Foundation Housing will calculate your rent in line with the Community Housing Rent Setting Policy which is set by the Department of Communities.
Your rent is calculated using a percentage of the household income plus 100% of your Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) rent assistance entitlement.
The percentage for each household will differ from 25-30% based off which band your household falls under.
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is an additional allowance paid by the Australian government to people on low incomes who rent privately or in community housing. We will deem you eligible for this payment where applicable.
If you are not receiving CRA and we have deemed you eligible for this payment, you will need to contact Centrelink to apply. If you are not receiving the amount we have deemed that you are eligible for, please contact us and we will investigate the issue further.
Income and Asset limits are set and updated yearly by the Department of Communities under the Community Housing Income and Asset Limit Policy. These limits differ depending on the location of your property (remote/metro), how many people live in your household and if there is anyone in your household living with a disability.
If you would like to understand more about which band your household falls under, please reach out to us and we will be happy to talk with you about your individual household band eligibility.
A rent variation takes place when there has been a change to the household income but the method of calculating your rent has not changed.
A rent increase occurs when there has been a change to the market value of your property or an increase in household income that changes the method of calculating your rent.
Foundation Housing needs to be advised of any changes to ensure we are charging the correct rent for your household. These changes include:
Please contact Foundation Housing to advise of any change in circumstance and we will assist you on what the next steps will be.
If you do not advise Foundation Housing of an increase to your household income, you may be committing rental fraud.
Tenants are encouraged to immediately advise of any change to household income to avoid this action.
You must always pay your rent on time and in advance otherwise you risk losing your tenancy. Rent can be paid in the following ways:
Paying your rent is absolutely critical to keeping your tenancy. Rent needs to be paid on time and in full. Centrepay is the simplest method for doing this and is the preferred method where possible. Your Housing Coordinator can provide advice and help with setting up Centrepay deductions.
Contact us immediately if you are having trouble paying your rent. The sooner we know the sooner we can put plans in place to help.
Foundation Housing will conduct up to 2 rent reviews per year. This is to ensure all tenants are paying the correct amount of rent according to their income.
When a rent review is completed you will be asked to provide updated income details. You can also request a rent review at any time if your income changes.