My Tenancy

Paying your rent

Paying your rent on time is an important part of sustaining your tenancy. Your rent is due each fortnight and must be paid two weeks in advance.

You can pay your rent by BPAY, internet banking or by making an EFTPOS payment at any Housing Choices WA office.

If you are a Centrelink customer, you can set up Centrepay Deductions, so your rent is paid directly to us each fortnight.

You can also give permission for us to change your Centrepay deduction if your rent changes. We will always tell you if we have made any change to your deduction.

How we calculate your rent

We set rents based on your household income and assets to make sure your rent is affordable in relation to what you earn.

We also cap your rent, so it is never more than 74.99% of market rent (market rent is the rent charged in the private rental market).

You will either be charged 25% or 30% of your assessable household income (depending on how much you earn) plus 100% of your Commonwealth Rent Assistance entitlement up to a maximum of 74.99% of market rent.

How we review your rent

We will review your rent once a year and when you advise us your household income has changed. This is so we can make sure you are within the income limits for community housing and are paying the correct rent.

When your rent review is due, we will ask you to complete and return an Eligibility and Rent Assessment form and provide proof of income for everyone over the age of 16 living in your property.

Completing rent review paperwork is very important. If we don’t receive all the information we need, you may be charged maximum rent for your property.

If you have difficulty completing forms or providing proof of income, please contact your local office and ask to speak to a member of the Rent Review team or email rentreview-wa@hcau.org.au.

Changes in household circumstances

It’s important you let Housing Choices know if people move in or out of your home, as this will change your household income, and may affect your rent.

Please notify your Tenancy Officer within 14 days if any of the following changes occur:

• A household member begins or stops working.
• There is a new (approved) household member.
• A household member leaves.
• A household member’s work hours and income change.
• If a Centrelink benefit changes (eg. when a child turns 16 and you no longer receive family tax and/or parenting payments).
• A child turns 18.

Please contact our Rent Review team by phoning your local office or emailing rentreview-wa@hcau.org.au if you have any questions about how your rent may change if your household circumstances change.

How we notify you of your new rent

We will always notify you in writing of your new rent. Your letter will:

• Confirm your continued eligibility for affordable housing.
• Tell you what your rent calculation formula is, and if it has changed.
• What your new rent is and whether your rent has increased, decreased, varied or remained the same.
• The date your new rent starts.
• How much Rent Assistance is included in the calculation.

Please contact the Rent Review Officer who sent you your advice letter or email rentreview-wa@hcau.org.au if you have any questions about how your rent has been calculated.

What happens if I don’t pay my rent on time?

If you are finding it hard to pay your rent and are worried about falling behind with your payments, please contact your Tenancy Officer as soon as you can so we can work with you to make sure you stay on track.

The earlier you get in touch with us the better. If you do fall behind, we can set up a repayment plan to pay any money you owe at a reasonable rate. We can also help link you to financial counselling services who can help with food relief, bills, budgeting and more.

While we will make every effort to work with you to sustain your tenancy, if you continue to get into serious arrears, are not willing to work with us and fail to keep to repayment arrangements we may need to take legal action which could ultimately lead to you losing your home.

When we visit your home

As a landlord we visit your home for routine property inspections, building condition assessments, to carry out necessary maintenance or when there is an emergency.
Where possible we will always try to negotiate a suitable day and time with you to visit your home.

Routine Property Inspections

As a landlord we can visit you for up to 4 routine inspections per year. This visit is done by your Tenancy Officer. We will always write to you and give you 7-14 days’ notice your routine inspections.

We know that inspections may be a cause of anxiety or stress for some tenants, but we want to assure you that the purpose of a routine inspection is not to judge you on how you live but to make sure your property is well maintained, safe and to identify any repairs or maintenance issues.

We encourage tenants and / or carers to attend inspections so we can discuss any issues and answer any questions you may have. If you are not able to be home for the inspection, we will use our set of office keys to carry out the inspection at the scheduled day and time.

If possible, please make sure your pet is secured when we visit your home for an inspection. An example of this is putting your dog on a leash or your cat in a carrier.

This is to ensure the safety of our staff as well as the safety of your pet.

If there are any issues with the condition of your home, we will work with you to ensure your property is well maintained.

Building Condition Assessments

Approximately every three years we will visit your home to do a Building Condition Assessment (BCA). This visit is done by staff from our property services team.

These assessments are not routine property inspections. The purpose of the visit is to assess the physical condition of specific items in the property to plan for future upgrades and long-term maintenance.

During these visits our Technical Services Officers will assess the condition of your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, flooring, and painting in and outside your home to see when they might need replacing.

If you do need to have planned refurbishment works carried out in your home our property services team will work with you to provide all the information you need and make sure you experience as little disruption as possible.

Can I get a pet?

In WA, you need approval from your landlord if you would like to have a pet. We will always approve pets where we can, but we need to check things like legal restrictions, local government regulations and strata-by laws. Any other restrictions need to be approved by the Consumer Protection Commissioner on a case-by-case basis.

If you do get a pet, you may need to pay a Pet Bond of $260 which covers the cost of fumigation of the property if you move out.

To apply for a pet, you can download the form from here or contact your Tenancy Officer directly to talk about your request.

When do I need to contact Housing Choices WA?

As a tenant it is your responsibility to get in touch with us around matters that impact your tenancy.

Please contact us:

• If someone has moved in or out of your home.
• If anyone in the household has an income that has increased or decreased.
• If you want to keep a pet.
• If you want to make any alteration, addition or modification to the property.
• If you want to leave the property for longer than 4 weeks.
• If you are having problems paying your rent.
• If there is any damage to property or repairs that need to be done

Can I move to another Housing Choices WA property?

If your circumstances change and you need to move to another property, you may be eligible for a transfer.

Due to the ongoing demand for housing, Housing Choices will only consider transfer applications that meet our transfer criteria. Circumstances making you eligible can include a property being too big or small for your needs, or you have a medical issue that makes your property unsuitable.

When applying for a transfer we encourage tenants to be flexible regarding the type and location of property they wish to move to as this will increase your chances of being transferred. Unfortunately, we can’t advise how long it will take to be transferred as this depends on property availability.

If your need to move is urgent and this is supported by medical or support professionals, you should contact your Tenancy Officer for an assessment.

What happens if I want to end my tenancy?

If you want to move out, you will need to give Housing Choices WA at least 21 days written notice of your intention to end your tenancy.

You can give notice by writing, email or completing an End of Tenancy Form. Once we have received your notice, we will contact you to discuss the moving out process.

Please be aware that if you give us less than 21 days’ notice, you will still be charged rent and be responsible for the property for the minimum notice period.

If you are a resident in one of our lodging houses you will need to give Housing Choices WA at least 3 days written notice before moving out.

More information

You can find out more information about rent setting, moving out and other policies and resources by visiting our Policies page.