When to use this form

This is an approved form under section 44 of the National Rental Affordability Scheme Regulations 2020 (the Regulations). This form needs to be completed by you, the tenant, so the Department of Social Services (the department) can verify tenant eligibility for the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).

This form requests information about you and the approved rental dwelling which, includes:
• The number and ages of occupants residing in, or who will reside in, the dwelling, and;
• Sources and details of income earned.

The department uses information in this form when assessing if an NRAS dwelling is eligible for an incentive under the Regulations.

Tenant’s consent to give information

For the purposes of NRAS, by completing and signing this form you agree to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information contained in this form. You also agree to the collection, use and disclosure of any additional or supporting information collected by the approved participant or housing provider throughout the period of your tenancy.

In addition to signing this form, any supporting information you provide to the approved participant or housing provider may be forwarded to the department to support the information provided in the tenant consent form.

If you do not agree, this may affect your eligibility for NRAS.

You can ask your approved participant or housing provider to give you a copy of the information that they have provided to the department.

When is the form required?

1. Point of entry

Approved participants or housing providers are required to provide this form to prospective tenants. Each prospective tenant must complete and sign this form prior to entering into any lease or rental agreement for an NRAS approved rental dwelling.

If a new tenant joins the household, a new Tenant Consent Form must be completed by the new tenant who joins the household prior to entering the dwelling.

2. Annually on the anniversary of the original tenants point of entry

Following point of entry (the commencement of the initial lease), the form is valid for 12 months, and a new tenant consent form must be completed by the occupants of the household, each year on the anniversary of the initial point of entry date of the original tenant moving in.

This is to confirm and review the household income limits.

One form is to be completed by each household and all adult tenants and independent minors (persons aged under 18 years and residing in the household but living independently, i.e. not financially dependent on an eligible tenant over the age of 18 years), are required to sign the Tenant Consent Form – signature page.

Please ensure each tenant signs and completes the signature page (page 8).

If a member of the household vacates the dwelling, there is no requirement for this tenant to complete a tenant consent form. The remaining occupants will be assessed at the anniversary, of the original tenant’s anniversary.

It is your responsibility as a tenant to notify your approved participant or housing provider any time there is a change to the household income or household demographics (such as a new person (adult or child) joins the household). Changes to the household demographics may impact tenant eligibility under NRAS and must be verified at the time of the change by the approved participant or housing provider to ensure continued eligibility.

Please note the date a new tenant joins the household does not restart the tenancy year for the household. The anniversary will continue to be the anniversary of when the original tenants became eligible tenants.

Why is my information collected?

Information about you, and your household, is collected in this form and any supporting information, to confirm your eligibility to rent an NRAS property. It may be used to better direct resources to areas of need and improve its services. The information may also be provided to state or territory governments for the same purpose.

Protection of information

The approved participant and the department, as the persons responsible for collecting the information in this form and any supporting information, are required to observe the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988. This means it must state why the information is required and whom it will be shared with.
• The information you provide is used to enable the department to assess your eligibility to lease an NRAS property and to provide additional information for assessing the rental eligibility status
• The approved participant will provide the information to the department, and the department may give the information to any other parties the department
determines appropriate to achieve the objectives of the scheme.

In addition, the approved participant and the department must:
• store the information securely;
• only use the information for the purpose it was obtained;
• only pass your information to other parties when the law allows or requires it.

The department sometimes provides information about people who are accessing Australian Government funded services to other Government departments and researchers. When this happens, only limited information is made available, and the department removes all details that could identify you, e.g. your names and your employer’s name.

Any other Australian Government departments, state and territory governments and Australian researchers who are given access to the information must also observe the Australian Privacy Principles (or equivalent) when handling the information. The Australian Privacy Commissioner can investigate allegations of improper collection, use and disclosure of personal information by Government departments.

For more information about how the department handles personal information, please see the department’s privacy policy at www.dss.gov.au/privacy-policy The department’s privacy policy contains information about how an individual can seek access to or correction of personal information held by the department. The policy also provides information about how an individual can make a privacy complaint.

Obligations of your approved participant/housing provider

The approved participant must verify the gross annual income (income from all sources before tax is applied) of all occupants that reside in an NRAS approved rental dwelling, ensuring it is within the household eligibility threshold for your household composition.

