Housing Rights
Commonwealth Rent Assistance, First Home Guarantee, housing discrimination, and home loan protections in Australia.
Covered in this guide:
Tenancy rules sit with your state — Victoria's RTA, NSW's RTA, Queensland's RTRA — each with its own tribunal. Federally, Commonwealth Rent Assistance tops up income support for low-income renters, and the First Home Guarantee lets eligible buyers in with a 5% deposit and no LMI. Discrimination in housing is banned by the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, Sex Discrimination Act 1984, and Disability Discrimination Act 1992. If your mortgage is unmanageable, the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 gives you hardship-variation rights.
Key Laws
National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009
Act No. 134 of 2009 (Cth)
Responsible lending, hardship provisions, home loan protections
Racial Discrimination Act 1975
Act No. 52 of 1975 (Cth)
Prohibits racial discrimination in housing and accommodation
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Act No. 135 of 1992 (Cth)
Equal access to premises, reasonable adjustments for tenants with disability
Housing Australia Future Fund Act 2023
Act No. 79 of 2023 (Cth)
Establishes fund for social and affordable housing investment
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA)
CRA is a non-taxable supplement from the Commonwealth, paid on top of your main income-support payment — JobSeeker, Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Family Tax Benefit Part A, or Parenting...
First Home Guarantee
The First Home Guarantee — formerly the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme — lets eligible first-home buyers in with as little as a 5% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). The...
Anti-Discrimination in Housing
Federal law makes it unlawful to discriminate in housing on the basis of race, colour, national origin, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age. The...
National Construction Code Compliance
The National Construction Code (NCC) sets the minimum technical standards every Australian residential building has to meet. It's written by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) — a joint...
Home Loan Consumer Protections
The National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (NCCP Act) brought home-loan lending in Australia under a single national licence — every lender or broker has to hold an Australian Credit Licence...
Strata Title and Body Corporate — Federal Aspects
Strata and body corporate schemes are mostly state law, but the federal layer matters for any owner who is paying tax, holding GST-relevant income, or buying into a serviced-apartment-style...
Homelessness Support and Rights
The federal money behind Australian homelessness services moves through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) — over $1.6 billion per year from the Commonwealth to the states and...
Foreign Investment in Residential Property
Non-residents and temporary visa holders who want to buy residential property in Australia need approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) before settling. The rule applies to all...
Renters' Rights Reform — New South Wales
Residential tenancy in Australia is legislated by each state and territory — the Commonwealth Parliament has no specific head of power over landlord-tenant law under section 51 of the Australian...
Portable Rental Bond and Minimum Standards — Victoria
Residential tenancy in Australia is legislated by each state and territory under their residual competence — section 51 of the Australian Constitution does not list landlord-tenant law among the...
Rental Reform Act — Western Australia
Residential tenancy in Australia is legislated by each state and territory — the Commonwealth Parliament does not have a specific head of power over landlord-tenant law under section 51 of the...
Renting Reform — South Australia
Residential tenancy in Australia is legislated by each state and territory — section 51 of the Australian Constitution does not enumerate landlord-tenant law, leaving the field with the states. South...