Here are some of the questions we get asked regularly at Jacaranda Housing.  If you have a question for us, please get in touch.

Question 1: Why am I still in rent arrears when I have already paid rent?

Answer: Rent is paid for future weeks, not for past weeks, so when you make a rent payment, it first covers the rent owing (arrears), and then any amount left over gets allocated to the future rent.

If a tenant doesn’t pay all the rent on the day it is due, the following day, they are 1 day in arrears.

Jacaranda is committed to working with tenants who may experience difficulty in paying rent. We have a responsible rent arrears policy that is in place to assist our tenants from 1 day in arrears if falling into rent arrears.

Tenants can request a copy of their rent ledger, provided within seven (7) days of a request or the Console Tenant App can give tenants access to general tenancy information, payment history, and the ability to raise maintenance requests at your convenience. Ask us about the Console Tenant App today.

Question 2: Will a change in my rent affect my rental bond?

Answer:  Your rental bond is held with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) during your tenancy and is equivalent to four weeks rent. If your rent changes, resulting in an increase to your bond of $50.00 or more, we may request this be paid either as a lump sum payment or in instalments. Jacaranda will provide the appropriate notice required under the RTRAA 2008 if requesting a bond increase.

Question 3: What happens if my keys are lost and/or are stolen?

Answer:  All keys provided by Jacaranda Housing to you are your responsibility. If you lose your keys or they are stolen, you will need to come to our office during business hours to take the office set of keys and re-cut these. If you are unable to do this or do not wish to do this, we can organise the locksmith to attend and either cut a new set of keys or re-key the locks. If locks are re-keyed a copy must be provided to Jacaranda Housing. The cost of the locksmith attending will be passed on to the tenant.

We use and recommend Southbank Locksmiths 3844 9977

Question 4: My house is clean, why do you need to inspect it?

Answer:  Routine inspections are carried out to ensure the property is well cared for and to check if there are any maintenance or health and safety issues. A routine inspection is not a housework inspection; Jacaranda appreciates that our tenants are living there. However, the tenant should have the property in a good condition on the day of inspection. Jacaranda may undertake routine inspections once every three months and on average carrying out no more than three per year, per household. 

During COVID-19 we stopped carrying out inspections for the safety of our tenants and staff and  recommenced following COVID Safe practices in late November 2020.

Question 5: I want to be home when Jacaranda Housing staff or their agent are carrying out the routine inspection

Answer: When a tenant is renting with Jacaranda, it is their home. Jacaranda or our agent, will need to enter for a routine inspection and it is our priority that our tenant’s privacy is respected. Whilst Jacaranda makes every effort to accommodate our tenants needs, we are a small team with a small window of availability to carry out routine inspections. Jacaranda provides adequate notice to our tenants in advance and they may wish to schedule around this notice to be present at the inspection.

Jacaranda will only enter between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday with inspections generally scheduled on a *Tuesday between 9.00am and 12.30pm. *This is subject to change at Jacaranda’s discretion.

Question 6: Jacaranda Housing have told me that my home is under-occupied. What does under-occupied mean and why are you asking me to transfer to a smaller property when I have lived in my home for a long time.

Answer: Jacaranda understands this is a sensitive matter and will always work closely with our tenants who are living in a home with excess bedrooms to occupant numbers. Queensland has approximately 40,000 people and families registered for social and community housing who are desperate for housing. By freeing up excess bedrooms in under-occupied homes, this will help us house other people and families in need just like our tenants.

Ongoing Housing Eligibility and Rent Subsidy Reviews

Question 7 : What is a rent subsidy?

Answer:  A rent subsidy is the difference between the calculated rent you are required to pay and the market rent for the property, it is a financial subsidy. Community Housing tenants must be eligible to receive a rent subsidy and it can be stopped if a tenant does provide requested information to determine a rent subsidy and the eligibility requirements of the housing program.

Question 8: Why do I need to provide an ATO Notice of Assessment or Non-Lodgement Advice?

Answer:  The ATO Notice of Assessment is used to confirm evidence for any income you have earned over a financial year and provides a reasonableness assessment based on the income information given to Jacaranda. The Non-Lodgement Advice confirms you have not earned any income over the financial year. This also allows us to ensure you are meeting the eligibility criteria and to determine your rent subsidy.

Question 9: Why do I need to provide my bank statements for the rent subsidy review?

Answer:  A bank statement shows us regular deposits that identify your income stream (e.g. wages, Centrelink income, child maintenance) as well as large one-off payments such as superannuation, inheritance payments or compensation payments. It also verifies your income, to ensure you continue to meet the eligibility criteria. Six months of bank statements are requested, although it is at our discretion to request bank statements for a longer period. We are not concerned with how tenants spend their money, so tenants can black out the details of withdrawals/debits if they choose for privacy reasons, we recommend tenants do this. However, we do need to see the running account balance and deposit totals.

If you have a question you would like answered please send us an email at info@jacarandahousing.com.au or write to us at PO Box 106, Spring Hill QLD 4004