Housing Provider Framework Lease & Property Management Agreement

The Housing Provider Framework (HPF) introduces a single Lease and Property Management Agreement for housing agencies that manage properties under long term community housing programs. These include:

Rooming House Program
Rental Housing Cooperatives
Disability housing initiatives, such as the Group Housing Program.

The properties, owned by the Director of Housing, are leased to community housing agencies for social housing for low income Victorians.

All agencies managing such properties must sign onto the HPF in order to formalise their relationship with the Director of Housing. From January 2009, the Director of Housing will only lease properties to registered housing providers or associations.

Framework Principles

Through the payment of rent by tenants, agencies will raise revenue to finance the four major tenancy and property management functions:

tenancy management
community capacity building
maintenance (either the Office of Housing or agency responsibility)
asset management (Office of Housing responsibility)

Tenancy management and community capacity building are the core functions for agencies leasing properties in the HPF. Agencies will have an option to undertake maintenance for the properties they lease, if they can demonstrate a capacity to do so. The Office of Housing retains the asset management function in all cases.

The HPF includes specified benchmarks that broadly allocate funds to meet the costs of the major tenancy and property management functions. The tenancy management benchmarks are based on the accommodation provided and the level of tenant contact required.

Community capacity building funds are for agency based projects that develop community building activities for tenants, quality improvement initiatives, preparation for registration or capital development projects.