxation Office. This is further complicated by the need for rents to include Commonwealth Rent Assistance at a level where the tenant’s rental expenses emulate those in public housing. Further complexity arises when there are additional property costs for use of services and facilities, as in rooming houses.

This course will provide community housing staff with an understanding of the rules governing how community housing rents are set, how rents should be expressed on tenancy agreements and how rents are calculated. It will include:

• What rules apply to how community housing rents are set?
• Government funding requirements
• Different housing programs – different rent-setting parameters
• DHHS Guidelines for Registered Housing Agencies
• DHHS General Lease Guidelines
• Regulation – Housing Registrar

• • • • Performance standards
      • Monitoring

• Residential Tenancies Act requirements
• Australian Taxation Office requirements
• Household income based rents

• • Assessable income
  • Rates of assessment
  • Maximising Commonwealth Rental Assistance (CRA)
  • Application of cap based on market rent

• Expression of rent on tenancy agreements (market rent or rebated rent)
• Calculating rent (no additional property costs)
• Calculating rent (with additional property costs)
• Calculating rent (with service charges instead of additional property costs)

It would be suitable for:

• Tenancy workers
• Managers of community housing tenancy workers
• Community housing finance workers