Your income is reviewed annually. The initial verification must be conducted by the approved participant or housing provider prior to you entering into a lease or rental agreement for the dwelling.

Please note you will cease to be an eligible tenant if your household's combined gross annual income exceeds the approved income threshold by 25 per cent or more in two consecutive eligibility years.

The approved participant must ensure the dwelling complies at all times with the landlord, tenancy, building and health and safety laws of the state or territory and local government area in which the dwelling is located.

The approved participant must provide an NRAS approved rental dwelling at a rate at least 20 per cent below the assessed market rent of the property.

The approved participant may review the rent charged for your property in line with the landlord, tenancy and local government laws in your relevant state or territory. However, any change in rent must ensure that each charge of rent for the dwelling is at least 20 per cent less than the market value rent for the property.

The approved participant must keep and maintain all records used to verify your eligibility to lease an NRAS dwelling, methodology for determining market rent value and rent charged, and information and details specifically requested by the department for five years.

Note: When there is a change to a tenants rent for an NRAS dwelling, the approved participant must update the information in the NRAS portal and provide documentation evidencing the tenants have been notified of the change.

The acceptable documentation to confirm the changed rental amount are outlined below:
• Lease agreement; or
• Rental Ledger; or
• Correspondence notifying the tenant of a change in rent.

Important information

The tenant is responsible for completing the following questions on the Tenant Consent Form:

• Question 1* - Age composition of household
• Question 2* - Household demographics
• Question 3 - Gross household income
• Question 4 - Sources of income
• Question 5 - Sources of income evidence
• Question 6 - Studying or training
• Question 7 - Prior living arrangements
• Tenant consent form* - all tenants are required to sign the form
*denotes mandatory questions

All adult tenants and independent minors (persons aged under 18 years and residing in the household but living independently, i.e. not financially dependent on an eligible tenant over the age of 18 years) are required to sign the Tenant Consent Form (page 8).

Further information

Further queries about this form can be sent to nras@dss.gov.au

 

By completing this form, you as the tenant, are providing consent to the collection and use of any personal information contained in this form, and in any supporting information and documentation provided to the approved participant during the course of the tenancy to determine your eligibility to lease a property under NRAS. This consent covers use by the approved participant and the department to use your personal information for the purpose of NRAS.

What are the ages of all residents in your household?

Note: Approved Participants to ensure income amount aligns with documentary evidence in the NRAS portal.

What is the main source of income for each resident in the household?

What type of evidence have you provided to support your household income?

How many residents of the household are currently studying or training?

Prior to this lease, what were the living arrangements of all household residents?

The personal information you are asked to provide in this form or as supporting information during your period of tenancy is collected by the approved participant or housing provider. This enables the approved participant or housing provider to determine (and the department to verify) your eligibility to lease a property under NRAS and to provide the Australian Government more information about who is accessing its services. The approved participant or housing provider will be required to collect your personal information and provide it to the department. The approved participant, housing provider and the department may be required, from time to time, to pass some or all of your personal information to other Australian Government departments and researchers however will not be disclosed to other agencies.

In relation to my personal information contained in this form, and in the supporting documentation provided during the course of my tenancy, I give my consent for the approved participant or housing provider responsible for managing the allocation covering my rental dwelling to collect my personal information for the purposes described in this form and in accordance with the objects of NRAS.

I also give my consent for the approved participant or housing provider to disclose on my behalf to the Australian Government, or to other government departments and researchers as directed by the Australian Government, some or all of my personal information as collected in this form or any additional or supporting information as collected during the course of my tenancy.

I also acknowledge the disclosure of some or all of my personal information to the Australian Government and its use will occur for the purpose of assisting the Australian Government to conduct research and report its performance under the Scheme.

I also agree, in the event the allocation covering my rental dwelling is transferred to another approved participant, my details may be provided to the gaining approved participant.

Should I provide further personal information related to this form, or for the purposes of NRAS, I consent for my personal information to be handled in accordance with the above.

This consent form will be retained by your approved participant or housing provider, and may be sighted by the Australian Government, in order to verify your eligibility to lease a property under the Scheme.