Vacant bedroom charge in public housing

A vacant bedroom charge is an extra cost that public housing tenants pay if they live in a property that is larger than they need.

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Why do you have a vacant bedroom charge?

Many people are waiting for public housing while some tenants live in larger homes than they need. We call this under-occupancy.

Homes NSW encourages these tenants to move to smaller properties. This helps make larger homes available for other families in need.

If a tenant requests to transfer because they have too much space, but then refuses the smaller property offered to them, they will need to pay a vacant bedroom charge. This policy helps to keep our system fair for everyone.

How much is a vacant bedroom charge?

A vacant bedroom charge is:

$20 per week when there is one person in the household aged 16 years and over, or
$30 per week when there are two people or more in the household aged 16 years and over.

Who pays a vacant bedroom charge?

A vacant bedroom charge is paid by public housing tenants.

Tenants living in community housing and Aboriginal Housing Office properties do not pay a vacant bedroom charge.

If you are currently paying a vacant bedroom charge and your property management changes to a community housing provider under the Social Housing Management Transfer program, you will continue to pay this charge. This will remain in effect until your lease ends or you move to a smaller home.

How does Homes NSW decide whether a tenant needs to pay a vacant bedroom charge?

Homes NSW looks at the number of bedrooms in a property and the number of people living there.

For example, a single person living alone in a three-bedroom property may need to pay the charge as they have two extra bedrooms not being used.

Some tenants need extra bedrooms for things such as storing specialist medical equipment. Homes NSW considers this when looking at whether a tenant needs to pay a vacant bedroom charge.

The list below shows the number of bedrooms a tenant is entitled to, for their type of household:

Single people: Studio, one or two bedrooms
Couples: One or two bedrooms
Single people or couples with one other household member: Two or three bedrooms
Single people or couples with two other household member: Two or three bedrooms
Single people or couples with three other household member: Three or four bedrooms
Single people or couples with four other household member: Three or four bedrooms
Single people or couples with five other household members: Four bedroom or, if available, five or more bedrooms [*]

[*] Clients who have a five-bedroom household will generally be offered a four-bedroom property unless a five-bedroom property is vacant when the client’s turn is reached. This is due to the limited number of five-bedroom properties available.

What if I don't want to pay a vacant bedroom charge?

If you home feels too big or you have extra bedrooms, you can request a transfer to a smaller property. Your request will be prioritised on the NSW Housing Register, allowing you to move to a smaller home as soon as one is available.

Homes NSW may also ask you to move to another property that better suits your household.

Most tenants who are asked to relocate for management reasons support the move, and accept the first offer of alternative housing.

What if I don’t agree with Homes NSW decisions?

You cannot appeal the decision to move to another property or the vacant bedroom charge.

If you believe an offer of accommodation is unreasonable or disagree with a decision Homes NSW made during the relocation process, you can ask for a formal review. You can do this by filling out the Review of Decisions application (PDF 343.9KB), available online or at your local Homes NSW office.