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Rent payments
You and your provider decide whether you pay the rent weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Make sure this is in the lease agreement.
You can choose a payment method that does not have extra fees. Your provider should tell you if a certain payment method includes any extra fees. You also have the option to pay rent by Centrepay.
You can ask for a receipt when you pay rent. If you pay rent directly to your provider, they must give you a receipt straight away.
If you have an SDA residency agreement
You do not have to pay more than 30 days’ rent in advance.
If you have a residential tenancy agreement (short-term or long-term lease)
You do not have to pay more than 14 days' rent in advance if you pay your rent weekly.
If you pay your rent fortnightly or monthly, you do not have to pay more than one month's rent in advance, unless the weekly rent is more than:
- $350 (if you are on a fixed-term agreement of five years or less), or
- $760 (if you are on a fixed-term agreement of more than five years).
For more information, view our Rent responsibilities and increases section.
Reasonable rent contribution (RRC)
The NDIS Rules say providers can get reasonable rent contribution (RRC) from you. This applies to the SDA residency agreement and Residential tenancy agreements.
If you receive the disability support pension, your RRC cannot be more than:
- 25 per cent of the basic rate of the disability support pension
- plus 25 per cent of any pension supplement you receive
- plus 25 per cent of any youth disability supplement you receive
- plus all Commonwealth rent assistance you receive.
If you do not receive the disability support pension, your RRC cannot be more than:
- 25 per cent of the basic rate of the disability support pension
- plus all Commonwealth rent assistance you receive.
Rent increases
SDA residency agreement
There is no prescribed or approved form for notices of rent increase where an SDA residency agreement is in place.
The law says for a notice of rent increase to be valid:
- you, and your guardian or administrator (if you have one), must be given at least 60 days’ notice of any rent increase, and
- the notice must include:
- the amount of the rent increase
- the method by which the rent increase was calculated
- a statement informing you of your right to ask us, if your think the rent is too high, to investigate and report on the proposed rent. You can only ask for a rent assessment within 30 days of getting the notice of rent increase, and
- SDA providers must not increase the rent more than once every 6 months.
Easy English guides are a summary of the notice written in an easy to read way. Your provider must use them to explain the notice in a way you can understand. Download the:
Residential tenancy agreements
Your provider can increase the rent every:
- six months in a short-term lease (five years or less), or
- 12 months in a long-term lease (more than five years).
They must give you 60 days' notice by giving you a Notice of rent increase to tenants of rented premises (Word, 578KB).
Easy English guides are a summary of the notice written in an easy to read way. Your provider must use them to explain the notice in a way you can understand. Download the:
For more information, view Rent increases.
What if the rent is too high?
If you think the rent increase is too high, you can ask us to investigate by sending us an Application to Director (Word, 559KB).
Easy English guides are a summary of the application written in an easy to read way. You cannot use them to make an application. Download the:
We will give you a report. You can use this report to apply to VCAT for a decision. You can only ask for a rent assessment within 30 days of getting the notice of rent increase.
While VCAT decides the matter, you must pay either the:
- rent increase amount, or
- previous rent amount plus ten percent, whichever one is less.
For more information, view What a tenant or resident can do if they believe the rent is too high.
Rent arrears
If you do not pay your rent on time, you are 'in arrears'. If you are more than 14 days' in arrears, your provider can give you a Notice to vacate. This means the agreement ends and you must move out. Your provider must find you somewhere suitable to live until:
- the end date on the notice
- you find somewhere else to live.
If you have an SDA residency agreement, view Notice to vacate on Notices to end an SDA residency.
If you signed a Residential tenancy agreement, view Rent arrears.