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The information on this page is for the support people of specialist disability accommodation (SDA) residents. You can find information for SDA providers and SDA residents.
As a support person, you can help the resident understand their rights and responsibilities in SDA.
Role of a support person
A support person can be anyone chosen by an SDA resident to help them understand their renting rights and responsibilities in an SDA residency. However, they can't work for the SDA provider.
A support person can be a family member, trusted friend, advocate, carer, guardian or daily independent living support provider. Daily independent living support providers support SDA residents with daily tasks and help them develop their skills to live as independently as possible.
Providers must appoint a support person for the resident if:
- the resident does not have a support person
- their disability prevents them from understanding the agreement, information statement, or their rights and responsibilities.
Providers cannot choose a support person who works for them.
For information to help families and carers of SDA residents, visit For families and carers - NDIS.
Differences between the types of agreements
There are some differences between an SDA residency agreement and a Residential rental agreement.
The SDA residency agreement is designed to provide additional protections for SDA residents. It’s important the resident understands the differences before deciding which agreement is best for them.
Find more information about the main differences between the types of agreements.
Starting an SDA agreement or Residential rental agreement
The resident can enter into an agreement with the SDA provider. If the resident cannot sign or understand an SDA agreement by themselves, an agreement can still be established, with support.
The SDA provider has an obligation to explain the SDA agreement to the resident in the first instance. If in doing so, the SDA provider considers a support person would be beneficial to the resident, they must give the information statement and the agreement to specific people (such as a family member, carer, advocate). If the resident doesn’t have any of those specific people, then the provider can choose someone to support them. That support person cannot work for the provider or be connected to their organisation.
Entering into an SDA residency agreement
The resident enters into this type of agreement if they:
- understand the agreement and its information statement, and
- can sign the agreement.
The steps for this are:
1. The SDA provider gives the resident a copy of the agreement and its information statement.
2. The SDA provider explains the agreement and its information statement to the resident. They must explain all rights and duties the resident has in a way that they understand. The resident can still have a support person to help them understand the information.
3. The resident and provider sign the agreement. There must be at least 7 days between when the provider gave the resident the agreement information statement and when they both sign the agreement.
Establishing an SDA residency agreement
An SDA agreement can be established if the resident:
- needs a support person to help them understand the agreement and its information statement, and
- cannot sign the agreement because of their disability.
The steps for this are:
1. The provider gives the resident a copy of the agreement and its information statement.
2. The provider explains the agreement and its information statement to the resident. They must explain all the resident’s rights and duties in a way that they understand. This must be both orally and in writing if this is helpful to the resident.
3. If it would help the resident, the provider must also give you, the support person, a copy of the agreement and its information statement and explain it to you. You then explain it to the resident you are supporting.
4. The provider signs the agreement. There must be at least 7 days between when the provider gave the information statement to you and the resident, and when they sign the agreement.
Exceptional agreement orders: the law says the SDA resident and SDA provider must sign an SDA residency agreement before the resident moves into the SDA. In some situations, that’s not possible. The exceptional agreement order is a formal process that can help sort this out.
Learn more about exceptional agreement orders.
Entering into a residential rental agreement
It’s important you and the resident understand the difference between an SDA residency agreement and a residential rental agreement before choosing to enter into a standard rental agreement.
People across Victoria use a residential rental agreement to rent standard homes.
There are 2 types of residential rental agreements:
- a short-term agreement of 5 years or less
- a long-term agreement of more than 5 years.
For more information, go to Residential rental agreements.
The resident can enter into this type of agreement if they:
- understand the agreement and its information statement, and
- can sign the agreement.
The steps for this are:
1. The provider gives the resident the agreement and its information statement.
2. The provider explains the agreement and its information statement. They must explain all the resident’s rights and duties in a way that they understand. As a support person you can also help the resident understand the information.
3. The resident and the provider sign the agreement. There must be at least 7 days between when the provider gives the information statement and when both parties sign the agreement.
4. The provider must give the resident a copy of the signed agreement within 14 days of signing.
5.The provider must give the resident a copy of our Renters Guide before or on the day the resident moves into the home. This guide has renting information for the beginning, middle and end of a rental agreement.
If the resident signed a residential rental agreement and the provider did not give the resident the required information statement, they can end the agreement.
Additional terms
The provider must use the SDA and residential rental agreements from our website. To download the agreements, go to Resources for SDA residents.
The provider cannot create their own agreement, but they can include extra terms as long as these terms are not banned or do not take away any of the resident’s rights under the law. If a term does this, it is invalid. The provider may also face penalties.
Rental payments in SDA
Providers and residents can agree that the resident pays the rent weekly, fortnightly or monthly. They must write this in the agreement. For more information, including reasonable rent contribution (RRC), go to Paying rent in SDA.