Questions For Those Living In Housing Commission/Dept Of Housing Homes QLD.

[Pinkzy]

Our lease runs out in March and hubby and I are desperate to get out of here as this place just isn't worth what we pay in rent per week. We wanted to move out in September when our lease ended and applied for tons of places but didn't find anything and ended up having to sign on here for another 6 months. Income was the issue and it's going to be an issue this time around, again and we just can't stay here for another 6 months, it's doing our head in LOL.

I didn't even think of applying for a Housing Commission home last time but it's occurred to me now that maybe we should. I'm wondering if we'd be classed as high priority? due to the fact that I'm not working and will be on benefits, will have a newborn and hubby either won't be working or will be working on an income that just doesn't/isn't cutting it in the rental market.

My questions are:

1) Did you get a home you're happy with in an area you applied for?

2) What priority were you and how long did it take you to receive an offer of housing after you first applied?

3) Is the home you're in suitable in your opinion? As in what cooling does it have (ie fans, air con) and is there a bath tub in the bathroom or just a shower? Does it have any security features?

4) Is the rent significantly less than it would be if you were living in a rental home?

5) Did you have to install anything yourself? like carpet, flooring? light fittings etc?

Any advice would be appreciated I would really like to apply for a place now (before I've had bub) but I don't see how we can do this without incurring massive penalties for breaking our lease. I do believe this place is unsuitable but I'm not sure if others would see it that way or not.

[babygiggle]

I'm not living in a housing commission/dept of housing property, but it is something we also are considering about applying for at the moment. Just wanted to bump your thread up for you

[Cupcake85]

I'm not in a housing commission home, but have lived in several growing up, my mum is currently in one and I also know of others in housing commissions homes.

- You don't have to install anything yourself.
- Most places (that I am aware of) have baths and security screens.
- Rent is significantly reduced as it is based on a percentage of your income.

Be aware depending on the areas that you put your name down for you may be waiting YEARS to get a housing commission house as there is high demand. A lady I know who is currently in a housing commission house (so already in the system) is listed as being at the highest priority to move to a certain area (which was only possible after documentation from doctors etc) and she has been told it could be months before something comes available.

[Myztiks#1Fan]

1) Did you get a home you're happy with in an area you applied for?

no because i took over the lease from my parents. i was on the waiting list and i could of been waiting at least 10yrs for a place that was suitable for my son and myself

2) What priority were you and how long did it take you to receive an offer of housing after you first applied?

i was on the list for about 2yrs before i took over my lease only because my parents were moving and i needed a place and because i was already a resident at the house, we were able to take over lease

3) Is the home you're in suitable in your opinion? As in what cooling does it have (ie fans, air con) and is there a bath tub in the bathroom or just a shower? Does it have any security features?

we have security screens on windows and doors. we installed the air con ourselves. we have a bath and a shower combined(shower in teh bath sorta thing) and a seperate toilet. the last place we had previous to this house(we moved as the last place was actually sinking and they ended up putting another tenant in) had our toilet and bathroom together. laundry was downstairs where my house its upstairs. every place is different

4) Is the rent significantly less than it would be if you were living in a rental home?

its 25% of your total income which includes your centrelink benefits

5) Did you have to install anything yourself? like carpet, flooring? light fittings etc?

carpet was layed, lino was layed, everything was done. pretty much the only thing i would honestly say i look after with teh house is the yard.

i personally cant see you getting a place within the next 6mths tbh. the waiting lists are very very long and sometimes not even worth the bother. i want to down grade from my 3 bedroom house into a 2 bedroom unit or whatever but the waiting list for that is huge even though i know people who are needing to upgrade from their 2 bedroom place

[iamLilysmummy]

housing is diffrent in evry state i no.. but im from vic.. and i was told for me n my DD. it was generally a 2n a half year wait.. n totally depending on the area.. otherwise like 8 year wait.. i hope u find somewhere cheaper..

did u consider mayb speaking to ur real estate. if they could keep u posted if anything pops up cheaper close to the end of ur lease??

xx goodluck

[Myztiks#1Fan]

just also wanted to add that awhile ago, i did apply for emergency housing due to circumstances but i wasnt approved for it. there was abuse in the house, there was alcoholism in the house and it was a very unfit house for myself and cooper.

this was all while i was also on the waiting list. didnt bump me up or anything.

[Mum2Mimi]

i dont live in housing house but know family and friends who are

Waiting list in nsw is very long approx 5years but it also depends on the circumstances and priority to who gets in first

My gf and her ds were homeless after she split from ds father,housing commission paid for her to stay at a caravan park 'emergency accomidation' until they found her a unit,she was only at the caravan park 7weeks before being placed in her unit

Another gf of mines mother was on list 2years before receiving a property as she wasnt classed an 'emergency, as such,but if she had of had no where 2 go and was from a domestic violence relationship then she may of been bumped up list

rent paid is worked out off how much ur combine in come is including centerlink,you just pay a percentage,not sure exactley how much though,its far cheaper then privateley renting through a realestae though,my gf pays 80p/w for her 2bedroom unit

You should go on there website all give them a call though as u dont wanna get mixed info and they will b able 2 answer all ur quieries

[ConfettiGirl]

Our lease runs out in March and hubby and I are desperate to get out of here as this place just isn't worth what we pay in rent per week. We wanted to move out in September when our lease ended and applied for tons of places but didn't find anything and ended up having to sign on here for another 6 months. Income was the issue and it's going to be an issue this time around, again and we just can't stay here for another 6 months, it's doing our head in LOL.

