Temporary accommodation and Rent Assistance (RA) 102-03030030

Other help may be needed if the customer has left their principal home because of an extreme circumstance. This could be domestic violence or a natural disaster.

See Identifying and offering services to customers in crisis or needing special help

Accommodation is temporary if the customer:

• intends to return to their current principal home, or
• has sold their principal home and will be using the proceeds to build, renovate or buy another
• is living temporarily in 'refuge type' accommodation; that is, a refuge, crisis or emergency accommodation which is short term and generally not more than 3 months

If the customer has moved permanently, see Permanent vacation of principal home

RA is generally only payable when the accommodation being rented is regarded as the customer's principal home.

All customers may qualify for RA for a temporary address. This includes:

• homeowners, and
• non-homeowners

Paying Government Rent

A customer paying government rent for their principal home can receive RA for a temporary address.

Rent Assistance can be assessed and paid individually to each eligible member of a couple who have been assessed and coded with certain Relationship qualifier codes on the Marital Status (MS) screen.

Search relationship qualifier codes in the A-Z of Rent Assistance terms and codes for a list of relationship qualifier codes and more information.

If one member of a couple is an ineligible homeowner, both members of the couple are treated as ineligible homeowners and neither can be paid RA, except where a person has temporarily left their principal home:

• and they receive ABSTUDY, or
• for at least 14 consecutive days or more to:
• provide a substantial level of care, or
• receive a substantial level of care

In these cases, RA may be payable to a person for a temporary address (including term address) even if their partner remains an ineligible homeowner.

The reason for the move must be because they:

• need to temporarily live away from the principal home for 14 days or longer to:
• access specific medical treatment
• receive a substantial level of care (excluding respite care), or
• are temporarily living away from their principal home to personally provide a substantial level of care to another person. It must be for 14 days or longer
• will attend training or education to improve their employment prospects
• live temporarily in another location so that a student child can attend school. They must not receive any other Commonwealth Assistance for the same purpose
• have moved to 'refuge type' crisis or emergency accommodation
• are taking refuge in another person's home as they are affected by family and domestic violence (FDV)
• must live elsewhere temporarily because their home is uninhabitable (for example, due to damage or a natural disaster)

In these situations, the customer is likely to incur increased accommodation costs, and the temporary accommodation can reasonably be regarded as their principal home while they are living there.

Rent Assistance can only be paid for one residence. If the customer qualifies for RA for the temporary accommodation and they continue to pay rent for the principal home, they can decide which one to receive RA for. The rent for separate residences cannot be added together for RA purposes.

If RA is not payable on their temporary accommodation it will continue to be paid on their principal home if they continue to pay rent.

If the customer is travelling around Australia, see Rent Assistance for travellers.

It is the responsibility of all Services Australia staff to make sure customers who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness are given additional support and information to:

• lodge a claim for an income support payment if they are not on payment
• apply for a formal review a decision, if they disagree with it
• code a Homelessness Indicator on the customer's record if the customer consents
• consider if they need an:
• internal referral to an agency specialist
• external referral within the community, such as emergency accommodation or welfare agency help