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To make an application for public housing contact the
Office of Housing (Victorian Government, Department of Human Services). One must meet certain eligibility criteria to apply. There are long waiting lists for public housing, however if the need becomes more urgent, a General Housing or "Wait-turn" Application must have been made prior to making an application for Early Housing (Urgent housing). For more information see:
Applying for Public Housing.
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Private rental is arranged through real estate agents or private individuals. Refugees some times have difficulty accessing private rental because of discrimination. It is against the law to discriminate against someone on the basis of race or religion. If you believe someone has been discriminated against contact the
Victoria Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (or email:
complaints@veohrc.vic.gov.au)
For advice about renting see
Tenants information at
Consumer Affairs Victoria. The "
Renting a home: a guide for tenants and landlords" booklet is also available from Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Ways that congregations can help newly arrived people avoid tenancy problems:
- Explain any conditions such as carpet cleaning etc at the outset so that these are anticipated at the end of the tenancy.
- Have someone assist the tenant to complete the Condition Report within 3 days of moving in.
- Take clear photos of pre-existing damage (marks on walls, stained carpet, damaged fixtures, dirty stove tops etc) and store a copy of these with the condition report.
- Provide a small cleaning kit and demonstrate its use. (It can be very confusing for people to identify which products clean which surfaces). When the product runs out they can buy a replacement.
- Have the same person meet with the tenant and agent at the end of the tenancy to do a final inspection. If any further cleaning work is required ask the agent to provide a list in writing and then communicate the list to the tenants, together with any necessary instructions as to how to fix problems.
- If there is a dispute arrange for legal advice from a community legal centre. (See
Legal Issues)
Case Study:
Our Congregation has helped people with rental properties . We once had a family taken to VCAT because the agent wanted to retain the the bond for repairs to the property. We organised free legal representation for the family through a local community legal service. We learned a few things from this experience: 1. make sure an interpreter is used when briefing a lawyer and in court; 2. it would have been helpful to have a set of photos of things like carpet, curtains, gardens, walls and the stove to show the condition prior to the tenants living in the property; 3. we should have obtained our own set of quotes for repairs as we felt the ones obtained by the agent were excessive; 4. some problems could have been avoided if during the course of the tenancy the realestate agent had used a professional interpreter to communicate with the adults in the house instead of communicating through a child. In the end we had a sympathetic judge but the family still lost most of their bond.
If a person can not afford the bond for a house they may be able to make an application for a bond loan through the
Bond Loan Scheme (Victorian Government, Department of Human Services, Office of Housing). If a bond obtained through DHS is lost as a result of a court order then the tenant must pay back the loan to DHS before they will issue a new loan for a subsequent property. DHS can organise payment plans for this.
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Homeless? Information about
Crisis Housing right across Victoria (Victorian Government, Department of Human Services, Office of Housing).
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- IHSS
- Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy:
AMES Settlement Services.
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Contact:
Tiffany Westphal
Last Updated: 1-June-2007