Guide to applying for housing assistance
Check your eligibility
To ensure that both public housing and community housing are used by those in highest need, we apply an eligibility test.
Being eligible does not guarantee that you will be offered a home. People with more urgent and complex needs are offered housing assistance ahead of people with less complex needs.
If you're not eligible for public and community housing, we'll help you understand how to access other housing products and services that might meet your needs.
To be eligible for public and community housing, you must:
- be a resident of Queensland
- be an Australian citizen or have permanent residency in Australia
- not own or part-own any type of property in Australia or overseas
- meet the assets limit for your household type
- be experiencing these wellbeing factors because of your current housing situation:
- you have a reason to need to move as your current home is affecting your wellbeing and is not meeting your housing needs
- you have at least 2 non-financial wellbeing needs that make it hard for you to have your housing needs met through other housing options, including things that affect your health and safety
- you have 1 financial need which shows you are experiencing significant financial difficulties, making it hard for you to have your housing needs met through other housing options, and your household income is within the eligibility limits.
- be earning within the social housing income eligibility limits for your household
- have an independent income so you can pay rent and financially manage a tenancy.
You must also prove your identity.
If you want to live in a remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, you must also:
- identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or both, and/or
- have permission from the Council or Trustee to live in the community.
Read on for details about each eligibility criteria that you and the people listed on your application must meet.
1. Queensland residency
You (the person signing the application for social housing and who would become the legal tenant) must live in Queensland.
We may make an exception if you live in a border area or are applying from another Australian state or territory and can prove that you have a definite need to move to Queensland.
Other exceptions may apply—talk to your nearest Housing Service Centre.
2. Australian citizenship or permanent residency
You (the person signing the application and who would become the legal tenant) need to either:
- be an Australian citizen
- be a permanent resident of Australia
- have a Permanent Protection Visa or Resolution of Status Visa
- have a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa
- have a Bridging Visa and have applied for a Protection Visa or Resolution of Status Visa
- be on a Temporary Protection Visa.
If you've applied for permanent residency, a Permanent Protection Visa or a Resolution of Status Visa, you can apply for housing assistance. However, you won't be considered for an offer of public and community housing until your residency is resolved.
3. Property ownership
You and all the people listed on your application must not own or part-own property in Australia or overseas, including:
- a residential home (house, flat, unit or townhouse)
- a manufactured or transportable home
- vacant land, including rural property
- land on which a mobile home, cabin, caravan, donga or live-aboard boat has been placed for use as a residence
- improved or unimproved commercial or industrial property
- property held in a trust.
Some exceptions may apply, such as:
- in the case of domestic and family and/or sexual violence, marriage breakdown or extreme hardship
- when the vacant land is in a natural disaster area.
If you own property, talk to your nearest Housing Service Centre about your housing needs, as you might still be eligible.
4. Assets
When added together, the liquid assets owned by you and all the people listed on your application must not equal more than these limits:
- single-person household: $116,375
- household with 2 or more people: $148,625.
Liquid assets include but are not limited to:
- money
- shares, fixed investments and managed funds
- property trusts
- superannuation payouts (if the person has reached the preservation age)
- the value of caravans, mobile homes and live-aboard boats.
Some assets aren't included, such as vehicles, home contents and collectibles.
5. Your wellbeing
We want to understand how your current housing situation affects your wellbeing to make sure people with more urgent and complex needs are offered housing assistance.
We consider:
- why you need to move from your current housing
- the number and type of wellbeing needs that you and your household members have
- how complex and serious these needs are.
To be eligible, you must have:
- 1 reason to need to move
- 2 complex wellbeing needs (non-financial)
- 1 financial need.
Your need to move
You must have at least 1 acceptable reason to need to move from your current home.
These are some examples of a reason to need to move:
- You're homeless or likely to become homeless (e.g. you live on the streets or in a car; you're couch-surfing; or your rental tenancy is ending and you have no housing to go to).
- You're experiencing domestic and family and/or sexual violence.
- You currently live in an unsuitable location.
- The features of your current home don't meet your or your household’s needs.
- You can’t afford the rent in your current housing.
Complex wellbeing needs (non-financial)
You must have at least 2 complex wellbeing needs (i.e. things that make it hard for you to have your housing needs met through other housing options).
These are some examples of complex wellbeing needs:
- Either you or a household member has a serious, long-term medical issue or disability.
- You are currently homeless or have been homeless at least 1 other time in the last 3 years.
- You’ve been evicted 2 or more times in the last 3 years.
- You’ve had multiple unsuccessful private rental applications.
- The private rental market has no appropriate housing that meets your needs.
- You have a child who is at risk of harm or returning from foster or kinship care to their family.
- You’re a young person leaving the child protection system or custody.
- Either you or a household member is experiencing domestic and family and/or sexual violence, or other safety concerns.
Financial wellbeing
You must have 1 financial need. We assess whether your financial situation makes it hard for your housing needs to be met through other housing options.
These are some examples:
- You’ve been unemployed for a continuous period of 12 months or more.
- You are currently unemployed and have experienced unemployment multiple times over the last 12 months.
- You are unable to work and have high living expenses due to a serious, long-term medical condition or significant and permanent disability, and are experiencing financial hardship due to continuing medical expenses.
- You are employed (full time, part time or casual) and earn an amount that's within the social housing income eligibility limits for your household.
To find out whether a payment you receive is included when we assess your household income, contact your nearest Housing Service Centre.
6. Household income
You need to show evidence of the total income for you and all the people in your household before any deductions such as tax and superannuation are taken out (i.e. gross income).
We don’t include some income types when we assess a household's income, such as certain Centrelink payments. To find out whether a payment you receive is included when we assess your household income, contact your nearest Housing Service Centre.
To be eligible for public and community housing, your household's total gross weekly assessable income must be less than the income limits, based on the number of people in your household. See the table below:
Household members | Household weekly gross Income limit (must be this amount or less) |
|---|---|
Single person, no children | $609 |
Single person with 1 child | $755 |
Single person with 2 children | $877 |
Single person with 3 or more children | $999 |
2 single people | $755 |
2 single people and 1 child | $877 |
2 single people with 2 children | $999 |
3 single people | $877 |
3 single people and 1 child | $999 |
4 single people | $999 |
5 single people | $1121 |
Couple with no children | $755 |
Couple with 1 child | $877 |
Couple and 1 single person | $877 |
Couple with 2 children | $999 |
Couple with 3 or more children | $1121 |
Couple with 1 single person and 2 or more children | $1121 |
Couple with 2 children and 1 single person | $1121 |
2 couples with 1 or more children | $1121 |
Other households with 5 or more people including at least 2 adults | $1121 |
7. Independent income
We assess whether the income you receive is enough to pay rent and financially manage a tenancy. At least 1 applicant who will sign the tenancy agreement must receive an independent income.
To be eligible:
- the independent income must be more than $226.81 every week
- the applicant must have received this income for at least 4 weeks before applying for public and community housing
- the income must be considered 'assessable income' (as some income isn't assessed).
If any household member has no income, has a very low income or can’t identify or verify their income, we will assess them as having the income of their equivalent Centrelink payment (i.e. the payment that would match their circumstances even if they don't qualify for that payment).
The equivalent Centrelink payment is based on:
- age
- marital status
- whether they live at, or away from home
- whether they have children.
If you hold a Temporary Protection Visa or are in a correctional facility, and don't yet have an independent income, you can apply for social housing. If you’re eligible, we’ll add you to the housing register but won’t consider you for an offer of housing until you receive income.
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