Rent payments

Your rent

It’s really important you pay your rent on time and don’t get into debt. This can quickly spiral creating stress for you and your family. It is also a breach of your tenancy agreement.

We are here to help you. If you are having trouble paying your rent on time, please call us on 0800 624 456 and we can work with you to come up with a plan on how you can repay this and sustain your tenancy.

Online payment options

Register for online banking with your bank. For most banks you can do this online or over the phone.

Once registered you can set up a new bill payment on the internet or from your mobile phone. Select Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust from the bill payee options available and fill in the payment fields as below.

Particulars

First initial and surname

Code

Payment reference number

Reference

Payment reference number

For more information on setting up online bill payments select your bank below:

Telephone banking

Contact your bank to set up telephone banking. For most banks you can do this by phone. You will need to ask them to add Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust to your list of available Bill Payees and fill in the payment fields as below.

Particulars

First initial and surname

Code

Payment reference number

Reference

Payment reference number

For more information on setting up online bill payments select your bank below:

How the rental streams work

  • Assisted Rentals are tenancies that transferred to Trust management on October 2, 2016.

    Tenants on an Assisted Rent have no more than a net 5% rent increase a year.

    ŌCHT reviews Assisted Rents each year around October. We write to Assisted Rental tenants to let them know if the rent is changing and what those changes will be.

    Assisted rent is subsidised by ŌCHT to ensure tenants pay no more than 85% of market rent. The Trust also relies on MSD to help with affordability by offering the MSD Accommodation Supplement to eligible tenants.

    If you pay your rent directly to us, please make the change explained in the letter. If you need help, please give us a call on 0800 624 456 and we will help you through this.

  • The government contracts ŌCHT to provide a number of public housing tenancies to people on the Public Housing Register, which is managed by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

    These tenancies receive the government’s Income Related Rent Subsidy, which is also managed by MSD.

    The subsidy ensures tenants pay no more than 25% of their income. ŌCHT charges market rent and MSD tops-up the tenant payment.

    Here’s how Income Related Rents are set:

    • ŌCHT uses an independent qualified registered valuer to carry out an annual rent review.

    • The results are sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for approval.

    • Once approved, MSD calculates the rent the tenant pays to ŌCHT. This is the Income Related Rent (IRR).

    • MSD tops up the rent paid to ŌCHT to the agreed market rent. This is the Income Related Rent Subsidy (IRRS).

    • MSD reviews the IRR annually or when the tenant has a change in in income or circumstances. MSD can increase or decrease the IRR paid by the tenant, or the IRRS paid to ŌCHT.

    • MSD manages decisions about how much rent a tenant pays to ŌCHT, and MSD informs the Trust how much rent to charge the tenant.

    • MSD lets tenants know if the rent is changing what those changes will be.

    • MSD sends a form to fill out about four months before the rent is due to change.

      • Remember to let us know immediately if your circumstances change as your rent will need to be re-assessed by MSD.

  • ŌCHT’s Affordable Rentals are for qualifying people who can’t afford market rent.  

    Affordable Rentals are subsidised by ŌCHT to ensure tenants pay less than market rent for comparable homes in the suburb.

    ŌCHT uses an independent qualified registered valuer to carry out an annual rent review.

    ŌCHT writes to Affordable Rental tenants to let them know if the rent is changing and what those changes will be.

    If you pay your rent directly to us, please make the change explained in the letter. If you need help, please give us a call on 0800 624 456 and we will help you through this.

  • Once tenants are housed they stay in the same rent stream until the end of their tenancy.

    On rare occasions a tenant may need to be relocated. They may be eligible to be rehoused through the MSD Housing Register. They would sign a new tenancy agreement with the Trust and would move to a new property on an IRR tenancy.

  • Rents are reviewed annually, in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act. Tenants are advised of any rent increase 60 days in advance. The rent increase takes effect from the first rent charge in the new annual period.

How is rent affordability managed?

  • ŌCHT's assisted rental stream is a subsidised rent in which ŌCHT charges up-to the current cap of 85% of market rent. In addition to subsidising the assisted rent, ŌCHT relies on MSD to help with affordability by offering the MSD Accommodation Supplement to eligible tenants.

    ŌCHT does not review tenants’ income and assets as we do not have the right to directly access tenant’s income information in the same way that MSD does.

  • ŌCHT relies on MSD to determine an affordable rent through the IRR assessment criteria, based on the applicant’s personal circumstances.

    A tenant’s economic circumstances can change once they are housed, so MSD reviews tenant’s rent. Sometimes the IRR paid by the tenant can be set at either a market rent or above. ŌCHT will then charge 100% of market rent if MSD determines the tenant has the income and assets to support this.

  • ŌCHT's Affordable Rental stream is a subsidised rent in which ŌCHT charges less than market rent. In addition to subsidising the Affordable Rent, ŌCHT relies on MSD to help with affordability by offering the MSD Accommodation Supplement to eligible tenants.

    ŌCHT does not review tenants’ income and assets as we do not have the right to directly access tenant’s income information in the same way that MSD does.