Apply for public housing

Introduction

If you are on a low income, you can apply for public housing in the Northern Territory (NT).

Public housing is units and houses owned and managed by the government.

The rent is usually less than you would pay in the private sector.

To apply you will need to meet conditions relating to age, income and residency.

Contact your local housing office for information on the types of public housing available in your area.


Who can apply for public housing

If you want to apply for public housing, there are conditions you must meet.

You must have an independent source of income and one of the following:

  • Australian citizenship
  • permanent residency status
  • special category visa that apply to New Zealanders
  • temporary protection visa.

If you own or partly own a residential property

You can't apply for public housing if you own or partly own a house or unit in Australia.

There may be an exception if you owned a home before and it was part of a settlement due to a relationship breakdown.

If you are under 16

You generally need to be 16 years of age or over to apply for public housing.

Sometimes an exception may be made if you under the age of 16. You can discuss this with your local housing office.

Travelling

If you are on the public housing list, you must live in the Northern Territory (NT).

You can travel for holidays or to receive medical treatment.

You must tell your local housing office each time you travel and why.

If you have a debt

If you owe money to the department your application will still be accepted.

If you have breached a previous tenancy agreement

You are not eligible to live in or apply for public housing for a period of two years if:

  • you have had your tenancy agreement terminated by the department for a breach
  • you voluntarily gave up your public housing due to a breach.

This does not apply if your termination was due to a debt that has now been repaid, or arranged to be repaid.


Types of public housing

If you apply for public housing you may also be offered a referral to community housing or managed and supported accommodation.

This is housing that is managed by community organisations.

Housing sizes

A range of public housing is available in major centres throughout the Northern Territory. 

They range in sizes and types, including purpose-built and modified housing for people with disabilities.  

The department will check to make sure the accommodation provided remains appropriate for the size of your household. 

You may be allocated a larger home to accommodate medical needs or parent-child access arrangements. 

If you are pregnant you will be wait-listed for the type and size of house you will be entitled to when your child is born. 

Sometimes if your needs and entitlements have changed, you may need to transfer to another public housing property. 

Where you can live

You can apply to live in a specific town or area but generally you will not be able to choose a specific suburb.

Consideration will be given to issues such as proximity to schools and public transport for work or medical reasons.

Some public housing complexes are also made available for specific groups such as seniors or tenants on a disability pension.


How to apply for public housing

To apply for public housing, you must follow the below steps:

Step 1. Talk to housing staff

You can talk to:

  • someone at your local housing office
  • the local community housing officer
  • a Department of Territory Families, Housing and Community Development officer when they're in your community.

If you need an interpreter or translator, housing staff can help organise one.

Step 2. Read the application

Read the application for public housing so you understand what you need to do.

Whether you live remote or in a town area, you must use the same form.

Application for public housing DOCX (147.6 KB)
Application for public housing PDF (398.6 KB)

Information you will need

Check you have all the information you need to complete your application.

You must provide all of the following:

  • where you currently live
  • names of all the people who will be living with you
  • photo identification for everyone over 18 years old
  • household income such as your pay, the name of your employer or how much you get from Centrelink
  • anything you own such as another house or money in the bank (you must provide bank statements for the last three months for all of your accounts)
  • marriage certificate if you're married
  • birth certificates for all children listed in the application or the child selection document from Centrelink
  • 2 tenancy references - ask your housing office about referrals to non-government organisations who may be able to help you with:
    • medium-term accommodation
    • the chance to get a tenancy reference.

To find out more about the supporting documents you need, read the fact sheets on the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities website.

Step 3. Talk to your household about your application

Show your application to your household and explain that they will be named in the form.

Step 4. Fill in your application

Fill in all sections of your application and have all applicants read and sign the declaration section.

If you need some help with the application, contact your local housing office.

If you have more than five people in your household

If you have more than five people in your household, fill in the additional applicant/household members form for each extra person with your application.

Additional applicant/household members form DOCX (72.9 KB)
Additional applicant/household members form PDF (482.7 KB)

For each extra person over 18 years old, you must provide suitable proof of identity and income information.

You can only use this form when you first apply for public housing. You can't use it to add people to your tenancy after you have got a house.

If you need some help with this form, contact your local housing office.

Step 5. Submit your application

Submit our application at your local housing office or to a housing officer when they're in your community.

You can also ask the housing officer to check your form.

It may take several weeks to find out if your application has been approved or not.

If your application is approved

You will be contacted and put on the waiting list.

The department will contact you again when it's your turn to be offered accommodation and a suitable property becomes available.

Waiting times vary and in some areas the wait is over 5 years.

