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Are you eligible? You must meet these conditions to qualify for a DHW home. To qualify for a DHW home, you must not exceed these income limits. If you are eligible, you must prove who you are and how much you earn. You can chose which zone you want to live in and what sort of home you want. You need to be able to prove who you are. You need to be able to prove how much income you have Getting accommodation quicker in urgent circumstances. How long will you have to wait for a DHW home in your area? |
To be eligible for public rental accommodation, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Live in Western Australia and receive your income here.
- Meet current income limits.
- Not own property or land.
- Not have cash assets in excess of $36,400 (singles) or $60,600 (couples), $80,000 ( Seniors 60 years plus singles or couples).
- Be able to prove your identity.
- Be 18 years of age or above.
Previous tenants must ensure that all rental, water consumption or tenant liability debts from their most recent tenancy, and 50 per cent of any other Department of Housing and Works (DHW) debts, are repaid before being eligible for further accommodation.
Income LimitsTo be eligible for public rental housing or other assistance through DHW, the combined gross weekly income of applicants, their partners and any co-applicants must not exceed the following limits:
| WEEKLY INCOME |
FOR PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY | |||||||
|
NO. OF |
METRO & COUNTRY |
NORTHWEST REMOTE |
METRO & COUNTRY |
NORTHWEST REMOTE | ||||
| Single Income |
Dual Income |
Single Income |
Dual Income |
Single Income |
Dual Income |
Single Income |
Dual Income | |
| 1 Person | $430 | - | $610 | - | $540 | - | $760 | - |
| 2 Persons | $580 | $670 | $820 | $940 | $725 | $830 | $1025 | $1180 |
| 3 Persona | $695 | $790 | $980 | $1120 | $870 | $1000 | $1225 | $1400 |
| 4 Persons | $815 | $930 | $1150 | $1320 | $1020 | $1160 | $140 | $1650 |
- For households with more than four people, add $115 for each person after the fourth. Households with a family member with disabilities or similar, add $145.
- Do not include the District Allowance in your household income (this allowance is to help people with the extra cost of living in remote areas and the North West).
- Staff at your nearest DHW office will be happy to provide further information.
If you believe you meet all eligibility criteria, you can lodge an application for rental accommodation at any of our regional and branch offices.
Open an Application Form in PDF format, print out the form and fill it in. You can post it or bring it in to any of DHW's offices. (More information on PDF's).
You will be asked to supply documents to show proof of identity and proof of income.
Choosing Your Housing Type
Housing types – for information purposes only
DHW will allocate accommodation to meet the needs of you and your family.
- FAMILY (parent(s) and children or sharing adults) — you may be allocated a house/duplex or townhouse
- SINGLE (person or couple (under 55 years) with no vhildren living with you — you may be allocated an apartment or townhouse
- SENIORS (single person or couple 55 years of age or older) with no children living with you — you may be allocated an apartment, townhouse or duplex.
If for medical reasons you are unable to access a property with stairs or steps then please arrange for your doctor to complete a medical form, which is available from your nearest DHW office or attached to an Application for Rental Housing form.
Choosing Your Zone or Town
You will also be asked to nominate the area you wish to live in and the type of accommodation you require.
All public rental housing in the metropolitan area is divided into zones, representing groups of adjoining suburbs. We can advise you on which suburbs are in each zone. You will be asked to choose the zone you wish to live in. Unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for a specific suburb.
Country areas are divided into seven regions - Kimberley, Pilbara, Wheatbelt,Southern, South West, Goldfields, Midwest/Gascoyne. If you want specific information about which towns in a region have public rental accommodation, or about the type of accommodation and waiting times, it is best to contact the regional office direct.
There are many different types of accommodation and you will be asked to nominate your preferences on your rental application form. Not all areas have all types of accommodation, so check with us before completing your application. We can also advise you of the approximate waiting times for each accommodation type in each zone or region.
Click here to go to the housing Zones for a map of zones and list of suburbs in each zone (PDF 230 kB).
Go to the Waiting Times for DHW Housing page for information on how long you will have to wait before accommodation is available in your chosen metropolitan zone or country town.
Making Changes
You can change any aspect of your application at any time. The Department recognises that when people have to wait some time for assistance their circumstances may change. You can change the area in which you wish to live, the housing type and the number of people to be housed and still keep the same listing date.
Confirmation
Once you have lodged your application you will receive a letter confirming the details. Please check carefully to make sure the details are correct. When a suitable property becomes available, we will contact you.
If you change your address at any time, make sure you contact us immediately. If mail sent to you is returned, you will be taken off the waiting list.
One document from Category A and one document from Category A or Category B
or
Three documents from Category B
Category A
- Birth certificate or extract issued at least five years ago
- Passport
- Citizenship papers
Category B
- Marriage certificate or divorce papers
- Birth certificate or extract
- Legal documents such as maintenance agreement, restraining order, adoption papers
- Letter from a government department
- Tax Assessment Notice
- Telstra or SECWA account
- Verification of income document from Centrelink or Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Driver's licence
- Car registration papers
- Bank, building society or credit union account showing transactions for at least one year
- Insurance policy or insurance renewal notice
If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and you cannot supply these documents, a statement from a recognised Aboriginal organisation confirming your identity is acceptable. A reference from a family member who can prove his or her identity is also acceptable.
Proof Of IncomeApplicants must supply documentary proof of income for themselves and their partner to confirm eligibility for assistance.
All other household members (who are not dependents) will have to provide proof of income when your accommodation is allocated. This is because their income is counted as household income when assessing the amount of rent to be paid.
Wage and Salary Earner
Your employer will need to complete the Employer Income Verification Statement on your application form. Alternatively, you can provide wage slips for the past three months.
Self Employed.
You will need to supply your tax assessment from the Australian Tax Office for the last financial year.
Pension or Benefit.
You will need a letter from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs confirming the benefit you are receiving and how much you receive each payment, not more than four weeks old.
You also need to supply evidence of any other sources of income, such as interest from deposits in financial institutions, child maintenance payments and shares.
For more details on supplying proof of income, refer to the Department's Rental Policy.
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If your housing need is urgent, you may be eligible for priority assistance ahead of your turn on the waiting list. You will need to speak to a DHW officer regarding your situation and provide proof of your claims, such as medical and other support letters.
Examples of situations that may contribute to an urgent housing need include medical conditions that are caused or aggravated by an applicant's existing housing, domestic violence, racial harassment, matters associated with child abuse and accommodation to take a child out of care.
Priority accommodation will be allocated as soon as possible after an application has been approved, depending on the special needs of the applicant.
The approval process takes account of a number of factors. This includes the circumstances surrounding the urgent housing need, the availability of any other viable option such as private rental accommodation or sharing temporarily with friends and relatives, and the past history of the applicant including any debt to the Department.
Ultimately, the Department has to maintain consistency, fairness and balance between the competing needs of applicants on the normal waiting list and those on the priority list.
While every effort is made to allocate housing according to the applicant's preferred location and type of accommodation, this is not always possible. The ability to allocate property depends on a vacancy occurring, so some compromise may be necessary. In such instances, property in other areas as close as possible to the preferred location may be offered.
It should be recognised that priority assistance is not crisis accommodation. People requiring immediate help will be given emergency accommodation if it is available. Otherwise, DHW staff will assist them to locate agencies offering crisis accommodation. (Once the immediate crisis is resolved, they may apply for priority assistance in the same manner as all other priority applicants).
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Download a PDF copy of the Priority Assessment Form (200 kB).
Download a PDF copy of the Family and Domestic Violence brochure (126 kB).
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for Rental Applicants Frequently Asked Questions.
