Apply for Rentstart Bond Loan

Planned Maintenance. The e-Repair website will be unavailable between the hours of 12am and 2am Saturday 21 September for planned maintenance. For any urgent matters, please ring the Maintenance Hub on 1800 422 322. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Homes NSW, Housing Services provides help with the cost of setting up a new private rental with a Rentstart Bond Loan. The loan is interest-free and paid back to Homes NSW. You can apply for a Rentstart Bond Loan via online or paper. To apply online click the Apply for Rentstart Bond Loan link below and start your form. The online form is the quickest and simplest way to apply for Rentstart Bond Loan. You just need an email account. Check that your Real Estate Agent / Landlord is able to complete their part of the form online.

You can now check your rental affordability based on the Rentstart Bond Loan criteria by clicking on the Rentstart Bond Loan Affordability Estimator link below. The results provided are an estimate only and are based on the information you provide. Your actual affordability and eligibility will be reviewed once a full application has been lodged.

What you will need

In general, you must be at least 18 years of age, however there are circumstances where clients aged 16 or over but under 18 years of age will be considered. For more information, please see the Eligibility for Social Housing policy.

In order to submit your application, you will need to provide evidence to demonstrate that you and your household meet the general eligibility criteria for social housing as well as our Rentstart Assistance policy. Otherwise, we will not be able to process your application. To assess your eligibility, you must provide evidence for yourself and each person on your application aged 18 years and over. If you and your partner are under 18 years of age you must also provide this evidence.

Rentstart Bond Loan Eligibility

You are eligible for a bond loan if:

• you are eligible for social housing
• you are an Australian Citizen or permanent resident
• you meet the income and assets eligibility limits for your household. Under the Rentstart Bond Loan criteria, the social housing income eligibility requirement has been waivered for people experiencing domestic or family violence.
• you have less than $5000 in cash assets
• you do not own or part-own property (exceptions to waiving the property ownership rule)
• you have been approved for the rental property
• the rent for the property must not exceed 50% of the household’s total gross (before tax) weekly income.

You must provide evidence of:

• identity, and
• all sources of income and assets, and
• Australian Citizenship or permanent residency, and
• any land or property you or anyone on your application own, or part own.

Information about the type of evidence we need to assess your application is in the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet.

During the application process, you can expect:

• to receive communication from us via email and SMS
• to be able to update your form over 14 days
• to be able to upload supporting documents online
• that your income and identification details are checked securely online.

Get step-by-step help with the online form.

If you have an enquiry call the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322.

Other forms you may need to support your application

• Evidence Requirements Information Sheet
• Details of Land or Property Ownership
• General Consent to Exchange Information & Authority to Act on Client’s Behalf
• Consent to Exchange Information between a Social Housing Provider and a Support Worker
• Housing Statement