You will be contacted while you are on the waiting list to see if you still want to stay on the list.

If your circumstances change

You must contact the department every 6 months to:

  • confirm your contact details
  • tell them if your situation change.

Visit your local housing office or call 08 8999 8814.

If your application is not approved

You will receive a letter telling you why your application has not been approved.

You can speak to your housing officer for more information.

Allocation of a home

Before you can move into your house, all of the following must happen:

  • your weekly rent will be worked out
  • how you pay your rent will be agreed on
  • you will have to sign an agreement with the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities - this is either a tenancy agreement or occupancy agreement.

Read your agreement

You must read your tenancy or occupancy agreement before you sign it.

It includes your rights and responsibilities like how much rent you will have to pay.

It also includes the responsibilities of the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities.

You should keep a copy of your agreement.

Read more about paying your rent and looking after your house.

If you don't understand your agreement

Talk to your housing office if you don't understand the agreement.

Ask for an interpreter or translator if you need one.

Read the condition report

You must read the condition report before you sign it.

This condition report includes a description of your home when you move in including any damage.

You will have time to go through the house and make sure the condition report matches the condition of each room.

If anything doesn't match, you must let the housing officer know within five business days of receiving the condition report.

You should ask for a copy of this report once you have signed it.

For more information, contact your local housing office.


How your application is assessed

Your application for public housing will be assessed using the information you provide. You may be contacted for further information or documentation if a decision can't be made.

Once the assessment is complete, you will be contacted about the outcome of your application.

Applying for public housing in urban areas

Your application will be assessed based on the income and value of assets in your household.

To be eligible for public housing in urban areas, your household income and assets must be lower than the below eligibility limits.

Household size Weekly gross household income limit* Household asset limit*
- new public housing applicants
- current tenants under 55 years
Household asset limit*
- current tenants over 55 years
1 $1,046 $80,449 $289,137
2 $1,359 $114,785 $289,137
3 $1,581 $181,802 $406,806
4 $1,815 $181,802 $406,806
5 $2,039 $181,802 $406,806
6 $2,269 $181,802 $406,806

*Income and asset limits were last changed on 9 October 2023.

All household members aged 18 years and over must provide proof of income.

This evidence can include:

  • Centrelink statements for benefits or pensions
  • payslips from your job
  • if self-employed - a copy of your previous financial year notice of assessment for income tax from the Australian Taxation Office
  • proof in writing of pensions from overseas or Veterans' Affairs.

Income not included

Some types of income are excluded from your assessment.

These include:

  • child care benefit
  • carer allowance or bonus
  • foster child allowance
  • child maintenance payments made by you
  • pharmaceutical allowance.

Read more about what types of income are included or excluded from the assessment.

In urban areas, your assets will also be looked at to see if you qualify for public housing.

You and all people living with you aged 18 years and over will need to provide proof of your assets.

These include:

  • savings and cash holdings
  • recreation vehicles, quad bikes and trail bikes
  • boats
  • caravans, camping trailers and mobile homes
  • stock market bonds and investments
  • superannuation funds that can be assessed
  • land or property.

Find a full list of what assets are assessed when you apply for public housing.

Assets not included

Some items are not included when assessing eligibility. These include:

  • personal affects
  • general household furniture
  • personal vehicles and other forms of transport, including:
    • cars
    • motorbikes
    • mobility scooters.

For some, proof must be given showing they cannot be assessed.

Contact

For more information, contact your local housing office.


Public housing wait times

Wait times for public housing vary, depending on each applicant's circumstances.

They are affected by a number of factors such as:

  • the general demand for public housing
  • number of approved priority applications
  • availability and turnover of suitable homes in each location.

Below are the estimated waiting times for urban public housing as of 31 December 2023.

This includes general and priority applicants only.

Estimated wait times for public housing (years)
Region General wait times Priority wait times
1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroom 1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroom
Darwin/Casuarina 8-10  4-6  4-6 6-8  4-6 4-6
Palmerston 8-10  4-6 2-4  6-8  4-6 2-4
Katherine 8-10 6-8  8-10 6-8 6-8 4-6
Nhulunbuy 6-8  6-8  6-8  4-6 6-8 6-8
Tennant Creek 8-10 8-10 6-8 8-10 6-8 6-8
Alice Springs 8-10 6-8  8-10 6-8 6-8 8-10

Applications for public housing

Below is the total number of current applications for urban public housing as of 31 December 2023.

This includes general and priority applicants only.

