Transition to Alternative Housing Grant

We may be able to pre-approve this payment if you:

• are living in public (social) housing 
• have a signed tenancy agreement with the public housing provider
• are going to move out of public housing voluntarily (as agreed with us and the public housing provider), and
• have not been paid a Transition to Alternative Housing Grant before.

You also must be either:

• getting a main benefit, NZ Super or Veteran's Pension, or
• ordinarily resident in New Zealand and either:
  • a New Zealand citizen
  • have a residence class visa under the Immigration Act 2009
  • recognised as a refugee or protected person under the Immigration Act 2009, or
  • getting a Special Needs Grant because you came to New Zealand on a temporary visa to be with your New Zealand partner and your relationship ended due to domestic violence.

Once you've found a private rental property

You'll need to meet the following criteria:

• your public housing tenancy is ending
• you're moving out of public housing voluntarily
• everyone in your house is moving out, and
• you're moving into a private rental property:
  • within 6 months of applying for this payment
  • where you've entered a tenancy that the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) applies to, i.e. you have a tenancy agreement, and
  • where you can afford to stay in the accommodation.

You can get $3,000 if you’re the only person applying for this payment who's signed the public housing tenancy agreement.

If there’s someone else who's applying for this and signed the public housing tenancy agreement, the payment will be split between you.

Step 1 - Pre-approval

Call us while you're still in public housing and looking for a private rental property.

Call us on 0800 559 009

If you get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension, call Senior Services on 0800 552 002

We'll book you an appointment to come in and talk with us about your situation. If we think you may qualify, we'll talk with you about next steps. 

Step 2 - Once you've found a private rental property

Call us again either on:

• 0800 559 009, or
• 0800 552 002 if you get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension.

We'll check you meet the additional criteria. If you do, we may pay the money to you.