The New South Wales Government has opened applications for landlords to request assistance, if they have lowered the rent for lockdown-impacted tenants.
The Announcement:
Applications for the COVID-19 residential tenancy support payment are now open for landlords who reduce the rent for COVID-19 impacted tenants.
The payment is capped at the rent reduction passed onto the tenants, or $1500, whichever is the lower. Only rent waived from 14 July 2021 is eligible to be claimed as a payment.
A landlord can claim either this payment or the COVID-19 land tax benefit (which is an offset of the land tax liability equal to the rent reduction granted), but not both.Landlords can make separate claims for each rental property they own.
To be eligible for the new measures, a tenant needs to:
- Show that rent paying members of the household are impacted by COVID-19 and have:
- lost employment, work hours or income due to COVID restrictions, or
- had to stop working because they or other members of their household (or in their care) were/are ill with COVID-19
- Show that the household’s take home weekly income has reduced by 25 per cent or more (including any government assistance received) compared to the weekly income received in the four weeks prior to 26 June 2021
- Continue to pay at least 25 per cent of the rent payable.
Applying online
To apply online, landlords or their managing agent will need to provide:
- the rental bond lodgement number as proof of the residential tenancy arrangement or, if no bond has been lodged, a copy of the residential tenancy agreement. If you don’t have either, you can still apply and will need to upload other proof to show a tenancy agreement exists
- a copy of the written agreement with the tenant to reduce or waive rent from 14 July 2021
- a Consent to Provide My Details signed by all tenants to share their personal details with Fair Trading, and
- a nominated account for payment. For managing agents, this should be the agency’s rental trust account.
Source: Service NSW
