Moving house

What we can help with depends on if you're entering a tenancy that the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) applies to. For example, when you have a tenancy agreement.

Entering a tenancy the RTA applies to

If your landlord asks for a bond and you don't have enough money to pay for this, you may be able to get a Bond Grant.

Entering a tenancy the RTA does not apply to

We may be able to assure your accommodation supplier that any accommodation costs you have when you leave will be paid for. This is called an Accommodation Security Cover Grant.

You may have accommodation costs you have to pay in advance, like rent, board or cabin hire. If you don't have enough money to pay for these, you may be able to get an Accommodation Costs in Advance Grant.

If you're moving into accommodation and don't have enough money to pay for moving costs, we may be able to help.

Transition to Work Grant

We may be able to help with the costs of relocating for work with a 'Transition to work' grant.

This grant may also be able to pay for things you need to find or start a job, such as:

• clothing and transport for a job interview
• tools or clothing for work
• childcare when you go to a job interview or first start work
• tattoo removal
• living expenses until your first pay.

$5k to Work

If you qualify for a benefit and need to move to take up a job, you may be able to get a payment called '$5k to Work'.

If you're trying to get a rental property but feel you're being turned down due to your personal situation, we may be able to help. 

We can assure landlords that we'll help to pay for any costs you may have at the end of your tenancy if it ends in 2 years. These are outstanding costs over and above your bond amount. It could cover things like property damage or rent you owe. This is called 'Tenancy Costs Cover'.

Apply while you're looking for a rental property. We'll give you a letter with this information that you can show to landlords. This is called a 'Letter of assurance'.

If you choose to move out of public (social) housing into a private rental property, we may be able to give you a one-off payment. This payment is called ‘Transition to Alternative Housing Grant’.

If you think the public housing property you're living in is not suitable or safe, you can ask to move to another one.