Rent, Buy or Own
The application process
Once your eligibility has been confirmed, you can make an appointment at your nearest neighbourhood unit. At the interview, we will ask you about your situation and your housing needs. We have a list of people wanting to move into our homes, and we need this information to determine your priority on the list.
These are some of the things we will want to discuss with you:
- your current living situation
- your residency status and the residency status of the people living with you - including children
- your weekly household income
- your housing expenses
- your assets - money in the bank and investments
- your housing needs
- how much rent you can afford to pay
- your options and how we may be able to help
What to bring:
There are some things we need from you, and it would be helpful if you could bring these with you. If you can't bring them all to the interview, you have 10 days to get them to us.
1. Proof of New Zealand residency for each member of the household included in your application. For example:
- birth certificates
- passports
- certificates of residency
- citizenship certificate or certificate of naturalisation
- letters from New Zealand Immigration Service confirming residency.
2. Proof of income over the past year, such as:
- Work and Income payments (call Work and Income on 0800 559 009 to ask for a 52-week statement printout)
- salary and wages (we'll give you a form that you need to ask your employer or insurer to complete)
- StudyLink payments (call StudyLink on 0800 889 900 or Deaf Link free fax 0800 621 621 to ask for a statement)
- proof of accident compensation payments (ask your ACC case manager for an annual statement of your payments)
- self-employment or partnership income, such as your latest annual accounts
- Government Superannuation Fund payments or National Provident Fund payments.
3. Proof of any family assistance you receive from Inland Revenue.
4. Proof of your current rent or board payments, such as:
- your tenancy agreement
- a bank statement showing automatic payments
- rent receipts.
If the documents are in a name other than the name you are using now, you will need to show us your Marriage Certificate or Deed Poll papers.
5. We may also need to see:
- information relating to expenses such as power, food and phone
- bank statements
- copies of loan or hire purchase agreements
- records of any court fines
- credit card accounts
- Tenancy Tribunal Orders
- notices to vacate
- doctors certificates or health reports if you have health-related reasons for wanting to move from your current home
- any letters of support from advocates or community representatives.
Support at the meeting:
You can bring an interpreter with you, or you can ask us to arrange one for you. You can also bring a family member, community worker or anyone else to support you. We can meet at your home if that suits you best.
What next?
Once your application is processed we will let you know the priority your housing need has been assessed as. We will need to keep in contact with you while you're waiting for a house to make sure your circumstances haven't changed.
We will then contact you once a home is available for you. At that point, a tenancy agreement is drawn up. This outlines our responsibilities as a landlord, and yours as a tenant. The agreement also states the number of people who can live at the house.
