Apply for housing
How to apply for housing
Social housing is available to provide stability to vulnerable people least able to access and sustain housing through other housing options.
You can apply for social housing in various ways:
- Contact your nearest Housing Service Centre to arrange an interview to discuss your eligibility and housing needs. They will explain which documents to bring. As part of your interview, you need to sign a completed application form. Find the Housing Service Centre that manages areas where you’d like to live:
- Complete an Application for housing assistance and send to your nearest Housing Service Centre. We contact you to discuss your application.
- If you have more than 4 applicants you will also need to complete an Application for Housing Assistance – Additional Applicants . Submit this with your application.
- Apply through a long-term community or affordable housing provider, who sends the application to us on your behalf.
You can check your eligibility before you apply.
You must list 6 locations where you’d like to live and you may be offered a home in any of these locations.
You can list fewer than 6 locations if you:
- have a need to live in a particular location
- are applying for a property in a regional or remote area.
At the interview
During the interview, we assess:
- your housing and wellbeing needs
- whether you’re eligible for housing assistance
- where you want to live and how many bedrooms you’re entitled to
- any specific housing features you or your household members may require.
Note: It is an offence under the Housing Act 2003 to knowingly provide false or misleading information that may influence decisions about your eligibility for housing services.
If you’re eligible for housing
If you’re assessed as eligible for housing assistance, we add you to the housing register according to:
- the date of your approved application
- your housing need
- your preferred locations
- the type of housing (e.g. apartment, house) and number of bedrooms you're eligible for.
You are listed on the housing register for both public and community housing.
This gives you more housing options and could reduce the amount of time you wait for a home.
Review of your eligibility
We will contact you to review your eligibility while you’re on the Housing Register and before an offer of housing is made. Contact your nearest Housing Service Centre if:
- your household changes, e.g. you have additional household member/s or a household member leaves
- your household income or assets change
- there is a change to a household member’s health and they require specific housing features because of a medical condition or disability
- you need to change where you want to live
- you don’t want to be listed for housing anymore.