Shire/community/commission housing

Can anyone explain to me how they come up with their rental prices?

I live in community housing & was under the impression that 'affordable' housing would mean for the area. For what I have & where I am I think I pay way too much.

So do they average the rents out over the whole state? Or just the area? Coz in MY area, the average rent is about $50 less than what I pay a week. My brother pays more, for a 5brm house, with a coolroom & a massive shed. My house is tiny, 3brm & there are 2 houses on the block, so a tiny yard too.

There are mines down the road from us. 130km away. A mining income is way above the cut off limit for these houses, so even though that puts the average rent up where the mines are, I really don't think its fair that they take that into account here.

When I applied for this house I was told I'd be paying $118 a week. Noone told me the FULL price was $195 & that they were taking my rent assisstance from that amount. I can get that discount in ANY house!

I feel ripped off. The local shire is handing all the houses here to a bigger shire, based 3 hours from here, & 6 months after they take over & I sign the new lease, they'll review the rent. So they'll consider putting the rent UP! We're in an isolated area of WA. There are NO major services here. Very limited anything, so I'm not paying to live close to anything at all. No shopping/transport etc. Just work opportunities... & as far as I know, the more you earn, the more you pay.

I would really like to know how it all works. Because I'm wondering if its worth giving up my housing security I feel I have here, to live in a bigger house, with cheaper rent...? They're also asking me to pay a $200 pet bond, which I've never had to do before... even through real estates!!

Nobody??

I used to work in community housing in Sydney. Each property had a market rent value based on the typical rental price for that kind of property in that area. The rent a tenant actually paid was based on their income, 25% from memory. Rent assistance is included in this income. The maximum rent would be the market value. There were a number of tenants who could have easily gone out into the private rental market as they easily paid the market rent on their property but there was much more security for them by staying - no risk of the property selling and having to move, if they lost their job the rent would go down, etc. Can you speak to your housing officer (or whatever they might be called in that organisation) and ask them how they work out the market rent for your property and how they work out what rent you pay? They should be able to explain all this to you.

What are the benefits to you of having community housing if you're paying more for it?

May be a silly question but I've never had anything to do with community housing etc.

Well thats what I'm trying to figure out Jaycee. Especially now I know my rent could possibly increase. Of course, it may go down as well, but I don't like my chances there :lol:

Security is good of course. But most, if not all the private rentals here, are owned by people who own quite a few houses & they've bought them as investment properties. So most of them have very little chance of selling as well.

Yep it based on your income so you are paying 25% of your income and I think 15% of your family tax. So having 4 kids you have the more than if you had 1, so sometimes it makes it not worth it. There will be a property value so your rent won't go over whatever that amount is, even if you earn more.

Isn't that just housing commision? My neighbour pays the same as me with 2 kids & it hasn't changed since she started working?

Community housing should be the same. It's possible that what she is paying is the market rent for her property which is why it hasn't changed. I'd call them tomorrow and ask them to explain how they work out the rent, just in case it's not 25%, and what the market rent for your property is.

Ok. I might do that. None of it sounds quite right to me. Whe I called them about it, I was told I'd be paying $118/week. Thats all they told me. It wasn't til I was in & signing the lease that I found out it was actually $195 & they'd just taken my rent assistance amount off that. I thought I wouldn't be getting rent assisstance, as it is with commission housing.
I guess I'm still paying the same I expected to pay, but I could get rent assisstance on a house for $150 too. I've moved from the mid north coast of NSW & that would be market value in the smaller towns there, where you're less than 20 minutes away from doctors, hospitals, dentists, daycare etc.