If you're the tenant who signed the SA Housing Trust conditions of tenancy, you may be able to buy your public housing property.
Not all properties are for sale.
Before you begin
If you have a debt to the SA Housing Trust, you'll need to do either of these:
- repay the debt in full before contacting the Tenant Sales Officer to see if the property is for sale
- provide proof your lending institution has added your debt to their loan approval.
Buying shares in your property
If you're a tenant who signed a Progressive Purchase/Shared Ownership Scheme agreement with the SA Housing Trust, you may purchase further shares or the final share in the property.
1. Contact your lender
Contact your lending institution – for example, HomeStart – to see if you're eligible for a loan, and get an approval in principle letter.
2. Contact the Tenant Sales Officer
The Tenant Sales Officer will advise you of the next steps.
No new applications are being accepted for the Progressive Purchase/Shared Ownership Scheme.
Buying your property
1. Contact the Tenant Sales Officer
Request a property assessment to be carried out to decide if the property can be sold. If it’s approved for sale, you’ll be sent a request to purchase form and an acceptance letter.
2. Contact your lender
Contact your lending institution – for example, HomeStart – to see if you're eligible for a loan, and get an approval in principle letter.
Complete the request to purchase form.
Send the completed form and your approval in principle letter to the Tenant Sales Officer.
3. Valuation
If your property is available for sale, the SA Housing Trust will arrange for an independent valuer to value the property. This will happen once your signed request to purchase form and approval in principal letter have been received.
Allowances may be made for any improvements that you have added to the property if they have been approved by the SA Housing Trust and add value.
4. Offer of sale
You’ll be sent an offer letter and an application to purchase form. The offer is valid for 30 days.
If you disagree with the valuation, contact the Tenant Sales Officer.
If you want to continue with the purchase, complete and return the application to purchase form to the Tenant Sales Officer.
The tenant must be included in the contract of sale and the certificate of title to the property. The tenant's interest in the property can’t be assigned to another party. Other parties may be listed as joint purchasers.
The SA Housing Trust doesn't provide a building and pest inspection report as part of the sales contract and strongly encourages all tenants to obtain their own independent report before committing to purchasing their rental property.
If you don't respond within 30 days, the offer expires. The SA Housing Trust isn’t obliged to offer the property for sale again.
If your property is not for sale
Not all properties are for sale. This can be because:
- it’s required for future development
- major upgrading has been carried out
- it doesn’t have a separate title
- it’s in a high demand area
- it's suitable for the long-term housing of high needs customers.
If your property isn't for sale, you may be able to buy a property through HomeSeeker SA.
