Affordable Housing

Social housing is subsidised rental housing.

Social housing is made up of two types of housing:

• public housing, which is owned and managed by State and Territory Governments, and
• social or community housing, which is managed by Community Housing Providers like BHC.

To be considered for BHC social housing, you must first be approved on the Queensland Housing Register with the Department of Housing.

Affordable housing is rental housing for low to moderate income households.  It is open to a broader range of household incomes than social housing.  Households do not have to be eligible for social housing to apply for affordable housing, but they do have to meet eligibility requirements such as residency and maximum income and assets.

When there is a vacancy for an affordable housing property, this is usually advertised on real estate platforms like realestate.com and people submit an application as they would if they were applying for a property in the private rental market.

BHC does not keep waitlists for affordable housing.

BHC does not keep waitlists for affordable housing properties. When a vacancy becomes available, we advertise it on real estate platforms like realestate.com.au. We ask you to register online and attend a viewing.

BHC Affordable Housing Application Form can be completed electronically and emailed to applyaffordable@bhcl.com.au or posted to GPO Box 544, Brisbane Q 4001.

Income and Asset eligibility limits apply. See more information on our Information Statement.

We ask that applications are only submitted for advertised positions. Applications will only be considered following a viewing of the property.

There are a number of conditions you must meet in order to be eligible for a BHC affordable housing property:

• You must be an Australian citizen, have permanent residency or have Temporary Protection visa XA visa subclass 785 or Temporary Protection visa XC visa subclass 785. Permanent residents include NZ citizens who arrived in Australia prior to 27 February 2001.
• You must be a Queensland resident or provide evidence of a need to move to Queensland.
• You or your household members must not own or part-own property within Australia or overseas. This includes residential or commercial property, land, mobile home or caravan (permanently connected to utilities).
• Your household’s combined liquid assets, meaning money in the bank, shares, investments and superannuation payouts, must not exceed $135,937 for a single person or $173,375 for two or more household members.
• Your proposed household’s combined annual gross income must not exceed the following limits*:

*Effective May 2025; subject to change. Income from the last 12 months.

As well as meeting eligibility requirements, applicants will need to be able to afford the property rent.

Please note: Eligibility doesn’t guarantee housing.

With the National Rental Affordability Scheme set to conclude in 2026, BHC no longer has NRAS properties in its portfolio.

Rents for our affordable apartments are set at 74.9% of the market rate. Because market rent varies depending on the property and its location, we recommend checking the rental listing for each specific apartment. The listing will include the exact rent payable for that property.

Prior to offering a property to a tenant, BHC will use the income information you have supplied to ensure your affordability for the property you are applying for.

Each year, a registered valuer undertakes a rental valuation of our properties. Rent increases may be applied in keeping with the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008.

Yes. All BHC residents participate in an annual review of their income and assets to ensure they remain within eligibility limits.

This is to ensure that we continue to meet our obligation to provide housing for individuals and families on low to moderate incomes.

The majority of BHC’s portfolio consists of medium to high-density apartment buildings.

Most of our apartments are studios and one-bedrooms, with some two-bedroom available. We have very few three or four-bedroom apartments available.

Please note, only one person can live in a studio.

Many of our buildings, particularly in high-density central areas, do not have car parking.  We select locations with excellent public transport and walkability so residents don’t need to rely on cars.

Where parking is available, it comes at an additional cost and may be subject to a waitlist.

No. Our apartments are designed to maximise natural airflow and ventilation.  In most apartments, you may install air conditioning at your own cost, but it must be removed at your cost if you vacate the apartment. Air conditioning may only be installed with approval from BHC; please refer to Modifications.

Yes. We recognise the importance of pets and are supportive of residents having one where possible. We ask that you declare your pet on your application form and review our Pet Policy to ensure it’s a good fit. See this page for additional information and requirements.

Please note that not all BHC properties are suitable for a pet.

When an affordable housing property becomes available, it is advertised on realestate.com.au. We don’t keep waitlists for affordable housing, so the best way to see what’s currently available is to view our listings online and apply for affordable properties as they become available.

View currently listings on realestate.com.au