Property Inspections

As a tenant in a Gateway Housing managed property, your residence will undergo a routine inspection every quarter (three months). Routine inspections make us aware of any maintenance or repair the property may require.

There will be provided 7 days notice prior to an inspection via an Entry Notice from the Residential Tenancies Authority. The name of the person (or persons) entering you property will be found on the Entry Notice.

Routine inspections are generally only 15 to 20 minutes. If you are not at home during the inspection Gateway Housing will enter the premises using an access key. Photos will be taken during inspections in order to maintain ongoing records of the property’s condition as well as for documenting instances of required maintenance and/or repair.

What do we look for in an inspection?

The property should be in a reasonably tidy and clean state at the time of inspection. We expect the house to be uncluttered so we can work unimpeded. We check the condition of the house and determine if maintenance and/or repairs are needed.

What to do before an inspection?

Clutter should be minimised, at least to the point where we can complete our inspection without being obstructed.
Any and all pets should be restrained, as we will be inspecting the entire property, not just the house.
Our staff are required to wear shoes at all times, including inside the house. If you have concerns about this then please let us know prior to the inspection.
Please ensure that the house isn’t solely occupied by children under the age of 18 during the date of the inspection. Gateway Housing will not enter a property if a minor is home alone.

What about after the inspection?

If any concerns or tenancy breaches are noted then a staff member will let you know what they are, and if any action needs to be taken.

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:

The number of people approved to reside at the property is determined by the lease.
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.
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:

We will ask you if there is another person living in the residence, and why, in an open and honest manner.
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).
We will discuss whether transfer to another property may be preferable to you.
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.

Failure To Declare Income

Gateway Housing review the rents of all tenants. This happens at least every 6 months, or if the tenant advises of a change in household circumstances. This is in accordance with the Community Housing Rent Policy from the Department of Housing and Public Works.

As a tenant of community housing, we require evidence of your income during your rent review, to ensure your rent is both fair and tailored to you. Producing this evidence is a pivotal requirement of your tenancy agreement. All proof of your income should be current.

Proof of Income

Bank statements. This should include all accounts for all bank accounts and investment organisations for every household member over 18 within the given period.
Income Confirmation from Centrelink. You and your household members can give consent for Gateway Housing to access your income details through Centrelink.
Payslips.
A current income statement from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. You can ask them to send the statements to us directly.
A profit and loss statement. Completed by an accountant.
A lodged tax return. Must have at least 3 months of business (if self-employed) and personal bank statements.
Records of foreign pension payments. Obtained from a relevant foreign government. Only needed if this information is not covered by Centrelink.
A Workcover/insurance letter or statement. Should show gross money received.

We will take the following actions should proof of income not be provided when required:

We will meet to discuss the matter with you directly.
If there is any impediment to providing said proof, then we will endeavour to help you resolve it.
We will explain to you that you are in breach of your lease.
A Notice to Remedy Breach will be issued, with 7 days to rectify it by providing proof of income.
Should the Notice to Remedy Breach expire without providing proof of income then your rent subsidy will be removed, resulting in you paying full market price for rent.
If proof of income is still not provided by this point then a Notice to Leave may be issued. The Notice to Leave will be revoked should we receive proof of income prior to its expiration, otherwise your tenancy will be terminated.