ELIGIBILITY RELATING TO A BANKRUPT APPLICANT

PREAMBLE

Tenants in Occupation are also covered by this policy, but for specific criteria for tenants, see TENANT ELIGIBILITY POLICY.



POLICY


GUIDELINES & PRACTICES

Proof of Bankruptcy
32. Homeswest requires documentation from the Insolvency and Trustee Service, as proof of bankruptcy.

32.1 Undischarged bankrupts must provide their pink card.
32.2 Discharged bankrupts must provide their Discharge Certificate.
32.3 If details and breakdown of creditors of the bankruptcy application are unknown, these can be obtained by contacting the Official Receivers Office on 08 9268 1222.
Lodgement of Claim by Homeswest
33. When a customer with a debt to Homeswest makes application for bankruptcy, a proof of debt claim will be lodged with the Official Receivers Office.

33.1 The minimum amount submitted to the Insolvency and Trustee Service (ITSA) for write-off, is $50.



POLICY


GUIDELINES & PRACTICES

Principal Place of Residence
34 Applicants must reside in the allocated property as their principle place of residence.

34.1 See TENANT ELIGIBILITY POLICY re absence from property and sub letting.
Different Region
35. Applicants must be eligible for the region in which they are currently residing at the time of application, regardless of the fact that the application is for a different region for which they may be currently ineligible. However, they must satisfy the eligibility requirements of the region of choice at allocation.

35.1 Example: an applicant residing in a region covered by the North West and Remote income criteria for which he/she is currently eligible, may apply for assistance in a region covered by the Metropolitan and Country income criteria, although not income eligible for those regions at time of application.
Eligibility at Application and Allocation
36. An applicant must be eligible for assistance at the time of application and at allocation.

36.1 Eligibility will be assessed at both times.
Homeswest Staff Member, Friends or Relatives
37. Employees of Homeswest who are eligible for public rental housing may make application for assistance, but their application must be approved by the Homeswest Executive, prior to an allocation.
37.1 This is not a requirement of the Housing Act (1980) but is to ensure the integrity of the process.
37.2 Prior to the allocation of a property the Regional Manager of the region concerned must present a submission to the Executive outlining the details of the application.
37.3 If an application is rejected, a written copy of the reasons must be placed on the employee’s file.
38. Friends and relatives of Homeswest employees making application for assistance will have their application treated the same as any other customer making application for assistance.
38.1 Staff must pass the administration of a Homeswest service for a relative or friend to a senior officer, if there is any likelihood of a perception of favours or other difficulties.
38.2 Examples of unethical behaviour regarding dealing with services to employees or friends:
  • Allocating a rental property ahead of turn
  • Ignoring guidelines for eligibility