Applications for the COVID-19 residential tenancy support payment are now open for landlords who reduce the rent for COVID-19 impacted tenants.
The payment is capped at the rent reduction passed on to the tenants, or $1,500, whichever is lower. Only rent waived from 14 July 2021 onwards is eligible to be claimed as a payment. A landlord can claim either this payment or the COVID-19 land tax benefit (which is an offset of the land tax liability equal to the rent reduction granted), but not both. Landlords can make separate claims for each rental property they own.
More information on eligibility for tenants and how to negotiate an agreement on rent reduction is available here.
Applying online
To apply online, landlords or their managing agent will need to provide:
- the rental bond lodgement number as proof of the residential tenancy arrangement or, if no bond has been lodged, a copy of the residential tenancy agreement. If you don’t have either, you can still apply and will need to upload other proof to show a tenancy agreement exists
- a copy of the written agreement with the tenant to reduce or waive rent from 14 July 2021
- a Consent to Provide My Details signed by all tenants to share their personal details with Fair Trading, and
- a nominated account for payment. For managing agents, this should be the agency’s rental trust account.
Visit the Service NSW website for more information and to apply for the COVID-19 residential tenancy support payment.
This article first appeared in NSW Fair Trading.
