Part 1: Background

The Rentstart scheme offers financial help to eligible clients who need support to set up or keep a rental home in the private market. The amount and type of help given depend on each client’s situation and needs. The main goals are to:

Help clients start or maintain a stable rental home in the private market.

Provide quick financial support for housing costs to people in need, especially those at risk of homelessness.

Assist tenants who Homes NSW Housing Services have found are not eligible for a public housing lease extension due to their income and assets, enabling their move to private rental housing.

 

There are five forms of Rentstart assistance available:

Rentstart Bond Loan

Advance Rent

Rentstart Move

Tenancy Assistance

Temporary Accommodation

This policy aims to explain the different types of Rentstart assistance offered by the social housing sector in NSW.

 

Scope

This policy applies to everyone applying for Rentstart assistance and to those who are homeless and might qualify for short-term temporary accommodation. Under Housing Pathways, Homes NSW Housing Services and involved community housing providers help deliver or connect clients with Rentstart assistance.

Policy Statement

To use any Rentstart options, clients need to meet specific eligibility criteria, which can differ for each option. Clients will receive a written notice about the result of their Rentstart assistance assessment.

If a client doesn’t qualify for a particular option, they may be directed to other services like a Specialist Homelessness Service or other types of assistance.

Rentstart Assistance Products

 

Applying for Rentstart

Clients who want to apply for Rentstart must fill out an application form and provide the necessary documents for their application to be considered. Applications can be completed online or by downloading a paper form from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) website. Participating community housing providers help facilitate access to Rentstart products on behalf of Homes NSW.

To apply for Rentstart, you need to provide evidence of:

Your identity

All sources of income and assets

Your residency in New South Wales (NSW) or a need to live in NSW

Your citizenship or permanent residency in Australia

Any land or property you or anyone included in your application owns, or partially owns

Your ability to maintain a successful tenancy, with or without the right support

Repayments of any previous debts to a social housing provider, if applicable.

For more information about the necessary documents, check the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet. If you don’t provide the minimum required documents, your application won’t be accepted or assessed.

 

Applications for Rentstart Bond Loan, Advance Rent, Tenancy Assistance, and Temporary Accommodation will be reviewed within one working day of receiving the application and all required supporting documents.

 

The following individuals can also apply for Rentstart:

Those currently receiving a Private Rental Subsidy

Those currently receiving a Rent Choice Subsidy

Former social housing tenants, including those with a less than satisfactory record, who may need to pay off any debt from their previous tenancy before receiving assistance

Clients leaving public housing at the end of a fixed-term provisional lease (3 or 6 months) who do not qualify for Homes NSW Recognition as a Tenant

 

Clients referred by RSL LifeCare.

There are certain situations where Rentstart won't be granted. For instance, if someone seeking a Rentstart Bond Loan has already moved into a property and obtained a bond from another source that has been lodged with the Rental Bond Board. For more details, visit Circumstances in which Rentstart Assistance will not be provided.