Applications for public housing
Region General applications Priority applications
1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroomTotal 1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroomTotal
Darwin region 878 178 140 1,196 649 166 206 1,021
Palmerston 329 90 56 475 238 82 72 392
Katherine 227 57 72 356 80 42 50 172
Nhulunbuy 48 36 56 140 5 10 16 31
Tennant Creek 61 26 43 130 17 10 42 69
Alice Springs 445 203 201 849 134 121 133 388
Total1,9885905683,1461,1234315192,073

Public housing allocations

Allocations from the wait list are dependent on the availability of housing stock, which is generally linked to the number of households leaving public housing.

The number of urban public housing allocations from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 is shown below.

This includes general and priority applicants only.

Allocations for public housing
Region General allocations Priority allocations
1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroomTotal 1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroomTotal
Darwin region 14 9 8 31 32 20 38 90
Palmerston 12 8 18 38 17 18 18 53
Katherine 10 6 3 19 5 5 6 16
Nhulunbuy - - 2 2 1 1 - 2
Tennant Creek 2 - 1 3 - - 1 1
Alice Springs 5 3 4 12 3 3 5 11
Total 432636105584768 173

Applications for public housing compared to vacant public housing homes

Below is the total number of applications for public housing compared to vacant public housing homes as of 31 December 2023.

This includes general, priority and transfer applicants.

Vacant homes includes dwellings undergoing vacancy assessments, maintenance, major upgrade and that are available to allocate.

Region 1 bedroom 2 bedroom ≥3 bedroomTotal
Wait list Vacant homes Wait list Vacant homes Wait list Vacant homes Wait list Vacant homes
Darwin region 1,684 10 454 23 466 19 2,604 52
Palmerston 634 15 215 21 176 9 1,025 45
Katherine 322 - 110 10 142 5 574 15
Nhulunbuy 56 - 46 2 74 2 176 4
Tennant Creek 81 3 44 4 100 3 225 10
Alice Springs 629 15 359 15 404 25 1,392 55
Total 3,406431,228751,362635,996 181

What happens when a property becomes available

Public housing is allocated according to the wait list.

When you're nearing the top of the wait list, you will be asked to participate in a pre-tenancy interview.

You need to attend this interview before a formal offer can be made.

This interview makes sure your details are up to date.

Additional checks will be done to find out if your:

  • application information is still correct
  • entitlement needs to be re-assessed.

You need to provide two tenancy references to show you:

  • have a good history of paying rent
  • can maintain your property
  • have had no issues with antisocial behaviour.

You can use the following as references:

  • real estate agent
  • private landlords
  • other state housing authorities
  • supported accommodation services
  • hostels
  • community housing organisations.

Your application may be put on hold if you're unable to provide references or if your references are unsuitable.

How a reference is given

If you get a tenancy reference from an organisation or company such as a real estate agent, the company will need to write a letter to the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities.

The letter must be written on the company’s letterhead and must include the following information about your past tenancy:

  • the address of the property
  • the time the property was rented
  • the rent amount and rent payment frequency
  • if you were a signatory of the lease
  • if a notice to remedy was issued and why
  • if any damage was done to the property and if so, what damage
  • if there were any complaints from neighbours and if so, what complaints
  • if the bond was refunded in full and if not, why.

If you're getting a tenancy reference from a person (not a company), the person will need to fill in the housing tenancy reference form PDF (87.3 KB).

If you don't have references

If you can't supply a satisfactory tenancy reference, you can provide other documents that show the department you have the skills to sustain a tenancy.

These documents could include evidence of attending life skills or community support programs.

If you're unable to supply other relevant documents, the department may be able to recommend other options to help you.

When a suitable property becomes available and you have met conditions at the pre-tenancy interview, you will be contacted with a formal offer of a public housing property.

To accept or refuse the offer, you will need to contact the allocations officer at your local housing office within 24 hours of receiving the offer.

You can request to defer your application for up to six months, if you have reasonable grounds for doing so.

This may include:

  • holidays
  • possible job transfer
  • fixed-term lease on current private rental property
  • approved caretaker tenancies
  • medical requirements.

You may be asked to provide suitable letters or documents to support your request for a deferral.

If you refuse the offer, your application will be cancelled and you will be taken off the public housing waiting list.

The tenancy agreement is a legal document that gives details of your rights and responsibilities as a tenant along with those of the department, who is your landlord.

It is important you read and understand the tenancy agreement and keep a copy for your records.

If you have any difficulties understanding the agreement, you can contact your local housing office.

You can't move in until you have:

  • signed the agreement
  • paid the rent and bond money.

You must start your tenancy within seven business days from the date of accepting the offer of public housing.

If you or people living with you breach your tenancy agreement, you could have your agreement terminated and be made to leave the property.

A range of support programs are available to help you maintain a successful tenancy.

Read more about the tenancy support program.