Public and Community Housing Management Act 1992, s 100 Public and Community Housing Management (Appointment of Agency and Regulatory Authority) Order 2018

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) assesses whether people qualify for subsidised state or community housing – called “social” housing. MSD is the government department that deals with benefits and other forms of income support through Work and Income (which is part of MSD) and other MSD units. The MSD unit responsible for social housing is sometimes referred to as “Centralised Unit – Housing”.

To find out if you qualify for government-subsidised social housing, contact Work and Income on 0800 559 009 – or, if you’re 65 or older, contact MSD’s Senior Services unit on 0800 552 002.

The first step will be an initial screening assessment, which may be done over the phone. Someone from MSD will ask you questions about your housing needs, your current living arrangements, your weekly income and so on. If they find you meet the qualifying criteria, you’ll next have a full needs assessment (usually face to face) to decide how high your housing need is and where you’ll be on the social housing waiting list.

Public and Community Housing Management Act 1992, s 102(2)(a) Ministerial Direction on Continued Eligibility for Social Housing, 1 Jul 2014; Ministerial Direction on Eligibility for Social Housing, 14 Apr 2014

To qualify for government-subsidised social housing from Kāinga Ora (Housing NZ) or a community housing provider, you must:

• be at least 16 and be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and New Zealand must be your usual home
• have after-tax income under $655.41 a week if you have no partner and no dependent children or under $1008.33 a week if you have a partner and/or dependent children; and have less than $42,700 in cash savings or other property that could be converted into cash
• have a high need for social housing – this will depend on who’s in your household, what your current place is like, your ability to find suitable housing in the private market, and other factors (housing needs are assessed under what’s called the “Social Allocation System” – SAS).

If you have a partner, their situation will be assessed as part of your application.

If the Ministry of Social Development decides you don’t qualify for social housing (for example, because they think your housing need isn’t high enough), and you disagree, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed by a Benefit Review Committee (see: “Challenging Work and Income decisions: Reviews and appeals”).

If you’re not approved for social housing, you may be entitled to a range of “housing support products” from MSD. Some of this support has to be repaid to MSD, but some doesn’t. You can apply for help to pay for things like bonds, letting fees and moving costs. You can also ask for financial help to leave a tenancy. For more information, see: “Types of main benefits”.

This will depend on how high your housing need is, how quickly a suitable place comes up, and the number of people on the waiting list with urgent needs. Applications are given a priority rating which shows how urgent their need is – you’ll be categorised as being at risk (priority A) or as having a serious housing need (priority B), with a number attached. For example, “A20” is the highest priority for housing applications.

If your situation changes while you’re on the waiting list (for example, a change in your income or in the number of people in your household) you should tell MSD, as this could affect whether you still qualify for social housing or your position on the waiting list.

You’ll be contacted by Kāinga Ora (Housing New Zealand) or the community housing provider who owns the property. They’ll show you the property and, if you want to take it, they’ll draw up a tenancy agreement for you to sign. They’ll also let the Ministry of Social Development know that you’re taking the property.

MSD will work out what your rent will be.

Although you’ll still need to deal with MSD about some issues, from this point on your landlord will be Kāinga Ora or the relevant community housing provider. You’ll deal with them for all the usual things that tenants deal with landlords for – such as paying rent and asking them to carry out any necessary repairs.

If you have a good reason for turning down a social housing property that’s been offered to you (for example, it’s too far away from your doctor), talk to the housing provider (Kāinga Ora or the relevant community housing provider). They may be able to find you a more suitable place. This can be difficult, however, because in many places the demand for social housing is far greater than the number of places available.

Yes. You’ll need to get an “Appointment of Agent” form from MSD and complete it – this will authorise your agent to deal with social housing issues and also any other Work and Income issues if you’re on a benefit. If you’ve already appointed someone to deal with Work and Income as your agent, you’ll need to fill in another form, “Agent – Extension for MSH Housing Assessment”.

What if I have nowhere to stay and need emergency accommodation?

If you need emergency accommodation, contact Work and Income on 0800 559 009 – or Senior Services on 0800 552 002 if you’re over 65. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) will also be able to work with you to find out what’s available in your area (for contact details, see: “Where to go for more support” at the bottom of this page).

Emergency accomodation is intended to last for seven days and is paid for by MSD through a special needs grant. If you have to stay longer, you might need to pay some rent – usually 25 percent of your income.

The actual housing is provided through a range of places, including churches, social service agencies, and motels. Kāinga Ora (Housing New Zealand) doesn’t provide emergency accommodation.