Assessing caravans, boats and park homes 108-04070080

Does the customer live in a park or village that is promoted as, or provides similar facilities to, a retirement village?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 3

To identify the type of accommodation, consider:

• Retirement villages
• Homes are built on the ground
• May have shared amenities such as pool, tennis court, bowling green, community centre
• May also have high level/nursing care accommodation on site
• Operate under the relevant Retirement Villages Act for the state it is located in
• The customer will sign a ‘residents agreement’ with the village
• Lifestyle Villages/Park homes
• Homes may be built off the ground on piers and are relocatable (timber slats or lattice are regularly used around the bottom of the home to disguise this)
• Newer villages may have homes that are built on the ground and cannot be moved
• May have shared amenities such as pool, tennis court, bowling green, community centre
• Do not provide different levels of care
• Do not operate under the Retirement Villages Act
• The customer will own the home and have a lease or pay rent/site fees for the land it sits on

If the accommodation type can still not be determined:

• research the village by name and location to help determine the above factors
• obtain a copy of the contract/lease and relevant details from the customer
• use the online query form to escalate to Level 2 Policy Helpdesk for further help with the decision

If a customer resides in a:

• retirement village, see Retirement villages. Procedure ends here
• lifestyle village or park home, go to Step 3

Is the dwelling (campervan, caravan, park home or boat), the customer lives in, owned by (or being purchased by) the customer, and do they have reasonable security of tenure?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, and the customer:
• Does not own the land or marina berth the dwelling is situated on, go to Step 4
• Owns the land or marina berth the dwelling is situated on, this is assessed on a case by case basis. Send details via the Level 2 Policy Helpdesks - Online Query Form for a decision on how to assess

Update change of address.

Request proof of rent and advise customer they may be eligible for Rent Assistance (RA). RA can be paid for rental of the dwelling plus any site/mooring fees paid.

For more information on updating the AC screen and requesting rent verification, see Completing the Accommodation Details (AC) screen and assessing Rent Assistance (RA) or Rent Assistance (RA) for travellers.

Was the customer previously a homeowner?

• Yes, see Permanent vacation of principal home
• No, record details on a DOC. Procedure ends here

Has the customer left their principal home temporarily (for less than 12 months) to travel in a campervan, mobile home, caravan or a boat that they own?

• Yes, go to Step 6.
• No, advise the customer they are classed as a homeowner and the homeowner (lower) assets limits apply. The value of the campervan, caravan, mobile home, or boat is an exempt asset. Note: if the exempt asset was previously coded as an assessable asset on the Other Assets (OAS) screen, the asset value and ownership need to be updated to zero. Go to Step 7.

Customer is a homeowner of their principal residence they have temporarily vacated. Rent Assistance (RA) is not payable for the first 12 months of absence. For more information, see Rent Assistance (RA) for travellers.

The value of the dwelling (campervan, caravan, mobile home, or boat) is an asset.

If the customer is absent for more than 12 months, the home is then classed as an asset as it is no longer the principal home. The customer may then be eligible for RA for the site/mooring fees paid for their dwelling, which would then be classified as their principal home. See:

• Temporary vacation of principal home
• Rent Assistance (RA) for travellers

Procedure ends here.

Is the customer's dwelling (campervan, caravan, mobile home or boat) situated on land or at a marina berth owned by the customer?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 9

Advise the customer the land around the dwelling (up to two hectares used for private purposes) or the marina berth is also an exempt asset.

The customer is not entitled to Rent Assistance (RA).

On the Accommodation (AC) screen, code 'HOM' (fully owns home, purchasing own home, or owns jointly with their partner) in the Home Ownership: field

For more information, see Completing the Accommodation Details (AC) screen and assessing Rent Assistance (RA).

Advise customer that Rent Assistance (RA) can be paid for any fees they pay for the use of a site or berth to moor a vessel. They need to provide proof of fees.

Update change of address.

On the Accommodation (AC) screen, code:

• 'HOM' (fully owns home, purchasing own home or owns jointly with partner) in Home Ownership: field
• 'SIT' (site fees) or 'MOO' (mooring fees) in Type of Rent: field

For full AC coding instructions, see Completing the Accommodation Details (AC) screen and assessing Rent Assistance (RA).

Record details on a DOC.