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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:
- 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 public housing as of 31 December 2018.
| Region | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin/ Casuarina | 6 to 8 years | 2 to 4 years | 4 to 6 years |
| Palmerston | 4 to 6 years | Less than 2 years | 2 to 4 years |
| Alice Springs | 4 to 6 years | 4 to 6 years | 4 to 6 years |
| Katherine | 6 to 8 years* | 4 to 6 years | 4 to 6 years |
| Nhulunbuy | 4 to 6 years | 2 to 4 years | 2 to 4 years |
| Tennant Creek | 6 to 8 years | More than 8 years* | 4 to 6 years |
*Due to limited stock and turnover, median value cannot be applied.
Applications for public housing
If your application is successful, you will go on a wait list.
The wait list is produced in date order from when your application is received.
It includes general, priority and transfer applicants.
Below is the total number of current applications for urban public housing assistance as of 31 December 2018.
The number of priority applicants that account for this total is 1,277.
| Region | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3+ bedroom | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin/ Casuarina | 1231 | 229 | 249 | 1709 |
| Palmerston | 478 | 98 | 105 | 681 |
| Alice Springs | 473 | 291 | 343 | 1107 |
| Katherine | 249 | 81 | 97 | 427 |
| Nhulunbuy | 29 | 20 | 36 | 85 |
| Tennant Creek | 87 | 35 | 70 | 192 |
| Total | 2547 | 754 | 900 | 4201 |
Public housing allocations
Allocations from the wait list are dependent on the availability of housing stock, which is generally linked to the number of tenancies leaving public housing.
The number of urban public housing allocations from 1 January to 31 December 2018 is shown below.
| Region | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3+ bedroom | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin/ Casuarina | 79 | 102 | 123 | 304 |
| Palmerston | 34 | 63 | 79 | 176 |
| Alice Springs | 40 | 36 | 37 | 113 |
| Katherine | 15 | 11 | 21 | 47 |
| Nhulunbuy | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Tennant Creek | 4 | 7 | 11 | |
| Total | 174 | 212 | 270 | 656* |
*This total includes 236 internal transfers and 420 new households from the wait list during this period.
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Last updated: 07 February 2019