Paying unpaid rent when you leave
If you move out of your property in an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Local Government Area without paying rent that you owe, you will end up with a debt.
Find out who you owe rent to and how to pay it.
Who you owe rent to
We (the Department of Housing and Public Works) manage tenancies for:
- social housing 40-year leases—where we collect and retain rent as the landlord
- agency appointment—where we collect rent on behalf of your local Council.
Social housing 40-year lease properties
If you live in a social housing 40-year lease property that we manage (the department is the landlord) and you move out without paying your rent, you will have a debt with us.
If you’re unsure if you owe rent, ask Housing staff to check your records or download the free Tenant Assist Qld app to check the balance of your rent or maintenance.
Agency appointments
If you live in a property that we manage under an agency appointment on behalf of the Council and you move out with rent owing, you will have a debt with the Council.
If you’re unsure if you owe rent to the Council, ask Council or Housing staff to check for you.
How to pay your unpaid rent
There are several ways you can make payments. Talk to Council or Housing staff who will help you arrange one of the following options.
Rent Deduction Scheme
The Rent Deduction Scheme is an easy, electronic way to pay directly from your Services Australia (Centrelink) payment into your rental account.
The Rent Deduction Scheme is free to set up. You can also use the Rent Deduction Scheme to pay:
- maintenance debts
- bond loan repayments.
You will need to complete the Rent Deduction Scheme (RDS) Authority for Housing Payments form (PDF, 2 MB).
Payroll deduction payments
Payroll deduction is an easy way to pay directly from your wages into your rent account.
Talk to Housing staff about the information you need to set this up directly with your employer.
Bank direct debit payments
You can pay by direct debit from your bank account. This means your bank will automatically send money to us for you.
We don’t charge any fees for this service, but your bank may charge you a transaction fee.
You may be charged a dishonour fee by your bank and the Department if there isn’t enough money in your account.
You will need to complete the Direct debit request form (PDF, 1.4 MB).
Direct Deduction Facility
Rent is automatically taken out of your Department of Veterans’ Affairs payments each fortnight.
This option is free of charge, and your unpaid rent is sent to us even if you’re on holidays or ill.
You can also pay maintenance debts using the Direct Deduction Facility.
You will need to complete the DVA Direct Deduction Facility (DVA DDF) Authority for Housing Payments (PDF, 559.3 KB) form.
Payment Slip
Payment Slips can be used to pay at any Australia Post Office using your ‘Rent’ barcode.
You can also use your Payment Slip to make rent payments using BPay.
If you lose your Payment Slip, your nearest Housing Service Centre will replace it for you. You can also find the rent barcode details on the back of your tenancy letters or account statement if you still have them.
The Payment Slip details are also available in the Tenant Assist Qld App or online.
BPay
You can pay directly from your bank account using the phone or internet.
To use BPay, you must be registered for phone or internet banking. If you haven’t used BPay before you will need to contact your bank to register.
To pay rent with BPay:
- Look for the BPay logo on your payment slip.
- Contact your phone banking service or log into your internet banking.
- Select the bill payment option and follow the instructions.
- You will need to enter information:
- our biller code 747337
- your customer reference number; and
- how much you want to pay.
- Wait for a payment receipt number. Write this number down in case there are any problems with the payment going through.
If you don’t agree with the debt
Talk to Housing staff about why you don’t agree with the debt.
If you still don’t agree after talking with us, you can request a debt review either in writing, by telling us in person or over the phone, or you can complete a Debt Review Request Form.
A debt review considers if the debt was applied correctly, if the tenant is responsible for some or all of the debt, and if there are special circumstances or cultural reasons that should be considered.
If your tenancy was managed under an agency appointment, we will also talk to the Council about your request for a debt review.
You can provide information about your circumstances and why you don’t agree with the debt as part of this review process. The department will send you a letter with the outcome when the review is completed.