I didn't even think of applying for a Housing Commission home last time but it's occurred to me now that maybe we should. I'm wondering if we'd be classed as high priority? due to the fact that I'm not working and will be on benefits, will have a newborn and hubby either won't be working or will be working on an income that just doesn't/isn't cutting it in the rental market.

My questions are:

1) Did you get a home you're happy with in an area you applied for? I got a house in one of the area's I applied for yes. I am very happy with my home - it is smaller than I was on the list for (was meant to get a 4 bedroom but ended up with a 3 bedroom which was my choice as I wanted to be housed quicker).

2) What priority were you and how long did it take you to receive an offer of housing after you first applied? I was "Very High Needs". It took 12 months from when I submitted my application and had my interview til I got the call about the house. I was V. High needs because I was a single parent, had multiple kids, suffer from depression (inc post-natal psychosis). I had a mental health case worker after the birth of my 4th child who wrote me a letter of support to go with my application.

3) Is the home you're in suitable in your opinion? As in what cooling does it have (ie fans, air con) and is there a bath tub in the bathroom or just a shower? Does it have any security features? I have celing fans in all the rooms including kitchen. Dept houses don't come with air con or other fittings (you need to add them yourself). I have a bath and a shower but the shower is IN the bath. I have security doors that are lockable both front and back and security screens on all the windows.

4) Is the rent significantly less than it would be if you were living in a rental home? I pay $127 per week for my house. But remember you don't get rent assistance when you rent from the deptartment. I was paying $300 a week in private rental for an absolute dump - this house is much, much nicer.

5) Did you have to install anything yourself? like carpet, flooring? light fittings etc? My house has polished floorboards throughout so all I did was lay down some nice rugs. But generally they don't come with carpet or anything. They do have vinyl or tile to wet area's though and usually floorboards. I have seen one house that just had concrete (painted) though so you might be unlucky in that respect.

Any advice would be appreciated I would really like to apply for a place now (before I've had bub) but I don't see how we can do this without incurring massive penalties for breaking our lease. I do believe this place is unsuitable but I'm not sure if others would see it that way or not

Well to start with...applying NOW doesn't mean you will get housed NOW.....I was at the highest level (with multiple risk factors) and it took 12 months. Some people on lower priorities never get housed (sad fact). You are low income so that definitely helps but they will prioritise families with more children because generally they experience more bias and discrimination in the rental market. They also put single parents and parents with a diagnosed mental/physical illness higher. I doubt that you will get beyond "high needs" to be honest. But you should still get housed within a few years at that level.

Also the fact that you actually HAVE housing right now pretty much excludes you from the "very high needs" category unless you can PROVE that your current housing is unsuitable or that staying there will affect your health negatively - you need a letter from a professional stating this. I got my case worker to fill in a form from the dept and got a letter from my psychiatrist and that bumped me up to the highest category. Prior to that I was a single mother, pregnant, with 3 other children, living on centrelink payments and living in a woman's shelter, with a diagnosed mental illness and I still waited 12 months.

Basically what I am saying is do NOT wait....do it NOW! You don't know how long you have to wait before you get a house.....If you apply for less desirable areas you can get housed much quicker - I am in a less than "dream" suburb" but I still love where I live and have had no problems! You can apply for a transfer once you are housed.

In the event that you do get a dept house you can apply to the tenancy tribunal to have your lease broken without penalty (I did this but did it way too late so still had to pay lots of fees since the tribunal will only stop the lease from the date you apply). So there are provisions available in the event that you sign a new lease and then get a house from the department.

Good Luck!

[Pinkzy]

Thanks for the replies everyone

Wow....10 years on the waiting lists or more? Far out

After reading all of these posts it's become clear to me that we certainly are NOT high priority. This place is unsuitable, yeah, but it's not falling apart. We're not in any direct danger...and although it's extremely difficult finances wise, well, we still have the place. We're still paying the rent, JUST and we're still able to eat.

I've asked that our real estate inform us of anything suitable that comes up - just as I asked them to do last time but they won't. That's alright though as it's up to us to actively look/seek more suitable accommodation, I just don't think we'll be able to get anything as when we were looking last year we just couldn't get anything. I don't think the rental market's gotten any better.

What I have done though (did this earlier today) is advertise on some private sites. Basically sites where the OWNER rents to the tenant directly instead of us having to apply through agencies. Hopefully, with any luck, we'll be able to find something this way. I will still go in and see Dept Of Housing and hopefully be eligible to go on the waiting list, but from the sounds of it I won't get my hopes up to be offered anything soon.

Thanks again for your replies

[ConfettiGirl]

Still apply though babe!

Seriously....if you have SOME risk factors you could get "high needs" and that means that you will probably get a house in 3 years or less. Also if you do become "homeless" (ie you need to move in with family or friends) you will get bumped up straight away. Emergency cases get housed usually within 8 weeks.

Also being in a dept house is just such a weight off your shoulders. I know that no-matter what happens I will have somewhere to live. Also if something needs fixing they fix it straight away (have had to ring the maintanence line twice and things were both fixed within 2 days).

You can also negotiate rent payments if you suffer financial hardship and there are other perks too..

The Townsville Dept residents all got together in my street (I live in a mostly department of housing street lol) and we had a christmas party paid for by the department - inc santa for the kids with a chrissy pressie each.

Also they have the Garden Awards and other such things. They send you info on how to get help from places and where you can get cheap food from (I have just joined up to a co-op where you get all the ingredients for a main meal for under $5 - I made one today Beef stroganoff with pasta and green beans and everything was paid for with $5 including meat, cream, pasta and beans.) I would not have no about this otherwise.