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Housing, property and land

Applying for financial assistance

On this page you will find out about:

Bond and rent in advance
Eligibility
How to apply
Getting the bond or rent
Other services that may help
What happens to the bond at the end of the tenancy?

Bond and rent in advance

You may be able to get help with paying for all or part of a bond and up to two weeks’ rent in advance from Housing SA.

This is to help you secure a property, including:

privately rented properties
residential parks
boarding houses and shelters
community housing (bond only).

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Eligibility

To be eligible for help with a bond or rent in advance you must meet all of these criteria:

the accommodation is affordable and meets your needs
are a South Australian resident for at least the last six weeks
don’t own or part own residential property
don’t have an unarranged debt with Housing SA
aren’t currently bankrupt with a debt to Housing SA
have an income paid directly to you that is within the income limits (PDF 73KB). For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

If you believe you don’t meet these criteria but have special circumstances and require earlier housing you can ask to have these taken into consideration.

If you have a debt with Housing SA you can negotiate an affordable repayment arrangement.

Special circumstances may include:

being homeless or at risk of homelessness
long term medical or disability issues
financial, cultural or social issues
domestic or family violence
a need to be close to a particular support - eg medical facility
leaving institutional care
a victim of natural disaster.

You need to provide letters of support or a housing needs report form (PDF 236KB) completed by professional support workers who are aware of your situation so Housing SA can assess your circumstances. For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

Locate services in your area through the SA Community website. People who write letters of support are usually:

social workers
medical professionals and specialists
police
community, disability or health workers.

To discuss your situation contact Housing SA.

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How to apply

To apply you will need to:

Step 1: Complete a private rental assistance application (PDF 1.1MB). For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

Step 2: Provide proof of identity and income (PDF 607KB) (Word 802KB) for anyone aged 16 and over who will be living with you. You can choose to have your income details provided by Centrelink electronically to Housing SA. For more information see Providing your income details via Centrelink.

Step 3: Lodge all documentation with Housing SA. You may need an interview with Housing SA if:

you don’t meet the eligibility criteria
you have special circumstances
the weekly rent is more than $300
you would like to talk about other housing options.

If you are unable to attend a Housing SA office - eg because you live in a remote area, contact Housing SA as they may be able to organise an alternative interview process.

All interviews can be arranged by contacting Housing SA.

If you have a bond currently lodged with Consumer and Business services that was provided by Housing SA you will need to ask your current landlord to complete an interim bond release form (PDF 67KB) (Word 45KB). This form will give Housing SA an idea of whether the bond will be claimed. It is not legally binding and the landlord can still make a claim on the bond if any conditions of the lease agreement have been breached.

All forms and fact sheets can be posted to you from Housing SA.

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Getting the bond or rent

Once you have been approved for help with bond or rent you can find a property within the rent affordability limit set by Housing SA.

When you have found somewhere you want to rent ask the landlord to complete the property owners declarartion form (PDF 511KB) from page 15 of the private rental assistance application form. Return this to Housing SA.
For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

Housing SA will give you a bond guarantee form that you will need to sign and give to your landlord. The landlord must sign and lodge this with Consumer and Business Services before the expiry date listed on the bond guarantee.

If you have been approved for help with rent a cheque will be made out to your landlord.
No cash or cheques are made out to individuals applying for assistance.

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Other services that may help

Other organisations may be able to help you in various ways, including providing information and advice, help with budgeting and one-off emergency payments. Locate services in your area through the SA Community website.

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What happens to the bond at the end of the tenancy?

If the landlord releases the bond in full this is returned to Housing SA.
If all or part of the bond is claimed this will become a debt you'll owe to Housing SA.

You can dispute any claim on a bond if you disagree with it. For more information see Disputing a private rental bond claim.

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