Understanding the public housing tenancy and rent reviews

• Some tenants haven’t had their rent reviewed for over five years, so they may not be paying the right amount.
• The reviews will help us make sure the home you live in meets your household’s needs, and that you’re rent is fair based on your income and circumstances.
• This review also gives us a chance to talk with you about your housing needs, and any extra support your household may need.

• We review tenancies to see if your circumstances have changed and to make sure tenants still need housing assistance.
• Our goal is to balance the needs of tenants and of applicants waiting on the housing register. We want to make sure subsidised social housing support, and the use of social housing assets, is maximised to support Queenslanders in greatest need.

• You might not hear from us right away. We will contact you over the next 12 months to let you know when your tenancy review will take place and what information you’ll need to provide.
• It’s important for you to let us know about any recent changes to your household or income.  This is still a requirement of your tenancy, so please let us know.

• During rent and tenancy reviews, we’ll talk with you to explain any changes and discuss your personal circumstances.
• If your rent needs to be increased, it will be capped at $15 per week each year for the next 2 years.
• You’ll receive 4 weeks’ notice before your rent increases. You won’t have to pay the new amount until then.
• If your rent decreases, this will happen immediately.
• If you need extra financial help, a Housing Service Centre can connect you with financial support services.

• Income is just one of the things we look at and the review will give us the chance to discuss your household’s needs.
• If your household is no longer eligible for social housing, we’ll work with you to fully understand your circumstances and explore other housing options.
• We have a range of products and services to help you find safe and stable housing. You may need more than one service to meet your needs. We can help you make informed choices about the right ones to apply for.

• A single parent with 2 kids earning up to $80,000 a year would remain eligible for ongoing housing assistance.
• You may no longer be eligible for ongoing social housing assistance if
  • your combined gross assessable income (for the tenants/and spouse) is more than $80,000 a year
  • you or anyone in your household owns, or partly owns, property in Australia or overseas.
• Individual circumstances will be considered as part of a tenancy review.
• Find out more about ongoing eligibility for social housing.

Some public housing properties are identified as reviewable properties.  This is based on the number of bedrooms and/or wheelchair accessibility of the property.

If your tenancy commenced on or after 1 October 2026, a reviewable property is:

• a home with 3 or more bedrooms, or
• a home that is fully wheelchair accessible.

If your tenancy commenced before 1 October 2026, a reviewable property is:

• a home with 5 or more bedrooms, or
• a home that is fully wheelchair accessible.

If you live in a reviewable property:

• you may need to move to a social housing property that meets your current needs and bedroom entitlements.
• we will not ask you to move unless someone on the housing register needs the reviewable property you live in.

If you do not live in a reviewable property and your home has spare bedrooms, you will be given the option to move to another social housing property that better suits your needs when one becomes available.

Eligible tenants whose needs have changed will be supported to transition to a more suitable social housing property. This includes help with reasonable moving costs.

• Unless you have had a recent change to your household or income, you do not need to contact us. We will contact you about the tenancy and rent reviews.