Apply for Housing

Affordable Housing

What is Affordable Housing?

Link Wentworth partners with private property owners, investors, property developers, local government, and other charitable organisations to offer Affordable Housing.

Affordable Housing properties are modern homes in central locations for people on low to moderate incomes. Our below market rental properties can even help you save to buy your own home.

Link Wentworth advertises Affordable Housing rental properties on Domain and RealEstate.com.au.

View all affordable property rentals

Who is eligible for Affordable Housing?

Affordable Housing is usually managed like a private rental property, but to live in affordable housing, you must meet all the following criteria:

EMPLOYMENT – At least one person in the household must be working.
INCOME – Your total household income before tax (including Commonwealth Rent Assistance) must be within the income eligibility range. Click here for income levels.
HOUSING NEED – You must be able to show a need for affordable housing and be unable to resolve this housing need in the private market in the medium to long term without assistance.
LOCATION – Ideally, you will already live in the local area or have established links to the area.
ASSETS – You shouldn’t have assets or property that could reasonably be expected to solve your housing situation.
AUSTRALIAN RESIDENCY – citizenship or permanent residency of Australia and live in NSW.
GOOD RENTAL HISTORY – You must be able to show that you can maintain a successful tenancy.

How much rent will I pay?

In accordance with the NSW Ministerial Housing Guidelines, the amount of rent you pay will depend on which program your property has been provided through.

Affordable housing rental is assessed in two ways,

– 30% of gross household income.

– 20-25% below market rental.

Link Wentworth assesses each applicant’s individual circumstances according to the NSW Ministerial Affordable Housing Guidelines.

How can I apply?

To apply for an Affordable Housing property with Link Wentworth, you must first meet all the eligibility requirements listed above.

You will then need to complete and submit our Affordable Housing Application Form.

Your application will be assessed based on the information you give on this form.

Make sure you answer all questions with as much detail as possible. Please provide all evidence that is listed in the application and any extra documentation that would assist with your application. The more information you provide, the easier it is for our team to assess your application quickly.

Contact us

If you have any questions or need help, please call us using the call buttons at the top of this page or email [email protected].

From 1 August 2022, when you call Link Wentworth about an application you may be asked a series of security questions to confirm your identity.

FAQ's

Social Housing is available to help those on very low income, while Affordable Housing extends to those earning low to moderate incomes. (You can see the different income limits outlined in the NSW Affordable Housing Guidelines or National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS or the Scheme).)

Applications for Social Housing must be made through FACS NSW by calling the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322, while applications for Affordable Housing go through Link Wentworth.

To be eligible for Affordable Housing, you must:

generally, be 18 years of age or older (and provide identification)
live in New South Wales (NSW)
meet the income limits set in the NSW Affordable Housing Guidelines (You can also view the NRAS income limit scheme and SEPP income limit scheme fact sheets to see the limits)
be able to sustain a successful tenancy, without support or with appropriate support in place
clear any former debts you may have with other social housing providers (if applicable).

Link Wentworth may also consider other factors when assessing eligibility. For example:

Residency Status: Whether you have Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
Private Rental Market: Whether you would be able to secure suitable or adequate housing in the private rental market.
Owning Assets: Whether you own any assets (e.g. property) that could be used to solve their housing need.
Key Worker Eligibility: Some properties (usually owned by a local council) are only made available for “key workers” who are permanently employed within the local government area. These include people working in health services, childcare, education, emergency services, public transport, etc.

The rent for Affordable Housing properties varies. It is generally set at 20–25 per cent below the price of similar properties in the area.

Link Wentworth assesses each applicant’s individual circumstances according to the NSW Ministerial Affordable Housing Guidelines and / or National Rental Affordability Scheme Guidelines.

Using the Guidelines, the rent price can also be based on household gross income. In this case, it is set at no more than 30 per cent of the gross household income.

Where a property has NRAS funding, the discount applied is at least 20-25 per cent below the market rent, regardless of the method used to set rent.

Not-for-profit community housing providers
Private organisations

Both of these parties follow the same property and tenancy standards of managing any rental housing in NSW. But with the addition of setting rent prices, renting out properties to eligible households, and meeting the compliance requirements of the relevant Affordable Housing scheme.

In general, managing Affordable Housing involves:

establishing and implementing rental policies
determining household eligibility for affordable housing properties
finding eligible tenants, managing applications and providing rental assessments
collecting rent and maintaining properties
reviewing annual and ongoing eligibility to ensure compliance with Affordable Housing schemes.
Setting market rents on the affordable properties

All Affordable Housing tenancy managers in NSW must comply with the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.

Social Housing