Tenants who lose their jobs due to the coronavirus and cannot afford their rent will not be evicted, a welfare agency has announced.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And it has assured tenants their rents will not go up even though many will see their incomes nearly double thanks to government coronavirus assistance payments.
Housing Plus CEO David Fisher said it would support tenants during the crisis.
"You will not lose your house if you have lost your job," he said.
Housing Plus tenants' rental payments are based on their incomes but Mr Fisher said the government assistance would not be counted.
"We wish to reassure our customers that the additional coronavirus supplements, special payments or the government stimulus payment are not assessable income for social housing tenants," he said.
"This means around 90 per cent of our customers will have more money in their household budget, almost double, to meet expenses while continuing to pay their rent."
You will not lose your house if you have lost your job.
- David Fisher, Housing Plus CEO
Mr Fisher said any Housing Plus customer in financial distress due to the coronavirus should contact them.
"We will work with individual households to tailor arrangements based on their needs and keep them in their home," he said.
Mr Fisher said private tenants needing help should speak to their real estate agent.
And he said the group's other services including homelessness, domestic violence and employment and training would continue to operate with customers urged to call rather than visiting Housing Plus offices.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...