The community housing strategy Planning for the Future: New directions for community housing in New South Wales 2007/08 – 2012/13, aims to support the growth of the sector and build the capacity of, and confidence in, community housing.
To facilitate these objectives, the Housing Act 2001 (NSW) was amended to provide for the establishment of the Registrar of Community Housing to administer a new regulatory system in NSW and to limit the provision of assistance by Housing NSW to those community housing providers that are registered.
Housing Regulation 2009
The Housing Regulation 2009, which commenced on 1 May 2009, was developed through extensive consultation with the sector and will help to ensure financial viability, quality housing and continued growth in community housing.
The Housing Regulation 2009 outlines a Regulatory Code for community housing that providers must comply with in order to receive assistance from Housing NSW.
The Regulatory Code focuses on tenancy management, asset management, governance and housing developments, and ensures that community housing providers have the knowledge and skills commensurate to the scale of their business.
Registrar of Community Housing
The Registrar of Community Housing will be responsible for the registration and regulation of community housing providers in NSW.
The Regulatory Code is applied across four classes of providers – Growth Providers, Housing Providers, Housing Managers, and Small Housing Managers – and with each class proportionate to the level of risk to which providers are exposed.
Development of a National Regulatory System for Community Housing Providers
In June 2011, Housing Ministers across Australia agreed to develop a national regulatory system for community housing. The proposed system seeks to introduce nationally consistent regulatory arrangements to promote the growth of the community housing sector nationally.
The proposed national system, which is expected to commence in 2013, has many elements in common with the current NSW regulatory system. For more information, refer to the National Regulatory System.
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