Housing

Our Residents

Creating strong connected communities.

We partner with our residents to create places which strengthen personal, family and community connections. Together we create opportunities for people to positively contribute to their local community.

Contact your Community Housing Officer

Our Residents

Signing up.

When you sign up for a Uniting property, you will receive a rental agreement and some key documents you need to sign or action. This page contains important information you can read in your own time.

Renter pack overview

Download:

Your rights and responsibilities

Download:

Centrelink

Download Centrelink eServices info sheet.

Setting up your utilities

Download:

Upkeep of your home during your tenancy

Download:

Safety information

Download:

Getting on with your neighbours

Download:

Shared houses and rooming houses

Download House rules for shared houses/rooming houses.

Retirement Villages

Download:

Further policies and guides

Start your tenancy

During your tenancy

End your tenancy

Forms

Start your tenancy

During your tenancy

End your tenancy

Newsletters

Engaging with you

We are committed to working in partnership with residents to build strong community connections.

To help us do that, we’ve developed:

If you are a Uniting resident, contact us using the form below.

Your feedback

When you share your feedback – compliments, suggestions and complaints, we can do better. That means you get the support you need. We promise that anything you raise with us will be dealt with quickly, and we’ll keep you informed about how we are taking it on board.

Visit our feedback page for ways to give us feedback, give us a suggestion or make a complaint.

Partnership opportunity

We at Uniting want to partner with you. So, we’ve started the Uniting Resident Advisory Panel (URAP). Are you interested in sharing your ideas to make a positive impact in the housing space? Have your say and apply to join the Uniting Resident Advisory Panel (URAP). Positions are open now.

About the Uniting Resident Advisory Panel:

What you can expect:

FAQs

Types of housing

What is community housing?

Community Housing is secure, affordable, long-term rental housing managed by not-for-profit organisations, like Uniting. It is for people on low incomes or with special needs.

In general, to be eligible for community housing, you need to have registered with the Victorian Housing Register or be able to demonstrate you are on a low income. The Victorian Housing Register is managed by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).

Visit the Victorian Housing Register for more information and how to apply.

What is transitional housing?

The Transitional Housing Management (THM) program provides short-term subsidised housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

For more information visit transitional housing.

What are retirement villages?

Uniting manages twelve affordable retirement villages across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. For more information visit retirement villages.

What is affordable housing?

Affordable housing is subsidised housing for people on low to moderate incomes who struggle to find affordable homes to rent. Residents living in affordable housing pay 75% of the market rent. Uniting advertises affordable housing vacancies online at realestate.com.au

Visit affordable housing for more information about Uniting’s affordable housing.

Contacting your Uniting Community Housing Officer

How do I contact my Community Housing Officer?

Your Community Housing Officer manages your tenancy and supports you with anything related to your tenancy. They can also recommend and refer you to other services if you need support other than housing. You can contact your Community Housing Officer by calling 1800 Homely (1800 466 359).

My tenancy

How do I find out how long my tenancy is?

Uniting manages many types of housing, including community housing, affordable housing, retirement villages and transitional housing. The length of your agreement is provided to you at your sign up.

If you are unsure of the length of your tenancy, contact your Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359) for advice.

How is my rent calculated?

Everyone living in a Uniting Housing property pays rent. The rent you pay will depend on the type of property you live in.

To find out more about how your rent is calculated, contact your Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359).

What do I need to do if my income changes?

For our community and transitional (THM) housing residents, the rent you pay is based on your household income.

If your income changes at any point throughout the year, you need to contact 1800 Homely (1800 466 359) and let your Community Housing Officer know of any change within seven days. This includes unemployment, Centrelink payment increases/decreases or any other changes to your circumstances.

You will be asked to provide verification of your income changes so that your rent can be re-calculated.

What can I do if I am having difficulty paying my rent?

If you’re having difficulty paying your rent, get in touch with your Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359) and they will be able to advise you of the options available to you.

For more information, please see our Relief Due to Hardship Policy.

Can I own a pet?

We acknowledge the value of pets to our resident’s health and well-being, and the responsibilities residents have to those pets and others in the community.

Residents who would like to own a pet are required to complete a Pet Request Form.

If you already own a pet, please contact your Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359) for advice.

To access a copy of our Pet Request Form or to find our more information, see our Pets Policy.

Getting along with your neighbours

There is conflict between neighbours at my property. What do I do?

Uniting supports and encourages good relations between neighbours. Uniting can act under the Residential Tenancies Act when residents or their visitors breach the rental agreement by interfering with the reasonable peace, comfort or privacy of other renters or neighbours.

If you are experiencing conflict with another resident or their visitor and would like to try and speak to the person yourself, make sure you can do that safely. They may not realise they are upsetting you. You may be able to work together to find a solution. If that approach does not work, seek advice from your Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359).

For more information refer to our information on Conflict Resolution and Uniting’s Good Neighbour Policy.

How do I report security issues or criminal behaviour?

If you witness any criminal behaviour, for example: theft, someone breaking into a Uniting property, or someone doing something that is clearly illegal, contact the police and make a report. After you have reported to the police, contact your Uniting Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359). For more information, see Information for Residents: Criminal Behaviour.

For more information about your safety visit Victoria Police’s website.

I have a noisy neighbour. What can I do?

The Environment Protection Act (EPA) 2017 describes ‘unreasonable noise’. It can be because of the volume, type of noise and how long or frequently it continues.

You can report residential noise to your local council.

Report unreasonable residential noise like late night parties to the police. After you have reported the noise to the police or council, contact your Uniting Community Housing Officer on 1800 Homely (1800 466 359). With evidence, we may issue a ‘breach notice’ to the noisy resident.

For more information, see Information for residents – Unreasonable Noise.