This Chapter provides housing assistance and other associated benefits when a member is: 

• Posted to a location within Australia.

• Posted to an overseas location and their resident family remain in Australia unaccompanied.

Housing assistance helps members manage the hardships caused by the need to move location regularly or at short notice. Part 1 provides general eligibility to housing assistance, including when a member may or may not be eligible for housing related benefits.

If you own a home

If a member, their resident family or a recognised other person owns a home in the member’s housing benefit location or family benefit location, and the home is considered suitable, access to other forms of housing assistance under this Chapter may be limited. There are various factors provided under Part 2 which will determine if the home is considered suitable.

Housing options

If a member does not have access to a suitable own home where they are posted, or where their unaccompanied resident family lives, they may have access to a number of other housing options, including:

• Living-in accommodation (see Part 4) – This type of housing is available to members when they are undertaking training courses or operational reasons require them to stay on base. Living-in accommodation can also be used by members who have no resident family or recognised other persons living with them in their housing benefit location. 

• Service residences (see Part 6) – This type of housing is provided through Defence Housing Australia and is available to members who have resident family. While this is the primary form of housing for members with resident family, if there are no Service residences available, members will still have access to other forms of housing assistance.

• Member choice accommodation (see Part 7) – This is a type of accommodation available to members who have no resident family or members who have resident family who they do not live with. A member can choose to occupy member choice accommodation as an alternative to occupying living-in accommodation or receiving rent allowance.

• Rent allowance (see Part 8) – This is a form of housing assistance that is paid to a member to assist them in paying their rent when they rent a home in the private rental market.

Part 5 provides temporary accommodation allowance for members and their families if they are unable to access housing when they initially arrive in their new housing benefit location or family benefit location. Temporary accommodation allowance assists with the costs associated with alternative accommodation as well as certain other costs, such as meals.

Buying and selling a home

There are also a number of benefits available under this Chapter to assist a member to purchase and sell a home. Part 3 has two types of benefits, one for the initial purchase of a home (HPAS), which provides a one off payment and another for the subsequent sale of that home and purchase of another home (HPSEA), which provides the reimbursement of certain costs associated with selling and purchasing a home. Some of the costs which may be covered under HPSEA include, legal/conveyancing fees, mortgage discharge/legal fees, agent’s commission and mortgage insurance. There is no limit to the number of times a member can use HPSEA.

Related benefits

In addition to housing assistance, Part 9 and Part 10 of this Chapter contain benefits for certain members to assist them with the cost of meals and utilities when they are occupying accommodation because they either have no resident family, or if they do, because they do not live in the same location as their resident family.