Non-Government Organisation Housing Program

Before you move into your new home, you should read the Tenant Handbook and Addendum. This handbook provides key information about your tenancy.

You are obligated to:

• Comply with the requirements of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987
• Pay rent to your employer
• Pay water consumption, gas, electricity and phone bills
• Maintain your property (and garden) condition and cleanliness 
• Report maintenance issues and damage
• Give at least 21 days notice of intention to vacate.

Communities undertakes regular maintenance on all of our rental properties. However, if something is damaged or broken in your home, you can contact us using the following methods:

• Call Housing Direct on 1300 137 677.
• Visit your local Communities Housing office.
• Complete the Online Non-Urgent Maintenance Request form.

When faults occur due to normal wear and tear, we provide maintenance and repairs at no charge. Faults caused by neglect, misuse or willful damage are charged to tenants.

After hours emergencies

After hours maintenance services will be provided for emergency maintenance repairs of the utmost urgency-such as a gas leak, power failure or burst water pipe - to be attended to after normal working hours.

Work that is not deemed to be an emergency will not be attended as after hours, but will be reported to the local housing office who will arrange inspection or works in normal working hours.

Tenants who use this service for situations that are not life or property threatening will be charged the full cost. Typically, the call out fee is around $200. 

Before calling with your maintenance issue

Please have your account number ready.

When you are explaining what needs repairing or replacing, try to give us as much detail as you can. The more we know about the problem, the easier it will be for our contractors to resolve your issue on their first visit.

If the damage has been caused by another party and has been reported to the police, please have your Police Offence Report Number ready to provide to our staff.

There are some things you are responsible for, like replacing light bulbs, but if there is a reason you cannot do these things, you can contact Housing Direct.

Looking after your garden and general house cleaning are also things you must do yourself.

Fixing your problem

We employ professional contractors, like plumbers and electricians, to make repairs to your home.

We will let you know when you can expect a contractor to fix or inspect the work required when you contact Housing Direct.

The contractor will need to get into your house, so remember to stay home or arrange for them to get in or access the area that requires attention.

As a tenant you have a responsibility to:

• Be polite and courteous towards contractors.
• Give contractors the necessary access and freedom to do their work so that it can be completed in the shortest possible time.
• Keep appointments with contractors. If a contractor is delayed, allow a reasonable time before leaving your property.
• Restrain or pen your animals and pets if they are a risk to health and safety or liable to escape from the property. Also do so on request from the contractor.
• Empty kitchen and bathroom cupboards if the nature of the work requires it and if you are asked to do so by the contractor.
• Move ornaments, paintings, clothing and other personal and small items and fixtures near the damage.

If the problem poses a danger, repairs will be commenced within three (3) hours for metropolitan areas and within four (4) hours for non-metropolitan areas.

If the problem is serious, such as no hot water, it will be attended to within 48 hours.

Other everyday problems, with the some exceptions, are to be completed within 14 calendar days.

We use regular building condition assessments to undertake maintenance on a larger scale to protect and prolong the life of properties.

This planned maintenance includes painting and refurbishment.

Moving in to NGO accommodation

Your employer will notify you when the property is available. Tell your local Communities Housing office when you intend to move in and they will provide you with a sign-up pack.

Read the Tenant Handbook and discuss the following with your Housing Services Officer:

• Completing the ingoing Property Condition Report
• Signing your Tenancy Agreement
• Utility metre readings
• Power, gas and telephone services
• Any other questions relating to your tenancy.

You will need to sign your Tenancy Agreement. Check and sign the ingoing Property Condition Report, and return to the local Communities Housing office. Move in and make yourself at home.

Moving out of NGO accommodation

If you want to end your tenancy with us, you need to let us know at least 21 days before you want to leave.  

Fill out the Intention to Vacate form and send to the local Communities Housing office and to your employer’s housing representative.

You may also arrange a pre-vacation inspection to identify areas that require attention, but this is optional.

Remember, you will need to return the property to the condition described in the Property Condition Report when you moved in. This includes:

• Clean walls, floors, surfaces and windows
• Professionally steam-cleaned carpets
• Tidy and rubbish-free outside areas and gardens 
• Complying with any other special conditions in your tenancy agreement.

Below is a list of other things you need to do before you move out:

• Arrange an outgoing property condition inspection
• Arrange utility meter readings and finalise accounts in your name
• Supply forwarding details to the local Communities office
• Return all keys to the local office and obtain a key receipt
• Pay any identified tenant liability.

The provision of employee housing for NGOs has been made available through a strategic initiative to assist in sustaining the delivery of key government-funded services delivered by NGOs.

Communities leases the properties to the employing NGO who then subleases the properties to their eligible employees.

How rent is calculated

Your rent is set at the discretion of you employer (i.e. the NGO); any queries regarding your rent should therefore be directed to your employer.

The weekly rent payable by the NGOs will depend upon the location and size of the property, and will be reviewed annually. The NGOs will have the following three options in recovering the rent costs from tenants.

1. Tenant Rent Setting Framework:

NGOs may adopt the current Government Regional Officer Housing Program Tenant Rent Setting Framework which calculates tenant rent by applying a number of discounts to the Perth Median Rent.

The Perth Median Rent is discounted by 20 per cent for high amenity properties. Medium amenity properties receive an additional 20 per cent discount, and low amenity properties receive an additional 40 per cent discounts off the high amenity rate.

Further discounts are then applied according to ratings against the following:

• Distance from Perth
• Distance from a major regional centre
• Distance from the coast
• Level of the location amenity.

2. Align with social housing rents:

Rent may be set at 25 per cent of the employee’s income (in line with current social housing polices).

3. Pass full cost on to Tenant:

The NGO may choose to pass on the full cost recovery rent to the employees, thereby avoiding the need to fund any rent shortfall.

In implementing any of these three options the NGO will carefully consider the consequences on both the NGO and its employees.  

How to pay your rent

You pay your rent to your employer, usually via pay deduction. Over payments can only be recouped for your employer.

How much rent is paid by the NGO

The weekly rent payable by NGOs will depend on the location and size of the property, and will be reviewed annually. The rent payable by NGO’s under this initiative represents a significant discount in market rent, particularly in high demand locations such as Karratha and South Hedland.

NGO accommodation is managed through the special relationship between Communities, the employing organisation and the employee.

Unfortunately, this can make it difficult to know who to contact about various issues.

The following table provides some general guidelines, but if in doubt please do not hesitate to contact your local Communities Housing office for assistance.