Property Ownership

In reply to Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (17 November 2015).

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers): I have been advised:

1. The rules around rent rebates have recently changed to prevent property owners from receiving a rebate, prior to April 2015 households containing property owners were eligible for a rent subsidy, if the household had a low income. Where the rent subsidy was provided to the customer in line with Housing SA's policy at the time.

The following information is provided as key achievements resulting from investigations in relation to the 22 cases referred to in the Auditor General's report:

Of the 12 households who have vacated, eight were receiving a rental rebate at the time they vacated;

Of the three who had agreed to vacate, two were receiving a rental rebate, while the other household was already paying the full market rate. I can confirm that all of these households have now vacated their tenancies; and

Of the seven who had their rent subsidy revoked, six were previously receiving a rent subsidy, though in most of these cases, no back rent was due as the revocation of the rent subsidy was initiated as a result of a new household member who was a property owner entering the household.

However, to prevent this anomaly occurring in future, I recently approved changes to Housing SA's Rent Assessment Guidelines. Effective from 20 April 2015, residential property owners are not eligible for rent subsidies, irrespective of their household income.

Therefore, where customers are identified as residential property owners, Housing SA can recover any rental subsidies the household has received since 20 April 2015.