Social 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 and Public Works.

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.au 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.

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

Once you are approved on the Queensland Housing Register, you can complete a BHC Application Form and will join the waitlist of BHC social housing.

Please note: Eligibility doesn’t guarantee housing.

BHC’s social housing rents are not income-based but set at levels designed to be affordable for most people receiving Centrelink benefits, lower-paid employment, or other low incomes. We try to match household types (for example singles, couples) with appropriately sized apartments and the household affordability.

When you apply for social housing with BHC, we will review your income (including Commonwealth Rent Assistance if applicable), as well as your location preferences and accessibility requirements. We then match these preferences with what you can afford.

BHC manages a small number of properties where an income-based rent model is applied. These properties are associated with specific program requirements.

BHC manages a number of boarding rooms. Boarding rooms typically consist of pods containing 4 to 6 separate rooms, which share a common kitchen, living, and balcony areas. Some boarding rooms feature private ensuites, while others have shared bathroom arrangements.

Boarding room rents are set to be affordable for individuals on JobSeeker payments. Residents in boarding rooms remain on the Queensland Housing Register to be considered for future vacancies with the Department of Housing and other community housing organisations.

BHC has a strong track record of transitioning BHC boarding room residents into our studio or one-bedroom apartments as their financial situation improves and suitable vacancies arise.

BHC conducts annual rent reviews for all tenancies. Part of our rent review process includes rental valuations conducted by an independent, registered valuer. We will always comply with the QLD Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 when applying rent increases. We recognise that increasing cost of living impacts on our residents. We endeavour to limit increases while balancing the need to cover increasing costs in maintenance and service.

The BHC Rent Setting policy may change over time.

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-bedrooms 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.