Gateway Housing Approved tenants

Unapproved Occupants

The only people who may live in a Gateway Housing residence are those named on the lease. This isn’t to say that the tenant can’t have guests, however… if another person lives in the property for over four weeks, without sought approval, then this person may be regarded as an “unapproved occupant”.

Being a tenant, if you wish for another person to move into the property, be that on a temporary or long-term basis, then you must obtain prior approval. We will let you know of all lease changes in advance, including any adjustment to rent.

Learn More: Residential Tenancy Authority (RTA website) https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/

Conditions for Guests

Any tenants with guests staying over should be aware of the following:

  1. The number of people approved to reside at the property is determined by the lease.
  2. You may have family or friends stay over a short term period, however all short-term visitors must have a separate primary place of residence. We may seek evidence of this if needed.
  3. You cannot receive any money from visitors in the form of rent.

Resolution For Unapproved Occupants

We will be fair with tenants if we suspect an unapproved occupant may be residing in your house.

To resolve the situation we will take the following steps:

  1. We will ask you if there is another person living in the residence, and why, in an open and honest manner.
  2. If someone has moved in, and they do not have prior approval, then we will determine if they are there to resolve any health issues or safety concerns you might have (such as carers for example).
  3. We will discuss whether transfer to another property may be preferable to you.
  4. If the occupant has nowhere to return to then we will give them housing options and advice.

Notice to Remedy Breach

You may receive a Notice to Remedy Breach should the occupancy situation not be resolved.

The rent subsidy would be removed if the unapproved occupant should fail to vacate the premises prior to the Notice to Remedy Breach expiring. This would mean that the tenant would be charged full market rent instead of a percentage of their income.

We at Gateway Housing will talk to all tenants so they fully understand the consequences should unapproved occupants  fail to move out.

Should all the above options be exhausted with an unapproved occupant still residing at the property then the tenant may be issued a Notice to Leave.