Eligibility

You may be eligible for Rent Assistance if you:

receive a pension (special rules apply if you are under 21 years and receive Disability Support Pension), or
have dependent children and get more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit, or
have care of a child between 14% and 35% of the time and are not eligible for Family Tax Benefit but meet other Family Tax Benefit requirements, or
receive an allowance or benefit (but don't have dependent children) and:
- are over 25 years, or
- have a partner, or
- are under 25 and living permanently or indefinitely apart from your parents or guardians.

To receive Rent Assistance you must also meet the residence requirements of your pension, allowance, or benefit.

Rent Assistance is generally not payable if you:

have a tenancy agreement (lease) with a state or territory housing authority, or
own or are buying the home in which you live (except for mobile and relocatable homes), or
are a homeowner travelling away from your principal place of residence for less than 12 months, or
occupy an Australian Government subsidised bed in an approved residential aged care facility, or
have a partner who receives Rent Assistance with Family Tax Benefit, or
are an allowee with a partner receiving Rent Assistance with their pension.

Paying rent

To be eligible for Rent Assistance you must be paying more than the minimum amount of rent shown in the payment rates table for:

rent (other than for public housing), or
service and maintenance fees in a retirement village, or
lodging (if you pay for board and lodging but are unable to tell us exactly what you pay for each, two thirds of the amount you pay will be accepted), or
fees paid to use a caravan site or other accommodation that you occupy as your principal home, or
fees paid to moor a vessel you occupy as your principal home.