Housing and Accommodation
If you are experiencing housing and accommodation difficulties such as mortgage and rentals issues, there may be a number of services available to support you.
» Are you having mortgage or rental issues?
» Are you having trouble paying bills or buying essentials?
» What assistance is there to help with my energy bills?
» Do you need advice about managing your finances, your mortgage or debts?
» Do you need legal advice?
Are you having mortgage or rental issues?
A range of housing assistance options are available through Housing Pathways to people with housing needs including private rent assistance and rent subsidies as well as temporary, emergency supported and crisis accommodation.
Centrelink provides services to help you pay your rent and to find accommodation in crisis situations.
Are you having trouble paying bills or buying essentials?
Mortgage and rent assistance#mce_temp_url#
If you are suffering temporary difficulties with your home loan repayments because of an unavoidable change in circumstances, such as unemployment, short term financial you may be eligible for the Mortgage Assistance Scheme. This is a loan to be repaid in the future and eligibility criteria apply. For more information please call 1300 HOUSING (1300 468 746)
If you are having trouble making repayments on your loan, credit card or mortgage because of illness, unemployment and other reasonable causes, you should seek assistance from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). ASIC can provide information on credit and debt problems, personal hardship and where to get help. For further information visit MoneySmart, the consumer website of the ASIC, or phone 1300 300 630.
Water and energy bills
If you're having difficulty paying your water bill, Sydney Water and Hunter Water offer a range of options to their customers. These include flexible payment schemes and payment assistance. Government owned energy providers also offer support for customers struggling to pay their gas and power bills.
For more information contact:
- Sydney Water or call 13 20 92
- Hunter Water or call 1300 657 657
- Energy Australia or call 1300 723 492
- Integral Energy or call 131 002
- Country Energy or call 13 23 56
If you are a customer of other water and energy companies you should contact your provider about what options are available to you.
If you are having financial difficulty paying your energy bill financial assistance may be available through Industry and Investment NSW. Eligibility criteria apply.
For more information go to the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance Scheme website or call 1300 729 867.
Centrelink provides a wide range of assistance to help you pay and manage your bills and rent.
What assistance is there to help with my energy bills?
The NSW Government has a range of programs to help eligible customers stay connected to these essential services. These include the:
- NSW Energy Rebate ($145)
- Medical Energy Rebate ($145)
- Life Support Rebate (rates vary depending on the type of machine)
- Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers
- Home Power Savings Program (savings of up to $95 a year)
- Retailer Hardship Policies and Payment Plans
- Save Power website (for useful energy saving tips and information on rebates to assist households purchase energy savings appliances)
- Centrepay (to prevent large energy bills by making regular instalments)
More information about electricity rebates and EAPA assistance is available from your electricity supplier or from the Energy Information Line on 1300 729 867.
For more information on rebates, hardship programs and payment plans contact your electricity supplier who can assist and, if you are eligible, set you up with rebates or programs.
Do you need advice about managing your finances, your mortgage or debts?
Financial advice
If you need financial advice and counselling about managing debts and payments free accredited services are available through the Financial Counselling Services Program.
Centrelink offers advice on managing your finances.
Do you need legal advice?
If you need financial advice the Consumer Credit Legal Centre gives free financial counselling, information, referrals and legal advice to individual consumers in NSW on credit, debt and banking issues. Advice is not available to businesses. For more information please 1800 808 488 for advice on credit and debt issues and 1300 663 464 for advice on insurance issues (Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm)
If you need legal advice LawAccess is a free phone service that provides legal information, referral and in some cases legal advice to people in NSW. For more information please call 1300 888 529 (Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm)
If you earn a low income and need legal help Legal Aid provides minor assistance and casework services to eligible people throughout NSW including advice on mortgage payments and other debt issues. For more information please call 1300 888 529
