#National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS)

• reduce rental costs for low to medium income households.
• increase the number of more affordable rental houses.

Am I eligible to rent under the scheme?

To become a registered prospective tenant under the NRAS in Queensland, you must meet all of the requirements listed below.

• You must be an Australian citizen, have permanent residency, or have been issued with a temporary protection, or bridging visa.
• You must be a Queensland resident, or provide evidence of your need to move to Queensland.
• You or your household members must not own or part-own property in Australia or overseas. This includes residential or commercial property, land, mobile homes or caravans that are permanently connected to utilities.
• Your money in bank accounts, shares and investments (including superannuation payouts) must not exceed $84,812.50 for a single person, or $105,375.00 for 2 or more household members.
• Your proposed household’s combined annual gross income must not exceed the following limits:

One adult:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $47,289
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $59,111

2 adults:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $65,378
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $81,722

3 adults:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $83,466
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $104,333

Sole parent with 1 child:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $65,423
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $81,779

Sole parent with 2 children:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $81,108
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $101,385

Sole parent with 3 children:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $96,793
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $120,991

Couple with 1 child:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $81,063
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $101,329

Couple with 2 children:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $96,748
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $120,934

Couple with 3 children:

• At commencement of NRAS tenancy initial income limit must not exceed $112,433
• During NRAS tenancy upper income limit must not exceed $140,541

To calculate NRAS eligibility for household types not identified above, please use the information below.

First single adult: $47,289 Each additional adult: $18,089 Each child: $15,685 First sole parent: $49,738

Income levels above are assessed on the total income for a household, not individuals within the household.

Household income cannot exceed the initial income limit at the time of applying.

If your income exceeds the upper income limit for your household type for 2 consecutive eligibility years you will no longer be eligible for the scheme.

Yearly rent increases for scheme properties are capped at the rental component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Tenants renting a property through the scheme may be eligible for rent assistance, subject to the normal Centrelink eligibility criteria.

How to register

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply for a place to rent under the scheme. You can find properties currently available in Queensland by visiting National Rental Affordability Scheme Properties for Rent on realestate.com.au.

If you would like more information about these and other places for rent, contact a tenancy manager  directly.

The NRAS tenancy manager for a property will select which registered applicants are offered tenancies.

The department has no involvement in the management of these tenancies.

Existing public housing applicants

Approved public housing applicants may not need to apply again to be considered for rental accommodation under the scheme.

If you are already on the housing register, contact us on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) to be registered for the scheme.

Application results

You will receive written notification via email or mail once your application for registration has been assessed.

Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with the reason/s for not meeting the eligibility, and may appeal the decision.

More information

For more information on the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS):