The State Government is making available $30 million for grants of up to $2,000 for Western Australian private residential tenants who lost their jobs on or after 20 March 2020 and are facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This page contains everything you need to know about the rent relief grant and how to apply.
Before you can apply for the Residential Rent Relief Grant Scheme, you must meet the eligibility criteria and ensure you have saved all required evidence to support your application in electronic format, ready to upload. We recommend using a PC or laptop as supporting documents must be uploaded at the time of application.
Due to the expected high demand for grants which will be individually assessed, we anticipate the processing of applications may take some time. We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly as possible to attend to every claim.
Terms we use on this page
Topic categories:
You are eligible for the grant if -
You are not eligible for the grant if -
If you are not eligible for a grant you can still have a conversation with your landlord to negotiate a reduction in rent.
The online form for applications is open until 29 September 2020, however the total grant funding is $30 million which, depending on demand, may be claimed prior to this date.
Applications can only be processed if you have negotiated with your landlord for rent reduction or deferral of payments and lodged this agreement with Consumer Protection as part of your application, or if you have been through Consumer Protection's conciliation service to negotiate a new agreement.
You are required upload documentary evidence to support your application. Before applying you must have saved all required evidence in electronic format, ready to upload. Incomplete applications cannot be submitted or saved to complete at a later time.
You will need to provide:
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, eml, msg
Maximum file size: 8MB
You will also need to provide the name and contact details of the private landlord or the real estate agency managing the property you rent.
In any residence there may be more than one tenant on the agreement, so the total income of all people party to that agreement is considered. It is the total income after tax within the household that determines eligibility.
Similarly to household income, household savings refers to the total amount of savings held in the bank accounts of those living in the household that are party to the rental agreement.
A private residential property is one that is privately owned by a landlord or company and excludes social and public housing. Generally the owner manages the property themselves or contracts a licensed real estate agency to do so.
The grant is paid to the landlord and will be equivalent to four-weeks' rent up to a maximum of $2,000, whichever is the lesser. However, the tenant needs to benefit from a reduced rent or rental debt as a result of the grant.
The tenant applies for the grant but it will be paid directly to the landlord. Both the landlord and tenant must agree to the Terms and Conditions before the grant is paid.
No, the grant will not have to be repaid by either landlord or tenant.
Advice on how to negotiate a reduced rent agreement with a tenant who refuses to apply is available.
The grant can be paid but it will be conditional on your landlord reducing your future rental debt by the amount of any grant that is approved. Your landlord will need to provide a written agreement to Consumer Protection that indicates any deferred rental debt will be reduced before the grant is paid.
Please see our guidelines for negotiating a new rent agreement.
Consumer Protection provides a new COVID-19 Residential Tenancies Mandatory Conciliation Service to assist tenants and landlords to reach agreement. Call 1300 304 054 or email tenancyhelp@dmirs.wa.gov.au.
Due to the large volume of applications expected, if you do have access to a computer with internet access it is quicker and more efficient to submit your application online.
If you do not have access to a computer then we can post out a manual form to complete. Please note that there are significant supporting documents that will need to be provided as part of the application.
Completed applications can be posted to the department or dropped off at one of our offices throughout the state.
For more details call Consumer Protection on 1300 304 054.
Before proceeding ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and have saved all required evidence to support your application in electronic format, ready to upload.
Note: The online form is not supported in Internet Explorer. Please ensure you access the form via a different browser.
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