You must advise the department of any of the following changes within 28 days of the change occurring. If you do not advise the department, you may incur a penalty under the Housing Act 2003 or your tenancy agreement.
Examples of these changes include:
Household changes
- When a person joins your household
- When a person leaves your household
- When you have a baby
- When children's custody or access arrangements change
- When a child returns from care
- When a foster child (or children) joins your household
- When you have a visitor/s who stays longer than four weeks
- If you marry, divorce or separate
- If you change your name by marriage, revert to using your maiden name or change your name through another process, such as applying to the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
- When household members are regularly away for four nights or more a week
- If someone in your household dies.
Income changes
- When your and/or someone in your household's income reduces
- When your and/or someone in your household's income increases
- When a visitor stays longer than four weeks - evidence of their income must be provided to the department to re-assess your rent
- You become eligible for a different or new payment from Centrelink
- You become eligible for additional payments from Centrelink.
Changes in your circumstances
- When you want to end your tenancy
- When you will be absent from your home for more than two weeks
- When you are having a caretaker stay in your home if you are away for more than two weeks
- You wish to transfer to another home
- You need alternative accommodation because your present home is no longer suitable for your needs, e.g. you cannot climb stairs or the home is too large to maintain.
Other
- Damage has been caused to your home through burglary, vandalism, accident, fire, storm, flood, etc.
- Your home requires urgent maintenance
- Your home requires routine maintenance.