young people with boarder or renters
what you need to know
When a person receives board payments from someone living with them, 62% of all board payments are included when working out their eligibility for, and calculating, the following housing subsidies:
- Accommodation Supplement
- Temporary Additional Support
- Income Related Rent Subsidy
- Sole Parent Accommodation Benefit for Student Allowance
- Away from Home Allowance
The change means we treat board payments the same as rent payments in housing subsidy assessments.
It helps prevent situations where the landlord and the boarder or renter both receive a housing subsidy for the same accommodation costs.
For more information about rent and board payments, refer to MAP:
For further information about the change see:
Changes to how we assess board payments | Work and Income
For more information about housing subsidies, refer to MAP:
Accommodation Supplement | MAP
Temporary Additional Support | MAP
Income Related Rent Subsidy | MAP
who is impacted?
A young person is impacted when any of the following apply:
-
They have someone living with them who pays them board or rent
-
They have declared another MSD client as their landlord, and the board or rent payments they say they pay do not match the information we hold for that individual, or
-
Another MSD client has declared the young person as their boarder, renter or landlord and the information does not match what we hold for the young person.
how young people declare and update their boarder, renter or landlord information
Young people can declare their information:
- When applying for or reviewing their housing subsidy (for example: Accommodation Supplement)
- Or through the Board and Rent Declaration form in MyMSD (for declaring boarder/renters).
MyMSD can be used on a mobile, tablet, or desktop device. To declare a boarder or renter, they can log in and go to 'Declare boarders and renters'.
You can help them use MyMSD if needed. If the young person completes their declaration online, it is sent directly to YSSU.
- If they cannot use MyMSD, you can help by printing a paper version of the form and assisting them to complete it.
Board and rent information form – V36
what you need to do
step one – create and submit the art task
Task category: Reviews
Task type: Boarders/Renters
If a young person provides a completed paper form or you have helped them complete an editable form, upload it to their ART and add it to the ART task.
If a young person has verbally declared the information, add this information to the ART task.
Task category: Reviews
Task type: Boarders/Renters
step two – contacting a young person
YSSU will send you a notification via ART if you need to contact the young person who is the boarder, renter or landlord to confirm the amount of board or rent they pay or receive.
Next steps
YSSU will update the young person's record when they have declared a boarder or renter, or that they are a landlord. They will let you know if you need to contact the young person.
Note: Use existing approved methods to contact the young person.
You will need to make at least three attempts to contact them.
when further contact is needed
You will need to contact the young person if:
- The information that the young person and their boarder, renters or landlord does not match, and
- They are both receiving a housing subsidy.
- YSSU have notified you that they have been unable to contact the young person and the mismatch is still unresolved.
For example: the young person is receiving Accommodation Supplement and paying $250 board to another MSD client as their landlord. YSSU checks the MSD client's record, and they have told MSD that the young person only pays them $200 board.
YSSU will notify you via ART if the young person needs to be contacted. MSD will be responsible for contacting the other MSD client when they are not a young person.
impacts to payments
If you or YSSU are unable to get in touch with the young person, or mismatch in rent/board details cannot be resolved. YSSU will refer this on to the Centralised Processing Unit to start the 'dispute' process.
If the young person and their landlord or flatmate are unable to resolve the mismatch within 10 working days, both housing payments will stop.
The Centralised Processing Unit will:
- Send letters to everyone involved with information on how to resolve it and when evidence may be required
- Start the 10-day countdown, and
- pause or update payments if it's not resolved in time.
If the young person contacts you during this time, you should let them know about the mismatch and encourage them to resolve this with their boarder, renter or landlord to avoid they payments stopping.
Here is some conversation tips for Youth Coaches:
what a renter, flatmate and boarder is
Our definition of renter, flatmates and boarders are:
· Renters: people who pay for accommodation only
· Flatmates: people who share the cost of the accommodation and other costs, such as food and utilities
· Boarders: people who pay a fixed amount for accommodation, food and utilities, and are not included on the tenancy agreement. This includes people living in a boarding house (with food provided) or social housing property and are not the head tenant.
who needs to complete a declaration form?
Young people receiving payments from others that are living with them. If a young person pays board to someone else, they don’t need to complete this form.